Correspondence Chess in America by Bryce D. Avery, 2000 McFarland & Co., English Algebraic Notation, Hardcover, 278pp., $45.00 One of the intriguing aspects of playing chess is that one need not be physically across the board from an opponent to play. A game may be conducted by letter, telegram or even email. When Bobby Fischer could not get a visa to travel to Cuba to participate in the 1965 Capablanca Memorial, an arrangement was worked out so that he could play from the Marshall Chess Club. His moves were transmitted by telegraph. Correspondence play has been a part of the chess scene for approximately 175 years, dating back at least to the London- Edinburgh match that began in 1824. However, literature about postal play has lagged seriously behind its OTB counterpart. In the late 1970s, we penned what may have been the first book in English dedicated solely to this form of play. It was titled simply Correspondence Chess and it attempted to shed some light on postal play. Since then, several other books have appeared, and, in keeping with the advance of technology, CDs containing collections of correspondence games have also been released. The latest, and perhaps the most ambitious effort has just been issueed by McFarland. Correspondence Chess in America by Bryce D. Avery is another well produced hardback by the Jefferson, North Carolina publishing firm. The author is the historian of the Correspondence Chess League of America (CCLA), the oldest correspondence chess organization in America and reputedly the second oldest in the world. This connection to the CCLA is made clearly in the first paragraph of the Preface where it is stated: "The story of correspondence chess in America is largely the story of the Correspondence Chess League of America." The Preface is followed by a dozen chapters and four appendices all of which purport to detail the history of correspondence play in the United States. Ten chapters focus on the evolution and development of the CCLA, while the last two feature the American Correspondence World Champions Hans Berliner and Victor Palciauskas. The appendices are followed by a bibliography and three indexes: openings, players and general. The book contains 233 games, most lightly annotated. A very few OTB games - but with a correspondence connection - such as APCT's Jim Warren's simul game against Fischer - are also given. Within the chapters, the author has chosen to mix games with historical material, and for the most part this approach works well. It is also clear that the research that has gone into chronicling the history of the CCLA has been meticulous; the author relates details of events that must have taken very hard work, and perhaps some luck, to unearth. The problem with the book is that its presentation of history of postal play in the United States is not balanced. This is not really a history of correspondence chess in America. This is a history of the CCLA. Other organizations, particularly in the period after the Second World War, are given short shrift. Furthermore, there is a subtle, but unmistakable, hostile undercurrent toward the U.S. Chess Federation's (USCF) postal organization. For example, Al Horowitz's Chess Review maintained a fairly successful postal chess organization, particularly in the last two decades of its operation. When discussing the 1969 merger of Chess Life, the magazine of the USCF, with Chess Review, the author notes on page 101: "Postal chess had made Chess Review an astounding success and was still run at the USCF [after the merger] by some of the same Chess Review people, but it has always suffered somewhat under USCF supervision because of the organizations's lack of tradition in postal chess." This statement may or may not be true, but he then adds gratuitously: "It still provides postal tournaments for its membership but chooses to spend much of its money in trying to find 'the new Fischer.' " Other examples along these lines could be cited. The text is supplemented by a bibliography (which includes references to web sites - we are in a new age!), and a general index as well as indexes of players and games. We ran several entries in the general index and found more than just an occasional error; this is unfortunate, as anyone using a book as an historical resource depends on the accuracy of the index to guide them. A nice game from the book... Sturm-Magee (Notes by Sturm) 1950 Gambit Tournament Evans Gambit 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. 0-0 Bb6 8. cxd4 d6 9. Nc3 Na5 10. Bg5 Qd7 11. Bb5 c6 12. e5!! I have christened this line the "Rubicon Variation." The b5 bishop is sacrificed to open the e-file, create a passed pawn at d6, and allow White's superior development to be unleashed. 12...cxb5 13. exd6 f6 This may be the best move, but it keeps Black horribly cramped. White was threatening 14. Re1+ Kf8 15. Be7+ Nxe7 16. dxe7+ Ke8 17. d5 and 18. Ne4. In this line, 17...Bc7 loses after 18. Qd4 Rg8 19. Ne4 Bd6? 20. Qxg7!! Rxg7 21. Nf6 mate. 14. Re1ch Kf7 14...Kf8 15. Ne5! fxe5 16. Rxe5 Nc6 17. Qf3ch Nf6 18. Bxf6! Nxe5 19. Be7+ Ke8 20. dxe5 Qf5 21. Qd5 Qxf2+ 22. Kh1 Bd7 23. Ne4 Bc6 24. d7+! 15. Qe2 Qd8 16. Qxb5 Nc6 17. Qd5+ Kf8 18. Bf4 Bd7 19. Nb5 Rc8 20. Nc7 g5 (See Diagram) White will offer Black four minor pieces for the queen. 21. Nxg5! fxg5 22. Bxg5 Bxc7 23. Bxd8 Bxd8 24. Re7! Bxe7 25. dxe7+ Kxe7 26. Re1+ Kd8 27. Qg5+ Nce7 28 d5 Rc5 29. Qe5 Ng6 30. Qb8+ Rc8 31. Qxa7 Rc2 32. Qxb7 Nh6 33. Qb6+ Kc8 34. Rb1 Bb5 35. Qxb5 Kc7 36. Qb6+ Kd7 37. Qe6+ 1-0 This is a good book, well researched, sometimes in astounding detail, by the author. But do not be misled by the title. This is not really a complete history of correspondence chess in America. You will not find a meaningful history of any organization other than the Correspondence Chess League of America. With that limitation in mind, it should nevertheless make a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in postal play.