Published in March, 2000 by McFarland & Company, Inc., Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640, Price: $45.00 USD ($49.00 postpaid) - order line: 1-800-253-2187, web address: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com

Hardbound, 278 pages, 233 games in algebraic notation, hundreds of diagrams, no photos.

This physically impressive volume has been eagerly awaited by this reviewer for the last several months. I had to spend several weeks with it, once I got it, so that I could attempt to do it justice in this review.

I am no expert on early American correspondence chess history, but Chapters 1-6, dealing with the years up to the early 1970's, provide a fascinating read. The slant is definitely towards the Correspondence Chess League of America, about which the author claims in his preface, "The story of correspondence chess in America is largely the story of the CCLA." In fact, the entire book, rather than being a history of correspondence chess in America, is really a detailed history of the CCLA, told from its point of view. I do not consider this misnomer as far as the name of the book goes to be a significant problem, as the early parts of the book are an obvious result of scholarly research. It will no doubt be the work in the coming years which is compared to, and every subsequent criticism and research project must of course contend with this book. Avery's writing is fluid, easy to understand, and entertaining. Whenever so many facts are presented in a book such as this, serious students of early American correspondence chess history will no doubt find bones to pick, but Avery has apparently done his homework with regards to the early material, and, as such, has provided a valuable research tool with this work.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the coverage of the modern period (from the 1970's). Many minor errors creep in, such as calling Tim Harding a FIDE International Master (he is an ICCF IM), referring to Max Zavanelli, the ICCF-US Secretary, as an ICCF IM, when he is an International Arbiter, some mis-spelling of names, and other minor things. The same level of research that went into the first half of the book is a bit lacking in the second half. This does not necessarily diminish the value of the book for me.

The whole telling of the sordid Muir-CCLA/ICCF saga is from the CCLA point of view, and neglects a couple of basic facts. Walter Muir, as ICCF-US Secretary, was concerned with the United States as a whole, while obviously the CCLA, as one club among many in America, was primarily concerned with its own interests. The ICCF, being a democratic organization made up of member nations, was concerned with all United States players, not just those in the CCLA or any other single club. Therein lies the paradox with North American correspondence chess - the many clubs are concerned with their own interests, and are not inclined to unite in the international sense in order to best serve the American cc player, in the international arena. While not a uniquely American problem, there are very few other nations which have this issue on a regular basis! Clearly, there are egos and financial interests at play here, but the bottom line is that every American cc player should not tolerate such small behavior, because their international opportunities depend on how effective the ICCF-US Secretary is in dealing with the various organizations, and the ICCF.

Lack of interview possibilities probably factored into the decision by the author not to given wider coverage to other organizations, i.e., the huge US Chess Federation (USCF) and the other major organization in American cc, American Postal Chess Tournaments (APCT). The 1st (and only, so far) United States Team Championship, which ended in a decisive victory for APCT, is mentioned, but not given much space. Weak apologies are also given on behalf of CCLA's failure to win this event.

The same weak apologies are given for why Americans seem to have trouble playing in international events. Especially nowadays, the playing field is level and no excuses need to be made such as, "the Americans are used to domestic postal transmission times".

The current ICCF Secretary, Max Zavanelli, is not given enough credit for his many accomplishments in turning around the deplorable situation which was in place when he took over. The list of these accomplishments is notable: many more Americans with titles, an incredible turn around in match results, better results in Olympiads, and more US players showing up in the World Championship cycles, to name a few. The truth is, until Max came along, the US was regarded as a "joke" in many international circles, in danger of losing its membership in ICCF, with a bad reputation. Max's tough and steady hand has changed all of this, which is an essential fact which must be considered in any recent history of the United States and cc in order for it to be a credible telling of events. Other notable personalities such as Maurice Carter and Allen Wright (and others) are also not mentioned in this context - the context as having turned around things for the better.

Chapters 11 and 12, dealing with the US World Correspondence Chess Champions Berliner and Palciauskas, are very nicely done.

In summary, I believe that this book is a valuable edition to the literature. What no doubt started out as a history of the CCLA was magically transformed into a history of correspondence chess in America, somewhere along the way to publication. Despite its failings, I consider the work, taken on the whole, to be close to brilliant in its rendering, and, as such, highly recommend it for purchase.

John C. Knudsen
March 19, 2000