Chess Results 1947-1950

Chess Results: 1947-1950 is the final book in a mammoth seven part series by Italian chess archivist Gino Di Felice that covers the world of competitive chess from 1747 to 1950. Di Felice has greatly added to the pioneering works of the chess archivist Jeremy Gaige, particularly in the present volume and the one covering 1941 to 1946 – areas not well covered by Gaige – and deserves major recognition for his efforts.

Chess Results: 1947-1950 is a massive work, close to 500 pages, reflecting both the surge in chess activity in the years immediately after World War 2 and the increase in chess publications around the world. Di Felice, who used both print and electronic sources in his research, was able to utilize these mediums to access such resources as Chess Life magazine, the official publication of the U.S. Chess Federation, which began life in a newspaper format in 1946. Just how much activity increased can be seen in the number of pages devoted to the indexes for players and events – 36 (!) and 12 pages respectively. This volume, like the one covering the period 1941-1946, also gives sources for all crosstables – something lacking in early books in this series.

The physical production of Chess Results: 1947-1950 is up to the usual McFarland production standards, which means outstanding. The crosstables and match scores are clearly laid out, the paper is good and the book well bound. It is indexed by both player and event.

This is not a book for the tournament player but historians and journalists will find it quite useful. McFarland is to be commended for publishing this series which came to over 2500 pages!