The Art of Bisguier: Selected Games 1961-2003

Arthur Bisguier is a living legend in American chess, having met and defeated some of the greatest players in the world. This is a collection of his best games – annotated by Bisguier himself – from 1961 through 2003.

Each game is introduced with an anecdote and brief comment about Art’s opponent and combined with many archival photos, makes this one of the great chess game collections ever.

What sets this book apart from other game collections are the stories that preface each encounter. Bisguier, who has lived American chess history for over 60 years, has always been known as an excellent raconteur and his memory for the clever observation and ability to bring to life Caissa’s departed soldiers is second to none.

He quotes the Seattle master Olaf Ulvestad on to the difference between a master and a grandmaster (“A master studies the board, calculates, deliberates and at last makes the correct move. A grandmaster tosses a piece in the air and it lands on the proper square.”)

This explanation struck a chord with Bisguier who has always strongly relied on his intuition when selecting a move.

With opening and player indexes and many black and white photographs.