Robert Irons

Foreword by Andy Soltis

272 pages, Hard Cover
SRP $34.95

Excerpt

October 2024

Capablanca’s Dazzling Debut

The international tournament held in San Sebastian, Spain in 1911 is one of the legendary chess tournaments of all time. Of the top ten players in the world at that time, only Emanuel Lasker was missing; he was getting married.

This remarkable book has all 105 games played, and each one is annotated. Rounds are introduced with an overview of the results and the significance of game. Based on the original work in German by Jacque Mieses, other contemporary sources are also used to give the reader the complete picture and feel of the tournament. And Andy Soltis’s Foreword gives historical depth to the competition and its participants.

San Sebastian 1911 is one of the most influential tournaments in history. It prompted other organizers to try to get the world’s top ten players. It introduced “hospitality” and the financial basis for the careers of professional players. And it firmly established Capablanca’s claim to be a future world champion. – From the Foreword by Andy Soltis

Capa stepped onto the world stage in this powerful event and demonstrated beyond any doubt that he would be someone to be reckoned with. And now you are invited to follow the rise of the young Cuban in his dazzling debut, as he does battle with some of the strongest players of the era. The momentous tournament of San Sebastion 1911 is now available in English, in a fine, hard cover edition.

About the Author
Robert Irons was the Correspondence Chess Editor for the US Chess Federation from October 2022 to March 2024, and during that period he wrote the monthly column for Chess Life on correspondence chess, “The Check is in the Mail.”

He earned a PhD from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and he has taught both undergraduate and MBA students during his 25-year academic career. Irons has published 20 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals, and he has previously written two textbooks, one in Finance and one in Politics. He is currently on the faculty of the School of Business and Economics at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL. This is his first book for Russell Enterprises.