Arthur Kaufmann
A Chess Biography, 1872-1938
Olimpiu G Urcan author Peter Michael Braunwarth author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:McFarland & Co Inc
Published:25th Jan '12
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This biography explores the life and chess career of Arthur Kaufmann, an early 20th century Romanian-born grandmaster-level player. A contemporary of luminaries such as Capablanca, Reti, Schlechter, Spielmann, and Tartakower, Kaufmann remained an enigma despite his high level play.
Through an analysis of primary sources, including correspondence, diaries and other archival material, Kaufmann's chess career is reconstructed in detail. His tournament and match play games from the early 1890s to the 1910s are explored, as are his little known matches against some of the top players of his time and his participation in the Trebitsch memorials in wartime Vienna.
The book also offers an unprecedented account of Kaufmann's close relationship with Arthur Schnitzler, the famed Austrian dramatist, whose diary offers important clues to Kaufmann's life and work as a philosopher. There is a collection of 71 Kaufmann games with detailed annotations and diagrams.
“Excellent research”—Dale Brandreth, Caissa Editions; “a fascinating study!”—British Chess Magazine; “Olimpiu Urcan and Peter Braunwarth have breathed life into an obscure—if not forgotten—academic scholar...Urcan and Braunwarth have treated Kaufmann’s life with respect...tightly written, expertly annotated, and well-diagrammed. [This book] will appeal to players with a penchant for history and an interest in the golden age of early twentieth century chess. Urcan and Braunwarth have saved Kaufmann from obscurity and have enriched us with moments of culture from the game’s treasured past and of the larger Viennese world of theater and art...a sensitive portrayal of an intelligent and noble man caught up in turbulent times: an account of a scholar both on and off the board in an age both bittersweet and tragic”—ChessCafe.com; “a new peak for McFarland Publications; very highly recommended”—ndzeven; “a book which might be integrated in the literature about Schnitzler around his 150th birthday.”—Der Neue Merker; “this is a worthy tribute to one of Caissa’s forgotten soldiers and will be read with pleasure by fans of the chess scene pre 1920”—IM John Donaldson (JeremySilman.com); “besides many interesting and annotated chess games, this masterly edited and lavishly illustrated book also presents the relationship between Kaufmann and Schnitzler over several decades”—German Quarterly; “fascinating”—The Compulsive Reader; “a fitting tribute to Kaufmann’s life”—David G. Mills.
ISBN: 9780786461455
Dimensions: 254mm x 178mm x 14mm
Weight: 481g
274 pages