English Chess Forum

I may be displaying my ignorance, (unforgiveable in one who used to sell chess books I know), but is there a book specifically devoted to chess records, pertaining both to players and to games; e.g. youngest and oldest to achieve certain things, fattest and thinnest, tallest and shortest and re the games, e.g. longest and shortest, quickest wins, most moves before castling, largest number of moves by one piece, etc etc etc? The game throws up an innumerable richness of seams for statistical analysis. I know there is "Guinness: Chess: The Records by Ken Whyld published in 1986, but is there anything more recent? I tried googling "Chess Records" but tended to get bombarded with references to the record label of that name which wasn't too helpful!

This is the sort of thing Tim Krabbé specializes in.

There is the The Batsford Book of Chess Records by Yakov Damsky

The Guinness one by Ken Whyld is much better IMHO.

Thanks, Jack and John, for the info. Tim Krabbe's book, "Chess Curiosities" was published in 1985 and so will now be very out of date (and on Amazon it is priced at £930.99 so I don't think I will be shelling out for it just yet unless I can find it more cheaply elsewhere!). Damsky's book was published in 2005 so still slightly out of date. I found Tim Krabbe's website which is mine of information and of course up to date, but I was wondering if there is a more recent publication than either of these two, or a newer edition of either.

Neville Twitchell wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:04 am

I tried googling "Chess Records" but tended to get bombarded with references to the record label of that name which wasn't too helpful!

Hi Neville,

I've hit CHESS Records a few times as well when looking for something. however there is a wiki site:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_w ... s_in_chess

That has covers all types of chess related world records.

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:53 am

Neville Twitchell wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:04 am

I tried googling "Chess Records" but tended to get bombarded with references to the record label of that name which wasn't too helpful!

Hi Neville,

I've hit CHESS Records a few times as well when looking for something. however there is a wiki site:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_w ... s_in_chess

That has covers all types of chess related world records.

Thanks. Quite a useful site.

Neville Twitchell wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:14 am

Thanks, Jack and John, for the info. Tim Krabbe's book, "Chess Curiosities" was published in 1985 and so will now be very out of date (and on Amazon it is priced at £930.99 so I don't think I will be shelling out for it just yet unless I can find it more cheaply elsewhere!). Damsky's book was published in 2005 so still slightly out of date. I found Tim Krabbe's website which is mine of information and of course up to date, but I was wondering if there is a more recent publication than either of these two, or a newer edition of either.

See

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Sear ... &kn=&isbn=

for more reasonable but high prices.

Hi Neville,

I only found out about it when someone said I was on it for giving a checkmate with a Knight which
can be taken taken by three pieces, a Rook, A Knight and a Bishop but all three pieces are King-pinned.
Apparently two pinned pieces is fairly normal - three in an OTB game a world record.

Me - R. Kynoch, Edinburgh Club Championship 1981

2rqkrQ1/pp1nb3/5N2/1BP5/3B3P/5P2/PPP5/2K1R3 b - - 4 27

(to be honest it was only after showing the game to Johnny Marr that he who pointed out this unique occurrence.)

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 11:11 am

Hi Neville,

I only found out about it when someone said I was on it for giving a checkmate with a Knight which
can be taken taken by three pieces, a Rook, A Knight and a Bishop but all three pieces are King-pinned.
Apparently two pinned pieces is fairly normal - three in an OTB game a world record.

Me - R. Kynoch, Edinburgh Club Championship 1981

2rqkrQ1/pp1nb3/5N2/1BP5/3B3P/5P2/PPP5/2K1R3 b - - 4 27

(to be honest it was only after showing the game to Johnny Marr that he who pointed out this unique occurrence.)

Amazing position.

John Upham wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 11:10 am

Neville Twitchell wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:14 am

Thanks, Jack and John, for the info. Tim Krabbe's book, "Chess Curiosities" was published in 1985 and so will now be very out of date (and on Amazon it is priced at £930.99 so I don't think I will be shelling out for it just yet unless I can find it more cheaply elsewhere!). Damsky's book was published in 2005 so still slightly out of date. I found Tim Krabbe's website which is mine of information and of course up to date, but I was wondering if there is a more recent publication than either of these two, or a newer edition of either.

See

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Sear ... &kn=&isbn=

for more reasonable but high prices.

Still pretty steep!

Edward Winter was excoriating about Damsky's book IIRC ("so what else is new?" I hear you all say)

Whyld's was a decent effort, but was never updated post-1980s which is both a shame and slightly puzzling.

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 4:08 pm

Edward Winter was excoriating about Damsky's book IIRC ("so what else is new?" I hear you all say)

Whyld's was a decent effort, but was never updated post-1980s which is both a shame and slightly puzzling.

Specifically

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 6:17 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 4:08 pm

Edward Winter was excoriating about Damsky's book IIRC ("so what else is new?" I hear you all say)

Whyld's was a decent effort, but was never updated post-1980s which is both a shame and slightly puzzling.

Specifically

Well and truly "Wintered"!

Not a bad read by all means, and still easily purchased.