The Civil War affected the entire American landscape in ways not always given their due consideration. Not only did it determine the political future of a nation, it influenced the scientific and cultural development of the country as well. The war cost America many of its best and brightest in every venue. James A. Leonard was one such loss: a brilliant up-and-coming chess player in 1861-62 before he made the decision to serve his country during wartime. Born November 6, 1841, James A. Leonard was the son of a poor Irish immigrant - but even a poor child could play the game of kings. Leonard grew up in a time when interest in chess was experiencing a revival, and contemporaries such as Paul Morphy, Eugene Delmar and Leonard's mentor Philip Richardson captured the interest of a country. Leonard defeated a number of the country's notable chess players and was widely viewed as the ""New Morphy."" This biography discusses what little is known of Leonard's life and death but concentrates primarily on Leonard's ability and his sadly shortened career. Game scores and diagrams from 96 of Leonard's games are included, with detailed descriptions regarding place, date and opponents.

Emil Kemeny appeared on the American chess scene in 1890, a Hungarian chess player on the Lower East Side who had difficulty with English. Within a decade he was considered one of the country's finest chess players and writers. He dominated chess in both Philadelphia and Chicago, where he lived between 1893 and early 1906. Congenial and modest, he was appreciated for his chess play and valued for the strong friendships he formed during his years in the United States. A tenacious competitor despite poor health, he fought Showalter for the national title, ran his own chess magazine, and provided detailed coverage of Monte Carlo 1903, although rarely given recognition for doing so. His chess career as player and writer is covered in detail. Common databases rarely include more than 35 of his games. Over 225, including over 60 against Halpern, Hanham, Voigt, Showalter and Pillsbury, many with annotations, appear in this collection. 40 additional period games, tournament and match record, crosstables, player and general indexes complete this homage to a forgotten player. 361 diagrams.

Albert Beauregard Hodges is a legend among chess aficionados. As one of the most well-known American chess players of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Hodges played an important role in transforming chess from a pleasant pastime into a social institution. This work provides both an in-depth biography of Hodges' personal life and chess career and an extensive collection of over 340 of his games, as well as 15 of his chess problems as originally published in several newspapers and the American Chess Bulletin. Hodges' complete tournament and match records are also included, along with line engravings, photographs, and player/openings indexes.

During his first years in America, William Henry Krause Pollock participated in some of the most important American chess events of the 19th century. Pollock played matches against strong players like Charles Moehle, John L. McCutcheon, Jackson W. Showalter and Eugene Delmar. This biography analyses in great detail Pollock's chess play, as well as his career and life in England, Ireland and America. His American years unveil even more about the American chess landscape during the first half of 1890s, one of the most interesting periods in American chess history. Offered here are an unprecedented collection of annotated games played by Pollock (around 500), historical photographs and line drawings. Sources include historical chess journals and magazines with chess columns from America, the United Kingdom and Canada.