Irving Chernev

1
Irving Chernev
"Chernev" redirects here. For other uses, see Chernev (disambiguation).
Irving Chernev
Born January 29, 1900
Pryluky, Russian Empire
Died September 29, 1981
San Francisco, United States
Occupation chess author
Irving Chernev (January 29, 1900 September 29, 1981) was a chess player and prolific Russian-American chess
author. He was born in Pryluky in the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine)
[1]
and emigrated to the United States in
1920. Chernev was a national master strength player, and was obsessed with chess. He wrote that he "probably read
more about chess, and played more games than any man in history."
[2]
Chernev's deep love for the game is obvious
to any reader of his books. He wrote 20 chess books, among them: Chessboard Magic!; The Bright Side of Chess;
The Fireside Book of Chess (with Fred Reinfeld); The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played; 1000 Best
Short Games of Chess; Practical Chess Endings; Combinations: The Heart of Chess; and Capablanca's Best Chess
Endings. In 1945, he and Kenneth Harkness wrote An Invitation to Chess, which became one of the most successful
chess books ever written, with sales reaching six figures. Perhaps his most famous book is Logical Chess: Move by
Move, first released in 1957. This takes 33 classic games from 1889 to 1952, played by masters such as Capablanca;
Alekhine; and Tarrasch, and explains them in an instructive manner. An algebraic notation version was published by
Batsford in 1998, with minor alterations to the original text. Chernev died in San Francisco in 1981.
His wife's name was Selma Kulik. They had a son, Melvin Chernev.
Books
Chess Strategy and Tactics (with Fred Reinfeld); Black Knight 1933
[3]
Curious Chess Facts; Black Knight 1937
Chessboard Magic!; Chess Review 1943
An Invitation to Chess (with Kenneth Harkness); Simon & Schuster 1945
Winning Chess Traps; Chess Review 1946
The Russians Play Chess; McKay 1947
The Bright Side of Chess; McKay 1948
Winning Chess (with Fred Reinfeld); Simon & Schuster 1948
The Fireside Book of Chess (with Fred Reinfeld); Simon & Schuster 1949
1000 Best Short Games of Chess; Simon & Schuster 1955
Logical Chess: Move by Move; Simon & Schuster 1957
Combinations: The Heart of Chess; Crowell 1960
Practical Chess Endings; Simon & Schuster 1961
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played; Simon & Schuster 1965
The Chess Companion; Simon & Schuster 1968
Chess in an Hour (with Frank J. Marshall); Sentinel 1968
Wonders and Curiosities of Chess; Dover 1974
The Golden Dozen (later renamed Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games); Oxford 1976
Capablanca's Best Chess Endings; Oxford 1978
The Compleat Draughts Player; Oxford 1981
[4]
Irving Chernev
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200 Brilliant Endgames; Simon & Schuster 1989
Notes
[1] Who Was Who in America, With World Notables: 19821985, Vol. VIII (Marquis-Who's Who, 1985), p. 75.
[2] Arnold Denker; The Bobby Fischer I Knew and Other Stories; Hypermodern Press 1995
[3] (http:/ / www.loc. gov/ index. html) Library of Congress
[4] Edward Winter; Kings, Commoners and Knaves: Further Chess Explorations; Russell 1999
External links
Irving Chernev (http:/ / www. chessgames. com/ perl/ chessplayer?pid=72848) player profile and games at
Chessgames.com
Irving Chernev (http:/ / www. chess. com/ chessopedia/ view/ chernev-irving)
Article Sources and Contributors
3
Article Sources and Contributors
Irving Chernev Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=602203315 Contributors: Altenmann, Andris, Bjwebb, Bubba73, Cbustapeck, David concannon, Emeraldcityserendipity,
Epeefleche, FrankEldonDixon, Frederick R, Giftlite, Haberrshm, HardDazeKnight64, Hawkestone, IZAK, JoelDick, John Foley, Krakatoa, Languagehat, LarryQ, MJGR, Mibelz, Nburden, Norm
mit, Piotrus, Quale, Richhoncho, Sergii.Fiot, Shalom Yechiel, SimonP, Sun Creator, SwisterTwister, Tetron76, Threeafterthree, Tony1, Ulric1313, Voorlandt, Waacstats, Xionbox, Yoavd,
ZeroOne, , 64 anonymous edits
License
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