16 JULY 1948, Page 28

Shorter, Notice

British Chess. By Kenneth Matthews. (Britain in Pictures. Coffins. 5s.)

WHEN the German champion Bogoljubow found himself out of form at the Nottingham Tournament of 1936 he was heard to grumble : "I am playing like an Englishman!" We appear to have accepted our modern inferiority at the game of chess with a resignation which does more credit to our good-nature than to our traditions. For the tradition is there, and Mr. Matthews deserves our thanks for reminding us of it in such an agreeable fashion. McDonnell, Staun- ton and Blackburne were all as good as the contemporary giants from other lands and one of them, Staunton, has left his mark more firmly on the game of chess than any other master. This book is a tribute of an enthusiastic amateur, and the story it tells, embellished with pictures and illustrative games, is always an interesting and often an exciting one.