Tragic Life of James Leonard

THE TRAGIC LIFE and SHORT CHESS CAREER OF JAMES A. LEONARD, 1841 1862
Author: John Hilbert
McFarland (2006)
www.mcfarlandpub.com
(McFarland Order Line: 800-253-2187)
213 pages
$38.95

Reviewed by John Donaldson

McFarland &Company is known for its high quality chess books that deal primarily with the history of the game. This recent effort emphasizes its willingness to tackle subjects no other publisher will touch. The chess reading public is much richer thanks to McFarland's efforts.

The name of John Hilbert is instantly recognizable to those with an interest in chess history. The author of previous works on Walter Penn Shipley, Norman Whitaker and William Napier to name but a few, Hilbert has gone back further in time to deal with a player that few will have heard of in a real tour de force of research. To quote from the publisher's blurb:

"The Civil War affected the entire American landscape in ways not always given their due consideration. Not only did it determine the political future of a nation, it influenced the scientific and cultural development of the country as well. The war cost America many of its best and brightest in every venue. James A. Leonard was one such loss: a brilliant up-and-coming chess player in 1861-62 before he made the decision to serve his country during wartime. Born November 6, 1841, James A. Leonard was the son of a poor Irish immigrant, but even a poor child could play the game of kings. Leonard grew up in a time when interest in chess was experiencing a revival, and contemporaries such as Paul Morphy, Eugene Delmar and Leonard's mentor Philip Richardson captured the interest of a country. Leonard defeated a number of the country's notable chess players and was widely viewed as the "New Morphy." This biography discusses what little is known of Leonard's life and death but concentrates primarily on Leonard's ability and his sadly shortened career. Game scores and diagrams from 96 of Leonard's games are included, with detailed descriptions regarding place, date and opponents."

THE TRAGIC LIFE and SHORT CHESS CAREER OF JAMES A. LEONARD, 1841-1862 is more than just the story of a chess meteor who died at 20 before he had the opportunity to realize his greatness. Hilbert captures the time and feel of the 1860s when America was about to be torn apart by the Civil War. This is truly one chess book that can be "read". Hilbert deserves high marks for an almost 100 percent original work when the norm for most chess historians consists primarily of a little bit of new material mixed with existing knowledge.

If you have an interest in chess during the age of Morphy and enjoy reading about the Civil War era you will enjoy this book.

Highly Recommended

Do you like chess history? If so, please consider some of the excellent books below:

To purchase or find out more information about various Hilbert books, click on:

To purchase or find out more information about various Donaldson books, click on:

ELMARS ZEMGALIS: GM WITHOUT A TITLE (Donaldson) - $16.00

ALEKHINE IN THE AMERICAS (Donaldson) - $11.00

ALEKHINE IN EUROPE AND ASIA (Donaldson) - $15.00

LEGEND ON THE ROAD (BOBBY FISCHER'S 1964 SIMUL TOUR) (Donaldson) - $17.95

To purchase or find out more information about various Fiala books, click on:

COMPLETE GAMES OF ALEKHINE, VOLUME 1 1892 - 1921 (Fiala) - $39.99

COMPLETE GAMES OF ALEKHINE, VOLUME II 1921 - 1924 (Fiala) - $39.00

To purchase or find out more information about Forster s opus, click on AMOS BURN, A CHESS BIOGRAPHY (Forster) - $75.00