W.H.K. Pollock: A Chess Biography with 523 Games

During his first years in America, William Henry Krause Pollock participated in some of the most important American chess events of the 19th century. Pollock played matches against strong players like Charles Moehle, John L. McCutcheon, Jackson W. Showalter and Eugene Delmar. This biography analyzes in great detail Pollock's chess play, as well as his career and life in England, Ireland and America. His American years unveil even more about the American chess landscape during the first half of 1890s, one of the most interesting periods in American chess history. Offered here are an unprecedented collection of annotated games played by Pollock (around 500), historical photographs and line drawings. Sources include historical chess journals and magazines with chess columns from America, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface and Acknowledgments Abbreviations and Annotation Symbols Part One: Life and Chess Career (1859–1896)  1. The Irish Connection, 1859–1881  2. Early Chess Play, 1882–1885  3. In England and Ireland, 1886–1888  4. Two Months in New York, March 25–May 25, 1889  5. A Baltimore Man, June 1889–May 1890  6. Going West, May 1890–June 1891  7. Six Days in Skaneateles, July 20–25, 1891  8. In Bluegrass Country, August–December 1891  9. With the Holy Trinity: Chigorin, Steinitz and Lasker, January–December 1892 10. Moving Up North, January–August 1893 11. An Impromptu Misadventure, September–October 1893 12. In Montreal, May 1894–July 1895 13. At Hastings, July 1895–February 1896 14. Towards an Early Endgame, March–October 1896 Part Two (1882–1896): Games 1–518 Section I (January 1882–October 1885) Section II (January 1886–March 7, 1889) Section III (March 25–May 1889) Section IV (May 31, 1889–March 1890) Section V (May 1890–April 1891) Section VI (July 1891) Section VII (August–December 1891) Section VIII (January–December 1892) Section IX (January–August 1893) Section X (October 1893) Section XI (May 1894–July 1895) Section XII (August 1895–September 2, 1895) Section XIII (September 18, 1895–May 1896) Part Three: Appendices, Bibliography, Indices Appendix A. Pollock and the 1890s American Chess Clubs Appendix B. Pollock Obituaries Appendix C. Pollock Memories: Inception and Reception Appendix D. A Pollock Essay on Time Limits Appendix E. A Question of Originality Appendix F. Pollock’s Chess Problems Appendix G. Pollock’s Review of Steinitz Appendix H. Reviewing Mason Appendix I. A Call for Original Research Appendix J. War Whoops Appendix K. Undated Games (519–530) Appendix L. Six Pollock Endgames Appendix M. Pollock’s Tournament and Match Record Bibliography Index of Pollock Opponents (by Game Number) Index of Historical Annotators (by Game Number) Index of Openings—Traditional Names (by Game Number) Index of Openings—ECO Codes (by Game Number) General Index (to Page Numbers)

About the Author :
Olimpiu G. Urcan is a Singapore-based chess historian. He contributes regularly to Edward Winter’s Chess Notes and is the author of several chess biographies published by McFarland. John S. Hilbert, a retired senior attorney with the Social Security Administration living in Buffalo, New York, has written 16 chess books and over 100 articles on chess biography and history, winning multiple national and international awards.

Review :
“I'm a great fan of books by [Hilbert]. They are always incredibly well researched and deep, usually uncovering material you will not find in any other book.”—American Chess Magazine; “A perfect marriage of subject, author and publisher. Open at random and be entertained.”—Jonathan Manley, editor, Kingpin Chess Magazine; “I recommend the book highly”—ChessCafe; “The Pollock book is one of the finest in the entire McFarland catalogue.”—Edward Winter, Chess Notes; “wonderful...a highly interesting biography and unbelievable amount of over 500 games...superb...one of the most amazing McFarland chess reads that I have ever seen”—Chessbooks.nl; “helps to expand our knowledge of European and American chess throughout the late 19th century. More significantly, the book provides the chess community with many unindexed games from an existing and creative player.”—Mind’s Eye Press; “Een prachtband, honderden pagina’s mooi papier en wat de inhoud betreft: geen partij wordt vergeten...die zo’n monument...dankzij de heren Urcan en Hilbert.”—Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad.