05 January 2012

Early Chess Magazines

Starting in February 2008 and continuing for almost two and a half years, Europe Echecs ran a monthly column by Georges Bertola under the heading '50 Ans d'Europe-Echecs' (50 Years of 'Europe-Echecs'). Each month featured a few pages on an early chess magazine. Here is the introduction to the first column, translated loosely from the French:-

In January 2009, 'Europe Echecs' will celebrate its 50th anniversary! While waiting for this event, the Swiss chronicler and collector Georges Bertola presents, each month, one magazine which marked the evolution of the game. This friend of 'Europe Echecs' has naturally chosen to start the chronicle by tracing the genesis of 'Le Palamède', the first [chess] magazine in history, created in 1836 by La Bourdonnais and Méry.

It makes a good follow-up to my recent post on the Kings of Chess Journalism.

  • 1836: 'Le Palamède' (2008-02 p.68)
  • 1841: 'Chess Player's Chronicle' (2008-04 p.66)
  • 1846: 'Deutsche Schachzeitung' (2008-05 p.66)
  • 1857: 'The Chess Monthly' by Morphy (2008-06 p.64)
  • 1867: 'La Stratégie' by Durand and Préti (2008-07 p.64)
  • 1876: 'Shakmatnyi Listok' by Chigorin (2008-09 p.66)
  • 1879: 'The Chess Monthly' by Zukertort (2008-10 p.66)
  • 1885: 'International Chess Magazine' by Steinitz (2008-11 p.66)
  • 1898: 'Wiener Schachzeitung' by Marco (2008-12 p.66)
  • 1904: 'Lasker Chess Magazine' (2009-01 p.88)
  • 1898: 'Der Schachfreund' by Alapine (2009-02 p.66)
  • 1908: 'The Chess Weekly' by Napier (2009-03 p.64)
  • 1912: 'The Capablanca Magazine' (2009-04 p.64)
  • 1906: 'The Chess Amateur' (2009-05 p.64)
  • 1889: 'Deutsches Wochenschach' (2009-06 p.64)
  • 1904: 'American Chess Bulletin' (2009-07 p.64)
  • 1900: 'La Revue d'Echecs' by Goossens (2009-09 p.64)
  • 1889: 'Baltische Schachblatter' (2009-10 p.64)
  • 1906: 'Casopis Ceskych Sachistu' (2010-01 p.67)
  • 1894: 'Tijdskrift för Schack' by the brothers Collijn (2010-02 p.64)
  • 1893: 'Tijdschrift van den Nederlandschen Schaakbond' (2010-03 p.62)
  • 1900: 'La Revue Suisse d'Echecs' (2010-04 p.62)
  • 1911: 'L'Italia Scacchistica' by Rosselli del Turco (2010-05 p.62)
  • 1913: 'Der Schachwart' by Lasker (2010-07 p.64)

The number in bold is the first year of the magazine's publication. The number in parentheses is the year, month, and page of the EE issue featuring that publication.

NB: The first periodical in the list is available on Google Books: Palamède: revue mensuelle des échecs.

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