Dear djbl,

So you still remember!Thanks for sharing.

Fine review Mr CB. I also have 'Better Chess for Average Players' in my collection; bought for the staggering sum of £2.95 back in 1978 : )   ...and great read it is too.

Dear herbanmusic,

Glad that you mentioned the point. Harding has written a number of other books. I still remember a title from my younger days, Better Chess for Average Players (Dover). It’s an unpretentious book, but full of practical insight.

Dear Vacuous,

We are on the same wavelength. With the Black King, rook and the bishop all getting closer to the White king, one has to be a bit careful.

Tim Harding is a nice author( actually much more than just a nice one lol).

I am one of the lucky people of owning at least a book in my collection( though not about corr.Chess), 1st edition of early 80's

But when it comes to Corr. Chess in UK, he is a scholar!!.

Thanks for the article

 NM Greenlaser and Chessbibliophile: Thanks for the replies, I didn't spend a long time analyzing the line and failed to consider Re6+! 

I agree with the analysis of the RxN variation, after Ke3 white has to do something about Bd3+ however a3 or Rh1 could prevent black winning the exchange (Rook takes bishop), even then the passed pawns are a clear advantage 

Dear Vacuous,

The line given by NM GreenLaser is of course correct. I would like to thank him. Now in your line 38...Rxf6 39.gxf6 Kf4 40.Rf8+ Ke3 41.Rf5 does not hold anything for Black. He is an exchange and a pawn down. What is more, White has passed pawns that can race ahead. He has to take a little care.That is all.

Vacuous, Instead of 37.Rh8+, try 37.Re6+ Kg5 38.Rg7+ Kh5 39.Rh7+ Kg5 40.Rg6#. If 38...Kh4 39.g3+. If 37...Kh5 38.Rh7+ Kg5 39.Rg6#. The obviously unhelpful 37...Rf6 leads to mate.

Dear MrSkull,

The capitalization in the term, Post Office comes right from the book. It refers to the official institution, and not the local branch. Now when the London Chess Club made an appeal to the Post Office to retract the letter before it reached Edinburgh, it was informed that this could not be done without an order from the Secretary of State. Unfortunately, the Club did not have that kind of influence to prevail on him to do the needful at such short notice.

But if there was no rail service and stamping system(as is known today) at that time, how did this match come about? Good question.

Harding describes the arrangements in rich detail. The distance between London and Edinburgh was just under 400 miles and letters were delivered by stage coach. The average time for a journey between London and Edinburgh was 44 hours, 43 minutes. The postage fee depended on the distance and the sheets of paper used. The normal cost between the cities was 1s.1½d.*

I was fascinated by these facts and left out the detail only for reasons of space. I am glad that your comments supplemented by NM GreenLaser’s remarks have allowed me to share this information with all the readers.  

*(For those unfamiliar with the good old English currency:The symbols, 's' for shilling and 'd' for pence derive from the Latin solidus and denarius used in the Middle Ages.)

GreenLaser
Thankyou, that's a good point.  Maybe the meaning was made unclear by his using imprecise grammar, The Post Office rather than the post office.  That would explain the misunderstanding on my part. 

Dear Archaic71,

Happy to hear from you. I appreciate your taste for Tim Harding's columns.

A little clarification on this book:Usually, McFarland publishes hardback titles. However, this is a softcover edition. Perhaps there is a case for publishing an ebook as you have mentioned.

Dear NM GreenLaser,

Happy that you liked this review.  Both you and fellow reader daud2012 have strong political views. But there is one point on which we may all agree. A good book is not an act against the environment, but a bad book is.(Just think of all the trees that could have been saved instead J)

Harding's work is fine and (hopefully) environmentalists would not hold anything against it.

There is one point that I did not mention. in the review. Hobbs, the winner of the second game came last in the championship. This was the only game he won.

Dear daud2012,

I do share some of your concerns. People spend a lot of money and a little portion of the same can be used for buying good books. But not every one (even in the “rich” countries”) can afford to spend $50. So if an interested reader cannot buy this book, he can ask a local institution.

*(The question, who is rich and who is not could take us far into the territory of economics and politics.So I have left it alone.)

MrSkull, postal stamps were introduced, as you say, in 1840. That did not start the practice of delivering letters. Letters were hand stamped or marked before. Post offices already operated. The book review shows correspondence chess from 1824. Mail delivery is older than that by centuries.

Dear Vacuous,

You have asked the right question. Please check the Moves List and the explanation at the end of the diagram. 26.Qc5+ still wins. But White has to find some tough moves. Even if the London Chess Club did not see those moves, it could have drawn. But it committed itself to two moves with a message to the effect, "We are playing 26.Qc5+.If you respond with 26...Kg8, our next move would be 27.Rg5+." This second move was the real blunder. If they had sent only the first move, they would have had the option to consider what to do next.

Wow, talk about jumping off base . . . daud2012, where did that little diatribe come from?

Tim Harding is a heck of a chess author and I enjoy his colume on chesscafe very much.  $50 is a bit much, but I suspect there will be a paperback in short order, or perhaps an e-book.

Great review CB, we've missed you.

After hurried consultation among themselves, they make a frantic appeal to the Post Office to return the letter (12 October 1824)

Surely the author has made a mistake.  The Post Office, stamps on letters and all that, were first introduced on 1 January 1840 by Sir Rowland Hill, using the speed of the new (steam) railways connecting London to the midlands and Scotland. 

Thanks for another nice book review. I personally, unlike some, do not count other people's money. A book and its purchase may be preferred by some to the purchase of oil. However, it is not separate. Operating a computer to read this review requires oil. Buying the book in person at a store or from a company that delivers it requires oil. I suggest we stick to chess on this site rather than kiss the feet of mass murderers. Throughout history the poor outside of the rich countries have invaded and conquered or just peacefully immigrated into the rich countries. Nobody is entitled to a history they like. Anyone who does not buy the book should simply be happy and thankful to play over the games presented here. That is what we are here for.

26.Qc5+!? was the blunder or 27.Rxg5+?