Author: Hermann Helms (1870-1963) editor from the library of Lothar Schmid
Year: 1926
Publisher: American Chess Bulletin
Place: New York
Description:
55 pages with diagrams, tables, photographs and index. Octavo (8 1/2" x 6 1/4") bound in original publisher's stapled wrappers. Annotations by C S Howell. From the library of Lothar Schmid. (Linde 5397; Betts 25-78) First edition.
The 20 games, annotated; with biographical notes, portraits of the players, and a review of the openings used
Held at the Hotel Alamac in Lake Hopatcong, NJ, the same site as the 9th (and final) American Chess Congress in 1923. Lake Hopatcong 1926 held at the Hotel Alamac in Lake Hopatcong, NJ, the same site as the 9th (and final) American Chess Congress in 1923. Harry Latz, who owned the hotel with his mother, also helped organize New York 1924, which was held at the New York City Alamac. Latz was also involved in an early attempt to arrange a World Chess match between Capablanca and Alekhine. The hotel group included the Atlantic City Alamac. The name was a combination of Latz' mother's and father's first names.
Jose Raul Capablanca had recently made a phenomenal run of 63 serious games without a loss (1916-1924, +40 -0 =23), which included his world championship match with Emanuel Lasker. Capablanca was just over a year away from losing the world championship to Alexander Alekhine, but Capablanca was in fine form, only having lost 6 serious games (+97 -6 =43) since being edged out by Marshall at Havana in 1913.
Capablanca's result here was +4 =4 -0. Abraham Kupchik, the two Lake Hopatcong events, 1923, where he tied with Marshall for first, and 1926, where he finished second behind Capablanca, were two of Kupchik's best results.
Kupichik's second place score was +3 =4 -1. Geza Maroczy peak results were between 1899-1908, where he placed no lower than third in only one of 15 tournaments.
Maroczy signed an agreement with Emanuel Lasker in 1906 for a world championship title match, with games to be played in Cuba, Vienna, and New York. Unfortunately for Maroczy revolution broke out in Cuba and the Viennese backers became dissatisfied only part of the match would be in Vienna, so the match fell through. Maroczy would never again get so close to the brass ring, as what would otherwise have been his shot at the title passed to Marshall the following year. In the early 1920s, Maroczy influenced another world championship by coaching Vera Menchik. Maroczy continued to play until 1947, but by the time of Lake Hopatcong, his major individual successes were behind him with a score of +3 =3 -2.
In the years since Havana 1913, Frank James Marshall had been active and had some good results, but finished behind Capablanca in all of the tournaments where they both played. Lake Hopatcong 1926 was not to be Marshall's finest hour with +1 =4 -3. Edward Lasker, although sometimes described as Emmanuel Lasker's "cousin," Edward's great grandfather's great grandfather was the common ancestor back in Kepno, now in Poland. Lasker narrowly lost a 1923 match to Marshall (+4 -5 =9) for the US championship in New York. Lasker was an engineer by trade and was known as much for his writing on chess and the game of go as for his play. His resulting score was +1 =1 -6.
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 wrapper verso. Edge wear with bumped corners, sunning to edges else very good,