Author: Paul Charles Morphy (1937-1884) from the library of Lothar Schmid and Andrés Fernandez Pozo
Year: 1879
Publisher: De Giuseppe Meucci
Place: Livorno and Pisa
Description:
40+1 leaf of solutions pages with diagrams. Sixteenmo (5" x 3 1/2") bound in quarter black leather with gilt lettering to spine over blue boards. From the libraries of Lothar Schmid and Andrés Fernandez Pozo (Linde – No. 2178; Chicco / Sanvito, Lineamenti ., 554) First edition.
I finali di Morphy is an important 19th-century chess work, published in Italy in 1879 as a supplement and special edition of the renowned Nuova Rivista degli Scacchi. This edition contains 32 endgame positions by Paul Morphy, each described on a single page featuring a diagram, the names of the players, and the task. This volume collects and analyzes the endgame phases of games played by Paul Morphy, the legendary American champion considered the strongest player of his era. Although Morphy was renowned for his overwhelming combinational attacks and opening sacrifices, he also possessed masterful endgame technique—qualities this publication aimed to share with Italian enthusiasts.
As it was a limited edition from the late 19th century, the very few surviving original copies are now housed in prestigious private collections (such as the renowned DeLucia Chess Collection) or in the rare book sections of specialized libraries.
Andrés Fernández Pozo (1845–1911) was a prominent Spanish-Cuban pharmacist and chess player, historically recognized as the most important figure in Asturian chess during the 19th century. He was born in Matanzas, Cuba, into a wealthy family of *indianos*—emigrants who had returned from the Americas—of Spanish origin. In 1863, he moved to Spain, where he studied pharmacy in Madrid before settling there permanently. He balanced his scientific profession with a prolific competitive chess career, leaving a lasting mark on the sporting history of Asturias.
Lothar Maximilian Lorenz Schmid (10 May 1928 - 18 May 2013) was a German chess grandmaster. He was born in Radebeul near Dresden into a family who were the co-owners of the Karl May Press, which published the German Karl May adventure novels. He was best known as the chief arbiter at several World Chess Championship matches, in particular the 1972 encounter between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky at Reykjavic. He was also an avid collector of chess books and paraphernalia. It was reputed that he owned the largest known private chess library in the world, as well as a renowned collection of chess art, chess boards and chess pieces from around the globe.
Condition:
Lothar Schmid's book plate to front endpaper. Name label of the chess writer and correspondence player Andrés Fernandez Pozo to front pastedown. Original front wrapper bound in. Interior toned with occasional spotting. Binding bumped and rubbed at the edges and corners else very good.