Editorial
by IA Keong Ang
Welcome to November 2021's ACF Newsletter.
The most urgent announcement published in this edition would be regarding the 2021 Australian Schools Teams Championships (ASTC) that would be held as an online-hybrid event. A mere 4 days after publication of this newsletter, the State/Territory's Organiser must submit all team information by 24th November through the ASTC 2021 Registration Form online.
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ACF Notices
FIDE & ASIAN FEDERATION EVENTS
FIDE Grand Swiss 2021
Australian Champion, Grandmaster Temur Kuybokarov, competed with distinction in the recent FIDE Grand Swiss tournament, held in Riga, Latvia.
Seeded 101 in a field of 108 players, including 107 grandmasters, Temur scored 5.5/11 to share 47th to 69th place with, among others, former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov, Czech champion David Navara, many times Russian champion Peter Svidler and former world championship contender, Boris Gelfand.
Based on the following results, Temur’s performance rating against opponents with an average rating of 2643.3 exceeded his current rating of 2549 by 94 points.
Round 1: draw (b) v Nodirbek Abdusattorov UZB 2646
Round 2: win (w) v David Paravyan RUS 2642
Round 3: loss (w) v Sarin Nihal IND 2652
Round 4: draw (b) v Nijat Abasov AZE 2638
Round 5: draw (w) v Maxim Matlakov RUS 2682
Round 6: loss (b) v Kirill Shevchenko UKR 2632
Round 7: win (b) v Vladislav Kovalev FID 2634
Round 8: draw (w) v Ruslan Ponomariov UKR 2631
Round 9: draw (b) v Arjun Erigaisi IND 2634
Round 10: draw (w) v Aryan Tari NOR 2646
Round 11: draw (b) v M. Amin Tabatabaei IRI 2639
Temur subsequently entered the 5th Mersin Municipality nine-round swiss tournament in Turkey, where games can be followed live here until November 21. Temur is seeded 3 in a field of 348 that will play nine rounds to finish on 21 November.
[Editor] Links to Mersin event website and tournament results.
FIDE World Championship Match: Carlsen v Nepomniachtchi
Magnus Carlsen’s’ next title defence is to begin on November 24 and end in Dubai, UAE, on 16 December, with online coverage by all the major chess websites. FIDE’s current hub for details is here.
Links to details of other fixtures from the remains of the FIDE and Asian Federation calendars for 2021 can be found here. They include:
31st Southeast Asian Games (Hanoi, Vietnam) 21 Nov to Dec 2
FIDE Online Cadets & Youth Rapid Super Final (online) Dec 18 to 24
FIDE & Asian Federation Events 2022
Details of events previously listed without timetables are beginning to emerge, including the 2022 FIDE Olympiad, now scheduled to begin on July 26 and end on Aug 8.
Although no venue is given, a recent Twitter report suggests a revival of the original pre-Covid plan of an Olympiad opening ceremony in Khanty-Mansiysk, with games to be played 1900 kilometres away in Moscow.
Other scheduled international events include:
New Zealand Open (Christchurch, New Zealand) Jan 2 to 12
Begum Laila Alam 11th International Women’s T’t (Bangladesh) Feb 13 to 19
Djenovici-Mix (5) GM-IM T’t (Herceg Novi, Crna Gora) Mar 2 to 10
Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games (Bangkok, Thailand) Mar 10 to 20
World Senior Team C’p 2022 (Acqui Terme, Italy) May 5 to 16
World Youth u14, u16, u18 C'ps (Mamaia, Romania) Sep 5 to 18
Asian Games (Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China) Sep 10 to 25
World Senior C’p (Assisi, Italy) Nov 15 to 28
FIDE Online Cadets & Youth Rapid Super Final (online) Dec 18 to 24
The following events remain listed in the 2022 calendar but without dates:
World School Individual C’ps (Panama)
World Youth u14, u16, u18 Rapid C’ps (Greece)
World Youth u16 Chess Olympiad (Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan)
World Amateur C’p (Malta)
World Juniors u20 C’p (Olbia, Italy)
World Cadet u8, u10, u12 Blitz C’ps (Greece)
World Youth u14, u16, u18 Blitz C’ps (Greece)
World Cadet u8, u10, u12 Rapid C’ps (Greece)
World Cadet u8, u10, u12 C’ps (Batumi, Georgia)
When available, potential participants can expect application details of these and other international events in future issues of this newsletter.
Forthcoming Local Events
The following list includes several new fixtures on both sides of the year’s end.
– 2021
November Blitz (Adelaide, SA) Nov 23
November Quad (Adelaide, SA) Nov 25
Vikings Weekender (Ciodor, ACT) Nov 26 to 28
Melbourne Chess Club Allegro C’p (Fitzroy, Vic) Nov 27
Arianne Caoili Memorial FIDE Rapid (Nerang, Qld) Nov 27
Bundaberg Classic / Open (Bundaberg, Qld) Nov 27 to 28
Maccabi Blitz (Yokine, WA) Nov 28
Lidums Series #1 (Adelaide, SA) Nov 30
Australian Schools Teams C’ps (online) Dec 4 to 5
Christmas Open (Leeming, WA) Dec 4 to 5
Melbourne Chess Club Xmas Fastplay C’p (Fitzroy, Vic) Dec 4 to 5
December Blitz (Adelaide, SA) Dec 7
End of Year Awards Night (Adelaide, SA) Dec 10
Marcus Porter Memorial (Ashgrove, Qld) Dec 10
Disco December #1 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 12
Christmas Blitz & CAWA Windup (North Woodvale, WA) Dec 12
Lidums Series #2 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 14
Top Chess Xmas Weekender (Woolloongabba, Qld) Dec 18 to 19
JZMC Junior Classic (Carlingford, NSW) Dec 18 to 22
Lidums Series #3 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 19
Disco December #2 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 19
Victorian Blitz C’p (Vic) Dec 20
Lidums Australian Allegro C’p (Gleneld, SA) Dec 26
– 2022
Perth Chess Classic (Perth, WA) Jan 4 to 11
Sydney Summer One-day T’t (North Ryde, NSW) Jan 6
Sydney Summer One-day T’t (North Ryde, NSW) Jan 12 to 13
NSW Girls [2021] C’ps u18 & u12 (North Ryde, NSW) Jan 12 to 13
NSW Junior [2021] C’p u18 (North Ryde, NSW) Jan 17 to 21
NSW Junior [2021] C’p u12 (North Ryde, NSW) Jan 19 to 21
Sydney Holiday Coaching Clinic (North Ryde, NSW) Apr 13
Sydney Autumn One-day T’t (North Ryde, NSW) Apr 14
Sydney Autumn Two-day T’t (North Ryde, NSW) Apr 20 to 21
NSWJCL Annual General Meeting (North Ryde, NSW) Apr 20
Gold Cup FIDE Open (Mermaid Waters, Qld) 29 Apr to May 2
NSW Primary Schools Comp commences May 6
NSW Metropolitan Secondary Schools Comp commences May 6
Sydney Holiday Coaching Clinic (North Ryde, NSW) Jul 5
Sydney Winter One-day T’t (North Ryde, NSW) Jul 6
Sydney Winter Two-day T’t (North Ryde, NSW) Jul 7 to 8
NSW Junior C’p u18 (North Ryde, NSW) Jul 11 to 15
NSW Junior C’p u12 (North Ryde, NSW) Jul 13 to 15
NSW Girls C’ps u18 & u12 (North Ryde, NSW) Sep 29 to 30
City of Sydney Junior C’ps u18, u15, u12 (North Ryde, NSW) Oct 4 to 6
NSW Country Junior C’ps Finals (Killara, NSW) Dec 11
Recent Postponements
No longer included in the list of forthcoming events are the anticipated Australian Championship, Australian Junior Championships and associated events.
While it is now almost impossible for these events to be held within their usual time frames, finding acceptable dates later in 2022 might not be impossible and the ACF is open to offers from organisers who might like to propose variations from previous practice in order to resume the continuity of these important titles as early as possible.
Australian Schools Teams Championships 2021
Australian Junior Chess Coordinator, Hughston Parle, has published the following arrangements for the forthcoming Australian Schools Teams Championships.
“Due to Australia’s current border issues across its States and Territories, the ACF has decided to host the 2021 Australian Schools Teams Championships as an online-hybrid event.
The tournament will be held in a very similar fashion to the 2020 ASTC and in-line with the instructions and regulations available on the website: bit.ly/2YlbM0c.
We are calling on all States and Territories to appoint State Organisers and State Arbiters to manage their zone. The responsibilities of each of these positions are available on the website. The State Organiser must submit all their team information by the 24th of November to: bit.ly/3q8wj3r.
If you have any inquires or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at hughstonparle@gmail.com.”
ACF PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR 2021 MEDALS & AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Nominations are invited for potential winners of the following medals and awards, to be presented in January 2021.
Player-of-the-Year medals are awarded in respect of players who are judged to have made the greatest impact during the calendar year of the award and can claim financial assistance from the ACF to participate in a significant national or international event during the 24 months following the presentation of the medal.
Steiner Medal and Award – Australian Player of the Year 2021
This medal is to be awarded to the Australian player who has made the greatest impact, not necessarily the highest-rated – it is for the most notable achievement during 2021 and may be awarded to the same person an unlimited number of times.
Arlauskas Medal & Award – Australian Under-16 Player of the Year 2021
The Arlauskas Medal is awarded on the same basis as the Steiner Medal but limited to nominees who met the ACF’s age-limit criteria for Australian Under-16 Championships in 2021, i.e. born in 2005 or later.
The Arlauskas Medal and Romanas Arlauskas Award may not be won by the same person more than twice.
Viner Medal & Award – Australian Senior Player of the Year 2021
The Viner Medal is awarded on the same basis as the Steiner Medal, but limited in this instance, to players born in or before 1971.
There is no limit to the number of times the Viner medal may be won by the same player.
Nominations
Nominations need not be from among a State's own members or residents.
A separate document or message containing the following should be provided in respect of each nominee:
- name in full (correctly spelt);
- contact details (phone, email, postal address);
- a citation describing relevant achievements, suitable for reading when the medal is presented and/or publication thereafter;
- anything else relevant to the nomination.
A person submitting a nomination must retain a complete copy of every document submitted as part of the nomination and must phone 0409 525 963 or (03) 9787 7974 to confirm that it has been received if delivery has not been acknowledged 24 hours after expected delivery time.
Deadline – 3 January 2022.
Address nominations comprising email messages and/or attachments to
awards@auschess.org.au
Recipients of this notice are invited to distribute copies to affiliated clubs, members and others to maximise the possibility of nominations for the most suitable nominees.
ACF Funding Support Program
The deadline for applications in respect of activities to commencing between 1 March and 31 August 2022 is 31 December 2021.
Applications and reports must be endorsed by the ACF-affiliated State Association concerned and provide the information specified in the relevant form, including the schedule for the activity and statements of expected and actual income and expenditure.
Email executive@auschess.org.au for further information and forms.
Tournament Management Programs for Ratings Submissions
Organisers planning to present forthcoming ACF- and FIDE-rated events are reminded that only results from tournaments paired and submitted using either Vega or Orion programs will be accepted for FIDE or ACF rating.
Organisers, arbiters and ratings officers may obtain additional information from ACF National Ratings Officers Bill Gletsos and/or Graham Saint via acfratings@auschess.org.au
Personnel Changes and Vacancies
The Personnel lists in the final pages of this newsletter include currently vacant positions that the Council has sought to fill in recent times.
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2021 Australian Schools Teams Championships Announcement
by Hughston Parle, Australian Junior Chess Coordinator
Due to Australia’s current border issues across its States and Territories, the ACF has decided to host the 2021 Australian Schools Teams Championships as an online-hybrid event. The tournament will be held in a very similar fashion to the 2020 ASTC and in-line with the instructions and regulations available on the website: bit.ly/2YlbM0c.
We are calling on all States and Territories to appoint State Organisers and State Arbiters to manage their zone. The responsibilities of each of these positions are available on the website. The State Organiser must submit all their team information by the 24th of November to: bit.ly/3q8wj3r.
If you have any inquires or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at hughstonparle@gmail.com.
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ACF Recurring Notices
Tournament Management Programs for Ratings Submissions
Organisers planning to present forthcoming ACF- and FIDE-rated events are reminded that only results from tournaments paired and submitted using either Vega or Orion programs will be accepted for FIDE or ACF rating.
Organisers, arbiters and ratings officers may obtain additional information from ACF National Ratings Officers Bill Gletsos and/or Graham Saint via acfratings@auschess.org.au
FIDE ID Number Registration
FIDE has issued a warning that they will not accept tournaments for FIDE rating where those tournaments contain players who do not have FIDE ID numbers. Although new Australian players can be registered by the ACF FIDE Ratings Officer, this does not apply to new players from overseas. Therefore, organisers should not immediately accept the entries of overseas players who lack FIDE ID numbers to FIDE rated tournaments; instead, those players should be required to first obtain a FIDE ID from their own national federation.
Tournaments submitted that include foreign players who do not have ID numbers end up not being FIDE rated.
Organisers need to confirm prior to the start of the tournament that all players without a FIDE ID number are either Australian citizens or have a permanent residency visa.
Players without ID numbers should only be submitted as Australian if they are citizens or are a permanent residency visa holder; if a player is registered under the wrong country they may incur transfer costs later. For further information/clarification contact the ACF FIDE Ratings Officer Bill Gletsos via fide_ratings@auschess.org.au
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News from the States / Territories
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New South Wales
New South Wales Chess Association Inc (NSWCA)
Upcoming Events
- Check NSWCA website for situation due to COVID-19.
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Queensland
Chess Association of Queensland Inc (CAQ)
Upcoming Events
Recent Events
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South Australia
South Australian Chess Association Inc (SACA)
Upcoming Events
- Various local events are published in SACA website.
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Victoria
Chess Victoria Inc (CV)
Upcoming Events
Note mandatory COVID-19 restrictions regarding, maximum numbers, QR code scanning, vaccination, and mask wearing.
Over the Board Chess Events
by Leonid Sandler, CV President.
We are very pleased to report that our clubs are returning to over the board chess events and from November 19th you can play without masks plus there are no capacity limits any more!
Two weeks ago the Glen Waverley Primary School chess team once again won the 2021 Victorian Primary School Super Final and they will represent Victoria at the 2021 National Final (December 4 and 5).
The Victorian Teams hub will be situated at the beautiful hall in Scotch College.
Full results from all Victorian Finals can be seen here.
I was very pleased to see some players returning to play live chess at clubs.
My old friend FM Naum Kagan is one of them and is playing at St.Kilda Chess Club.
Please see their current events and results here.
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Western Australia
Chess Association of Western Australia Inc (CAWA)
Upcoming Events
- Various local events are published in CAWA website
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Tickets for FIDE World Championship
The tickets for the FIDE World Championship are now available for sale:
https://dubai.platinumlist.net/event-tickets/82479/fide-world-championship-dubai-2021
The tickets are not nominal: if you are visiting with your friends and family, you can buy the tickets under your name and just give them theirs. The name that appears in the ticket is irrelevant.
Due to the uncertainties caused by the global pandemic and related restrictions, it hadn’t been possible to determine at an earlier stage the number of tickets available. We apologise for any inconvenience that this might have cause to all those of you who are planning to attend the match.
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Problem of the Month - No.66
Selected by Peter Wong
Gerald Anderson
Natal Mercury, 1914
White to play and mate in 2
Visit  OzProblems.com for an introduction to chess composition (including a Glossary) and more problem examples.
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A Most Useful Book
by Bob Meadley
A Most Useful Book, "Chess Made Easy" (CME) various editions by Cecil Purdy 1906-79 and Gregory (Gary) Koshnitsky 1907-1999.
The title suggests chess is a hard game but collecting editions of CME is not so hard.
Here’s why.
1. They are tiny, pocket size and cheap.
2. There have been over a half a million copies published so there should be one or two around if you don’t have a copy.
3. ebay, world of books, amazon and private dealers are the best. Some are free postage and as it is a tiny book it helps when postage is applied.
4. But as the years went by the paper aged, went brittle and they were thrown out.
One wonders why a first edition 1942 is almost impossible to buy when “many thousands were printed” (see below). What has happened to them? I think many went to soldiers, sailors and airmen and were sent overseas. The war was midway from the start and the end 3 years away. The little book would be kept in the back pocket and pulled out and easily damaged because there were only two tiny staples holding the paper cover on. Once that was gone, the books would be thrown away. I have never seen one though I am sure there are copies in the State Library Victoria and State Library New South Wales. It is a book made to use rather than be unused.
My collection of CME is now 13 and more are coming.
I wanted to give my 'Chess Made Easy' details as the 13 copies are most interesting for the extra advertisements put on back covers or inside covers.
I have just re-read the ‘Chess Made Easy’ ad for the first edition in ACR 1942 p.19. It states that ‘many thousands of copies were printed’ so that is as close as we will get to an actual number this late in the day unless someone is very lucky and has a letter from the families or some such thing. Cecil claimed “it was the best nine-penny worth ever given in the chess world” The other annoying feature is that many chess news items were placed on back covers or inside covers of the magazines that advertised the books for sale. ‘Chess Made Easy for one. But the covers of each monthly magazine are removed when binding annually and so lost. I do not have it.
1. 'A.A.Amenities Service' is printed above CME with the traditional Knight on a part board with Cecil & Kosh's names below. This was a 'Completely Revised Edition' published by 'CHECK' 1 Bond Street Sydney (It was the 2nd edition published in July 1944 See Check 1944 p.97) No price given (but 9d) and no print run. Graeme my son in law bought it in Dubbo in 1999 for $1 or $2. Featured in the ‘Bibliography of Australian Chess Literature’ 2011 there were some printing difficulties and the edition was completely different to the 1st. It is a beginner’s book, but something more as well, wrote Cecil.
It has a new supplier on the outside back cover:- UTILITY CHESS SETS C.C. Rawson Pty. Ltd 60 York Street Sydney "The only war-time Chess Set at a pre-war price Complete with paper Chess Board and set of Rules. Stout durable cardboard pieces stand on wood bases (King 3 inches high) 'Over 20,000 have been sold in Australia'. On sale at leading stores PRICE 6/6. If unable to procure write direct to the Manufacturers. C.C. Rawson PTY. LTD. 60 York Street Sydney" The 'A.A'. I presume stands for 'Australian Army'.
I don't have the 1st edition nor one of those UTILITY CHESS SETS which appeared February 1942 (See ACR 1942 p.19. 9d to buy) I wish I had one of those Utility sets.
2. From Tony Peterson in England:- “A Completely Revised Edition’ But exactly the same as the “A.A. Amenities Service” (No.1) above except this heading is omitted. Probably 2nd edition.
The book arrived 2 June 2020 and is exactly like No.1 but without the ‘A.A. Amenities Service’ printed on top of the title. Must have been published in late 1945 after the end of the war.
It has a 1/- price on the cover (1 shilling =10 cents) Star Printery P/L as the 2nd ed. 30 pages.
This copy was VERY brittle and edges are missing off the cover. A prime reason why early editions haven’t survived. Acid paper. $30
3. Priced at 1/- and bought for $2 from Dowling Street Antiques Sydney 2 Sept, 1999. It is marked “3rd edition-enlarged (50th thousand) Published by Chess World 1 Bond Street Sydney N.D. but pre 1947 as there is an ad on the inside back cover for 2 books Cecil intended to publish early in 1947:- “Australia v France” – Purdy and Goldstein (the radio match) and “Australian Chess Championship games 1945 and 1947”. The latter was to be the book of the Australian Championship 1945 and Adelaide 1946/7. They were not published. There was an invitation to visit the Metropolitan Chess Club any weekday or Saturday Morning-M.L.Koshnitsky, Manager. It had an ‘Anthony Hordern’s blue stamp under the title with the words:- “Famous for Books”. 40 pages. Dowling Street Antiques is gone now and was an enjoyable store with its 3 levels.
3A. (acquired Nov 2021 ebay $24 from Sue Morrison of Mallacoota Vic.) Stamped 1/6 on cover and “Eighth edition (100th Thousand)” on title page. Dated 1959 40 pages as 3. Clearly the 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th editions were published before this one during 1947-1959.
3B. (acquired August 2021 from World of Books $20 Stamped 2/- on cover and “Tenth Edition 124 thousand)” 1962 40 pages as 3A.
4. Priced at 25 cents. Paid $10 but no date or place bought. 19th edition (252nd thousand) 1970 40 pages. An ad on the inside back cover ‘Chess Treasure Trove’ was for full sets of Chess World from 1946 (incomplete) to 1967. All other years were complete except for 1967 which finished in September. The price was $22! The bargain of a lifetime with most single years for sale at 50c/$1.
5. 30 cents 22nd Edition (358th thousand) 1974 but n.d. 64 pages. Chess World was then at 449A Pitt Street. One book advertised on the page 63 was ‘Chess Tornado’ by Cecil an update of Fischer/Spassky plus all the pre match matches. Cecil wrote “It will be still enjoyed in A.D. 2000. A good idea but it was not published like the two on the back of N.D (No.3).
6. 40 cents. Bought for $1 23rd Edition (398th thousand) 1974 68 pages. Chess World was then at 660 George Street. The Historical Section had been revised again.
7. 50 cents 24th Edition (438th thousand) 1977 64 pages. This edition has a Lewis Knight sketch and description by Cecil on page 18. On page 15 is a sketch of Alice and the two Queens from ‘Through the Looking Glass’ There is also a caricature of Fischer on page 61 by a Brazilian artist (unnamed) though it could be by Fischer!. A very good edition and it could be suggested that the increase in numbers printed of 40,000 between the 23rd and 24th edition indicated the number printed for the latter edition. Likewise for the 22nd and the 19th where it still averages 40,000 per edition. Between the 3rd edition and the 19th there was an increase of 200,000 from the 3rd edition of 50,000 to 252,000 for Edition which is 17 editions or 12,000 per edition. When the 2nd edition was published no numbers were given Likewise I would think the first edition but still these are staggering numbers. Many would have been destroyed by the very nature of their pocket size. They fit in a pocket and get damaged and then thrown away.
7A. Stamped 75c on cover “25th edition 468th thousand” on back of title page 64 pages.
8. $2.95 but originally $1.95 from Dymocks. 26th edition 488,000th thousand. Red and Black cover as the black & white old covers. No change in design. 1986 64 pages. Chess Discount Sales and Chess in Australia now advertised on the outside of the back cover. Chess Discount Sales was 5th Floor 230 Elizabeth Street and Chess in Australia (manager Peter Parr) had a postal address P.O. Box C 274 Clarence Street . The Bobby Fischer caricature had disappeared as had Cecil’s shop Chess World which was now at 381 Pitt Street Sydney Mrs. R. Shiel proprietor.
9. $4.95 Penguin Pocket Book 1992 108 pages. No edition details but “Over 500,000 copies sold” was emblazoned on the cover. A change in cover design with the Red Knight inside a 9 square board but still facing left.
9B. Originally $4.95 Pocket Penguin 1994 but cost $20 from World of Books August 2021 104 pages with a new design cover of a right hand holding a black pawn between the thumb and forefinger “26th edition revised and updated” A very classy cover. Over 500,000 copies sold which meant all editions.
10. $9.95 Penguin Pocket 1998 110 pages. The Lewis Knight and Alice remained and the Championship details were updated. Surprisingly Karpov is named as World Champion in 1993 but this was when the Title was split. Karpov was FIDE champion. Kasparov was the Professional Players world champion. This edition gave chess as “maybe a Buddhist invention” but the 64 square game was invented in India perhaps as early as the 4th century AD. 26th edition revised and updated. 488th thousand.(Curious number drop from 9B)
So that is 13 editions in the collection now with more bought recently. The useful thing is that they don’t take up much space.
If ever a book was popular it was ‘Chess Made Easy’ Is No. 10 the last edition? No it isn’t. I have now found a 2008 edition. Also a 2010 & 2013 edition I don’t know who revised them, if they were revised, and with Cecil & Kosh playing each other in Heaven they would be pleased to see it in the 21st century. An ebook was available dated 11 April 2013 for $10.71 and a reprint dated 22 Nov. 2010 @ $28.99.
Regarding Chess Made Easy how much input did either author have? Cecil was clearly the chess journalist and Kosh in 1942 the Australian Champion from 1939 when he won the title at Anthony Horderns Sydney with a record score of 12½/13. The title was not played for in the war and so Kosh had plenty of time to bone-up his chess journalistic skills for this book. Perhaps it was 50/50 and the booklet was bought by chess fans in batches of copies for distribution but as few people have a copy we are left with the ad on page 19 of ACR 1942 which describes it as follows:-
After dealing with the Pieces and their moves in detail, and explaining check, mate, promotion, the six ways of drawing and all the other essentials, the booklet gives the following chapters:-
Values of the Pieces
How to Read Chess Moves.
Important Chess Principles (this chapter includes elementary combinations, and is the most important in the booklet).
The Opening.
Illustrative Game (every move annotated).
The Middle Game.
The End-Game.
It will be necessary to get a scan of this issue from a library to enable further description. The second edition in 1944 (See Check p.97) was a “Completely Revised Edition” of 30 pages. Yet it appears to follow the description of the 1st edition with the same chapters. The Preface claims that Every Officer in the Red Army plays, and most of the men. Chess was not an old man’s game, it says, and millions saw the games in the last world title match (Alekhine v Euwe 1937) far more than saw a big fight. A comparison between the 2 editions will be interesting. As for the Title “Chess Made Easy”, Benjamin Franklin used it on his 1802 US work. Did Cecil & Kosh copy it? Well Cecil was a great admirer of the American politician and chess player.
At this stage I am leaning towards the 24th edition (No.7) as the best because it was 2 years before Purdy died (1979) and he would have been overseeing its publication. The booklet also retains the original cover appearance though it has grown to 64 pages from the original 30. There is some excellent edition details on p.2 which clarifies the dates of the first 24 editions and the fact that it had been over 3 years between the 23rd and 24th edition which was the longest timespan to date. Kosh was the main distributor then and at 50 cents the booklet was cheap.
I loved the rallying call to play chess in ABOUT THIS GAME and even a re-read is good. The Lewis Chess Knight and story on page 18 adds to the booklet along with “Alice” on page 15.
The explanation between Descriptive and Algebraic game notation is nicely done as are the chapters on Mobility, the Middle Game and End game. The most important chapters are on the “Time Factor”, “Planning” “How to Improve” and “Method”. Anyone studying these will improve out of sight. The latter is Cecil’s best secret now given to all. I liked the final chapter “Down the Ages” and the “List of Champions” as they give a taste of the rich history of chess. The caricature of Bobby Fischer on p.61 shows his aggression just waiting to come out. The last pages includes the news that a portable mini-computer made in the USA was now here and how far have they come since then. The booklet was printed by Specialty printers.
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This is No.9B 26th edition 1994 in my list of CME’s held. A Pocket Penguin and follows the 1977 (7) 24th edition but is much larger.104 pages vs 64. Most extra pages are in the ‘Mobility & Opening’ chapters which are now 11 pages each up from 6. But this is due to the larger type in 9B thus more pages and most chapters are a little longer. No staples in this one which is glued. The paper is poorer quality than in 7 and going brown. It was printed in England by Clays Ltd, St. Ives plc. Copyright held by Anne Purdy and Peter and Nicholas Koshnitsky. Being thicker it has a spine and a Black Knight above the title facing left. Each page in 9B is a single column whereas 7 has double columns. Penguin has expanded the book with larger type.
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No.8 (above left) The 26th Edition red and black cover Published by Chess Made Easy Partnership 1986 and distributed by Kosh from 139 Fisher Street Malvern SA and Belmont Printing Co 18 Ardena Court East Bentleigh Victoria 3165 (Specialty printers) 64 pages
No.1 (above right) the 2nd edition 1944 Published by “Check” 1 Bond Street Sydney and printed by Star Printery P/L 30 pages Regular Cover used by all editions including 7A the 25th edition. The White Knight in 1 seems the same in No.8 as is the part board with colours reversed. In “The Australian Home Beautiful” Vol.21 No.7 July 1942 pages 15/16 is an article “Miniature Chess Sets for the Troops” by James Pickering and the board is the same size as “Chess Made Easy” The article recommends the booklet to accompany the set made.
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The South Australian Adelaide News 11 April 1942 had this article published not long after the first edition of “Chess Made Easy” hit the streets. The full article by Valda Marshall is very good and deals with the Japanese raid on Darwin a little earlier and the views of chess players interviewed that Japan had lost impetus when it stopped its Darwin threat. It should have kept on to lower Australian morale. Valda Marshall wrote “Chess War” and it is a small part of her fine article. There is a lot from Keith Sheard the South Australian champion, a good player of that era well worth reading also. Overall there is a comparison of war with chess that covers new areas.
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The next article is from The World’s News Sydney 24 October 1942.
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Not a bad unbiased comment on “Chess Made Easy” in the column “Here’s the Answer” on page 25. The second edition was advertised in The Land of 25 April 1947 Postage 1½d price 1/-And in The Sun 9 April 1947 same price.
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And so it continues to today with new editions and publishers throughout the 79 years (1942-2021). New copies of old editions are now produced keeping Cecil Purdy and Gary Koshnistky’s names before the chess public and with over half a million copies over 26 editions or 6,300 booklets/year Chess Made Easy is one of the most prolific booklets of all time here and in the wider chess world.
Bob Meadley,
14th November 2021.
Comments invited.
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Recent International Events
New Zealand
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Upcoming International Events
New Zealand
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ACF Personnel
The Australian Chess Federation Inc is incorporated under the Australian Capital Territory Associations Incorporation Act 1991 and recognised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs as the federation representing Australia.
ACF COUNCIL
State Association Delegates
NSWCA Delegate: Richard Gastineau-Hills nswcouncillor@auschess.org.au
CV Delegate: Leonid Sandler leonidsandlerchess@gmail.com
CAQ Delegate: Mark Stokes qldcouncillor@auschess.org.au
SACA Delegate: Misheck Muza sacouncillor@auschess.org.au
TCA Delegate: Tom Saltmarsh tascouncillor@auschess.org.au
ACTCA Delegate: Cam Cunningham actcouncillor@auschess.org.au
CAWA Delegate: Andrew Hardegen wacouncillor@auschess.org.au
Executive Committee
President: Gary Wastell president@auschess.org.au
Deputy President: Bill Gletsos deputy_president@auschess.org.au
Vice-President: Kevin Bonham vice_president1@auschess.org.au
Vice-President: Hughston Parle vice_president2@auschess.org.au
Secretary: Rob Watson secretary@auschess.org.au
Treasurer: Bob Keast treasurer@auschess.org.au
COUNCIL-APPOINTED PERSONNEL
Assistant Treasurer: Misheck Muza asst_treasurer@auschess.org.au
FIDE Delegate: Kevin Bonham fide_delegate@auschess.org.au
FIDE Ratings Officer: Bill Gletsos fide_ratings@auschess.org.au
National Ratings Officer: Bill Gletsos acfratings@auschess.org.au.
National Ratings Officer: Graham Saint g_saint@tpg.com.au
Juniors Coordinator: Hughston Parle juniors_coordinator@auschess.org.au
Selections Director: Tom Saltmarsh selections_director@auschess.org.au
Medals & Awards Convenor: Gary Wastell awards@auschess.org.au
Equipment Coordinator: Bob Keast equipment_officer@auschess.org.au
Newsletter Editor: Keong Ang auschessnews@chessnews.asia
Webmaster: David Esmonde webmaster@auschess.org.au
Public Officer: Cam Cunningham public_officer@auschess.org.au
Vacancies
Currently vacant positions which the Council has sought to fill in recent times:
Archives Director
Assistant Secretary
Assistant Webmaster
Grand Prix Director
Government Relations Director
Publicity Director
Readers with an interest in assisting with the work of the federation are welcome to seek details of related responsibilities by emailing executive@auschess.org.au or by phoning 0409 525 963 at any time.
The term of office for all Council-appointed officers ends each year at the first Council meeting after 30 June.
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Solution to Problem of the Month - No.66
Gerald Anderson
Natal Mercury, 1914
White to play and mate in 2
Key: 1.Bd5! (threat: 2.Qc4). 1…Kxd5 2.Rg5, 1…Rxd5 2.Rxc1, 1…N4xd5 2.Ne6, 1…N6xd5 2.Nd7, 1…Rd4 2.Qa5.
Visit OzProblems.com for an introduction to chess composition (including a Glossary) and more problem examples.
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Newsletter Article Contributions
This newsletter requires content.
Please email the editor if there is something you would like published in the next edition of this newsletter.
Examples of articles:
- Upcoming chess event.
- Results of a chess event that was completed since the last newsletter was published.
- Any information that is chess related that could be interesting.
Please submit article contributions by Monday 13th December 2021 for publication in the 2nd week of December 2021 newsletter.
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