Albert Beauregard Hodges is a legend among chess aficionados. One of the most well-known American chess players of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he played an important role in transforming chess from a pleasant pastime into a social institution. This work provides an in-depth biography of Hodges' personal life and chess career and a collection of 340 of his games, as well as 15 of his published chess problems. Hodges' complete tournament and match records are included, along with line engravings, photographs, and several indexes.

Emil Kemeny appeared on the American chess scene in 1890, a Hungarian chess player on the Lower East Side who had difficulty with English. Within a decade he was considered one of the country's finest chess players and writers. He dominated chess in both Philadelphia and Chicago, where he lived between 1893 and early 1906. Congenial and modest, he was appreciated for his chess play and valued for the strong friendships he formed during his years in the United States. A tenacious competitor despite poor health, he fought Showalter for the national title, ran his own chess magazine, and...

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....