David Regis

International Chess Congress, London 1922 David Regis

Publisher Marketing: London 1922 was the greatest tournament held in the capital of the British Empire since Emanuel Lasker won an historic double-rounder there in 1899. Now the old world of Edwardian niceties had been swept away by four years of carnage on European battlefields, while in the chess world a freshly crowned king reigned -- the New World heir to Morphy and, according to Reti, the chief representative of "machine age" efficiency in chess -- the invincible world champion, Jose Capablanca. Facing him were the massed legions of European chess excellence -- Alekhine, Vidmar, Bogoljubow, Rubinstein, Tartakower and Reti himself. As it was, the champion easily outstripped his continental and British rivals, while simultaneously reporting the tournament for the Times of London. This book faithfully records Capablanca's victory while reproducing all of his notes from The Times, together with comments from the original tournament book but with all the supporting diagrams that Watts and Maroczy would have wished to include. Their notes are reinforced by a wealth of other authoritative sources such as Alekhine, Sir George Thomas and the regular Times chess correspondent, Tinsley. The book also recounts the "fairest move ever made," when Vidmar resigned to Capablanca in the latter's absence, as well as detailing the "London rules," elaborated over champagne at the Savoy Hotel, which governed world championship play until FIDE took over the title in 1948. The editor is Dr. David Regis, a noted website author, who has also published a number of chess books.