Clearly
this reviewer did not run to buy this book
at its publication, but three years later I’m
glad I found it. The title indicates a specialization
of interest which most of us eschew. But I
hasten to assure that you don’t have
to be Jewish or a philatelist to enjoy this
book. Suffice it to be any member of the chess
fraternity/sorority. Not the usual magenta-colored
tome from the scholarly chess publisher McFarland
which chiefly aims its books at libraries,
it comes with a blue cover that has illustrations
of stamps from the Central African Republic
depicting four world champions from Europe.
So one’s immediate question is: why is
chess honored by some of the poorest countries
on Earth, lacking in chess culture, but in
the mighty proud U.S.A., where the first three
official world champions chose to spend their
final days, to date no single postage stamp
commemorates them, or its native stars Morphy,
Pillsbury or Fischer?
Berkovich, an émigré to the U.S. from the former USSR, devotes
the major part of his text to short bios of famous Jewish chess players depicted
on stamps. These are gracefully written histories that start with lists of pertinent
stamps. The twenty personalities include three Polgars and two other women. But
one reference is mystifying: Geller, Bronstein & Smyslov did not play at
Cleveland in 1975 – at least not the one in Ohio. In the games’ section,
Canadian sage Nathan Divinsky annotates 17 games that have been depicted on stamps
(The verdict on one of these, Pillsbury-Lasker, has recently been revised by
Kasparov’s computer.). The short final chapter on “The Jewish Chess
Phenomenon” hardly goes beyond statistics.
FLASH: There is new hope. Perusing a century-old magazine, I learned the name
of Pillsbury’s wife: Mary Bush. Sam Sloan did a genealogical search and
discovered a Mary, daughter of Judge Prescott Bush. Bingo! Prescott is the name
of the current president’s grandfather. Can the first U.S. chess stamp
be far off?
To see Donaldson’s review of this same book, click HERE.
YOU
CAN FIND THIS BOOK AT
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