This book is one of many that came out in the immediate aftermath of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky Match of the World Chess Championship in Reykjavik Iceland. That match greatly increased the popularity of chess in America. US Championship Chess is unique in the presentation, combining history with history-in-the-making for a new and pleasurable experience in chess study. Part I is a history of the U. S. Chess championship by David Daniels; Part II consists of the complete games of the 1973 tournament, annotated by William Lombardy. This is much a book of instruction as any basic manual in the market. A tournament book has no equal as a chess teacher; tournament players spend any hours preparing new openings and improving on old ones before daring to appear at the chess table.

The latest opening wrinkles are therefore at the reader's fingertips here. The masters' expertise in handling assorted middle game and endgame positions in the context of the tournament struggle comes across in a blow-by-blow fashion making the amateur's learning task an eminently practical but exciting experience. Further, the discussion and analysis of the game clarifies a multitude of beginner's questions without loading a mass of non-pertinent analysis onto him. Beyond the book's instructional value, the reader will find woven into the discussion of the games various tales of chess lore, as well as insights into the strengths of the upcoming generation of American chess masters.