Edward Winter (chess historian)
Encyclopedia
Edward Winter is an English
journalist
, archivist
, historian
, collector
and author
about the game of chess
. He writes a regular column on that subject, Chess Notes, and is also a regular columnist for ChessBase
.
to discuss all matters relating to the Royal Pastime". At the end of 1989, the periodical ceased publication. In 1993, Winter resumed publication of Chess Notes, which appeared, this time, as a syndicated column, in many languages around the world. From 1998 to 2001, it was published exclusively in New In Chess
. Later, it appeared online at the Chess Café website. Since September 2004, Chess Notes has been located at the Chess History Center website.
Beginning in 1996, selected collections of Chess Notes have been published in book form.
Yasser Seirawan calls Winter "the chess world's foremost authority on its rich history". William Hartston
observed of him, "Probably the most meticulous and diligent researcher and chess writer around. ... Winter's brilliantly scathing style, always adopted in the noble cause of accuracy, gives his writings a marvellously entertaining as well as instructive quality." Hans Ree
wrote of Winter, "[He] is a just but stern supervisor of chess literature. Every chess writer in the English language knows: when he makes a mistake in a date, overlooks a mate in an analysis, or sins against the King’s English, he will be flogged by Winter, whose eyes see everything." Larry Parr, a friend of frequent Winter target Larry Evans
, was more critical, writing that Winter "is obsessed with trivial mistakes, typos and wrong dates. He can't see the forest for the trees. He can only splatter mud."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, collector
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
about the game of chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. He writes a regular column on that subject, Chess Notes, and is also a regular columnist for ChessBase
ChessBase
ChessBase GmbH is a German company that markets chess software, maintains a chess news site, and operates a server for online chess. Set up in 1998, it maintains and sells massive databases, containing most historic games, that permit analysis that had not been possible prior to computing...
.
Chess Notes
Chess Notes started as a bimonthly periodical, and was described by its author, in the first issue (January-February 1982), as "A forum for aficionadosFan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
to discuss all matters relating to the Royal Pastime". At the end of 1989, the periodical ceased publication. In 1993, Winter resumed publication of Chess Notes, which appeared, this time, as a syndicated column, in many languages around the world. From 1998 to 2001, it was published exclusively in New In Chess
New In Chess
New In Chess is a chess magazine that appears eight times a year with chief editors International Grandmaster Jan Timman and Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam. It contains notes by top players and chess prodigies on their own games...
. Later, it appeared online at the Chess Café website. Since September 2004, Chess Notes has been located at the Chess History Center website.
Beginning in 1996, selected collections of Chess Notes have been published in book form.
Yasser Seirawan calls Winter "the chess world's foremost authority on its rich history". William Hartston
William Hartston
William Roland Hartston is an English chess player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 with a highest Elo rating of 2515...
observed of him, "Probably the most meticulous and diligent researcher and chess writer around. ... Winter's brilliantly scathing style, always adopted in the noble cause of accuracy, gives his writings a marvellously entertaining as well as instructive quality." Hans Ree
Hans Ree
Hans Ree is a Dutch Grandmaster of chess and is a columnist and chess writer for the NRC Handelsblad. He contributes to the leading chess magazines New In Chess and ChessCafe.com...
wrote of Winter, "[He] is a just but stern supervisor of chess literature. Every chess writer in the English language knows: when he makes a mistake in a date, overlooks a mate in an analysis, or sins against the King’s English, he will be flogged by Winter, whose eyes see everything." Larry Parr, a friend of frequent Winter target Larry Evans
Larry Evans
For the football player of the same name, see Larry Evans .Larry Melvyn Evans was an American chess grandmaster, author, and journalist. He won or shared the U.S. Chess Championship five times and the U.S. Open Chess Championship four times...
, was more critical, writing that Winter "is obsessed with trivial mistakes, typos and wrong dates. He can't see the forest for the trees. He can only splatter mud."
Books
- Chess Facts and Fables (2006) ISBN 0-7864-2310-2
- A Chess Omnibus (2003) ISBN 1-888690-17-8
- Kings, Commoners and Knaves: Further Chess Explorations (1999) ISBN 1-888690-04-6
- Chess Explorations (1996) ISBN 1-85744-171-0
- CAPABLANCA A Compendium of Games, Notes, Articles, Correspondence, Illustrations and Other Rare Archival Materials on the Cuban Chess Genius José Raúl Capablanca, 1888-1942 (1989) ISBN 0-89950-455-8
- World Chess Champions (1981) ISBN 0-08-024094-1
External links
- Chess History Center website, hosting Winter's Chess Notes
- Collection of Winter's ChessBase articles
- Not Quicker Than the Mind's Eye Critical article by Larry Parr