Editorial Reviews:
The Candidates' Tournament of 1959 was one of the most dramatic and exciting of all tournaments, launching the flamboyant Grandmaster Mikhail Tal on his road to become the youngest-ever World Champion. Keres played possibly the best chess of his career at this event, restraining his natural attacking flair in the service of a more universal style, able to turn out finely honed strategic campaigns and subtle endgames. His three(!) victories over Tal in this tournament must have made him believe he could take the champion's crown, if he finished first... It was also notable for the arrival on the world's stage of Bobby Fischer, already twice USA champion and World Championship Candidate at 15 years of age. Several of his contests from this tournament appeared in his magisterialc ollection of 'Memorable Games', including an extraordinary game with four queens on the board against future Champion Petrosian, who was for once tempted out of his legendary caution into a rich and strange chess environment. In fact, it can be said that Fischer's games decided the tournament, because of his lop-sided scores against the two top-finishing players, and his near-miss in the penultimate round against Tal. Other players included the former Champion Smyslov, who brushed Tal aside in the very first game of the tournament; and Gligori, the Yugoslav Champion, fresh from his great result at the Interzonal, who handed Smyslov the shortest defeat of the Russian's career in front of an appreciative home crowd. Benkö, the recent emigré, riding the wave of his fine performance in the qualifying tournament at Portoroz, and Ólafsson, the quiet Icelandic wizard, added to the drama with their frequent excursions into time trouble... This collection of games is undoubtedly one of the finest of modern times, claims the author in his introduction from 1960. This claim still stands after nearly 50 years, and many of the games have been printed since in collections of brilliancies, best games and instructional books. The book has been set in this enhanced digital edition by David Regis. Diagrams have been added before many critical points in the games, so that readers wishing to test their skills against the best in the world from that time can use this volume as a puzzle book. Golombek's innovative index of middlegame and endgame themes makes this overlooked book a real manual of practical chessplay.

Editorial Reviews:
Howard Staunton, the organiser of London 1851 and writer of the book, was the epitome of mid-Victorian versatility and self confidence. By defeating the leading French and German masters such as St Amant, Horwitz and Harrwitz in gruelling set matches, Staunton had established himself as the champion. Now, by organising the first ever International Chess Tournament, Staunton hoped to display chess in its true colours, amongst the imperial splendour of the 1851 Great Exhibition in Queen Victoria's London. Although Staunton did not win the tournament, this honour falling to the German master Adolph Anderssen, this record of the inaugural international chess gathering provides a fitting monument to Staunton's prowess and love of the game.

Editorial Reviews:
First published in 1896. Emanuel Lasker won the world championship by defeating the ageing Steinitz in 1894. However there remained many doubters who believed that the youthful Lasker was still inferior to rivals such as Pillsbury and Tchigorin. St Petersburg 1896 was a baptism of fire which proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the new champion had come to stay. In one of the fiercest and most gruelling tests of strength at elite level the world champion emerged victorious against his most dangerous rivals. In the process he played a masterpiece of sacrificial attack as black against Pillsbury which lives on as one of the most brilliant and impenetrable games ever played - a game about which debate still rages as can be seen from Kasparov's essay on it in his classic new book series - "My great predecessors".

Editorial Reviews:
First published in 1900. London 1899 was without a doubt one of the very strongest tournaments ever held on British soil. Almost every great master of the day was present including the past and reigning world champions. It proved to be the swan song of the old champion Steinitz but for Lasker it was a glittering success which propelled him way beyond the other grandmasters of the time. London 1899 goes down in history as one of the great Lasker victories along with St Petersburg 1896, St Petersburg 1914 and New York 1924. The 1896 and 1924 events are both republished in the Hardinge Simpole series.

Editorial Reviews:
The St. Petersburg Grand International Masters’ Tournament of 1914 was undoubtedly the most important tournament since the first San Sebastián Tournament, when Capablanca won his spurs, or, as some will have it, since the St. Petersburg Quadrangular Tournament of 1895.
It would be noteworthy even if for no other reason than that the World’s Champion, Dr. Emanuel Lasker, took part - the first occasion since the last International Tournament in St. Petersburg in 1909. On that occasion, however he tied for the first place with Akuba K. Rubinstein instead of winning outright, as on this occasion and in 1895.

Editorial Reviews:
The great London tournament of 1922 saw the newly crowned champion of the world - Capablanca - as well as many of his closest rivals, Alekhine, Bogolyubov, Rubinstein and Vidmar, assemble in the capital of the British Empire for the most powerful demonstration of chess prowess there since 1899. First published in 1922, Chess Pieprovides the setting and the atmosphere for the Tournament. Biographies of Players with Specimen Games, Past and Present British Champions, a Problem Section, and a selection of lighter articles are completed by Sketches, Drawings, Autographs, Portraits, and a number of advertisements for chess accessories and other products and services.

Editorial Reviews:
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 Réti, 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 Réti 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 Maróczy 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.

Editorial Reviews:
First published in 1925. Few tournaments can boast not only the presence of the past, present and future world champion but also two challengers for the supreme title. New York 1924 was one of this elite group. The old champion Lasker -now in his late fifties - engaged in the most ferocious race for first prize with his victorious opponent from the previous championship match - Capablanca. Although Capablanca won one of their individual games Lasker soared into the lead and never let go. The old maestro thus produced one of the most devastating tournament performances of all time - finishing way ahead of Capablanca himself and the future champion Alekhine.
A further notable feature of the event was the introduction by Richard Reti - the leading hypermodern - of his new theories concerning central control. Even the mighty Capa succumbed to the fresh ideas - which have been likened to parallel cultural developments such as surrealism in art or 12 tone music. Capa's loss to Reti was his first defeat for 8 years!

Editorial Reviews:
London 1932 is one of the lesser known books from the pen of the prolific Russian genius, Alekhine. In 1932 Alekhine was still revelling in the blinding nimbus of invincibility which had surrounded him ever since his match victory against Capablanca in 1927. The new champion duly won the London tournament and furnished some equally fine notes to explain his victory, which Hardinge Simpole are proud and privileged to revive here. Alexander Alekhine - a colossus of chess - twice world champion and a brilliant author, endowed with the secret gift of making the games come alive on the page.

Editorial Reviews:
Vassily Smyslov is one of the greats of chess and this tournament victory is one of the greatest ever chess sporting performances. Facing a field which included such titans as Keres, Bronstein, Reshevsky and Petrosian, Smyslov shattered the oppposition and thus secured for himself the sole qualifying slot to face the great Botvinnik in a match for the world title. Combined with the companion Hardinge Simpole volume on the World Championship Candidates Tournament 1956 this book begins a record of staggering tournament expertise and determination by the immortal Smyslov.

Editorial Reviews:
Winning the candidates' competition is the ultimate and uniquely necessary passport to achievement of glory on the World Chess Championship stage. Only four contenders in the organised history of the World Chess Championship have ever succeeded in winning the "Candidates" twice - these were Spassky, Korchnoi, Karpov and Vassily Smyslov. Having won the 1953 Candidates and drawn with Botvinnik in 1954, Smyslov returned to the charge with an equally devastating performance in the 1956 qualifier, surging ahead of Keres, Bronstein , Spassky , Geller and Petrosian. Combined with the companion Hardinge Simpole volume on the World Championship Candidates Tournament of 1953 this book completes a record of staggering tournament expertise and determination by the immortal Smyslov.

Editorial Reviews:
First published in 1987. Brussels 1986 was a ground breaking event in many respects. It was Kasparov's first tournament after his gruelling series of marathons against Anatoly Karpov for the world title, and it was the first major tournament televised by the BBC and containing commentary by the players themselves. The majority of the notes are by Grandmaster Ray Keene but readers will also find analysis by Kasparov and others of the greats involved, including Nigel Short and Viktor Korchnoi.