Free Book Giveaway for Members on
April 21-22

As part of our preparation for our move to St. Louis, US Chess staff and visiting chess literature experts have been working through the US Chess library to determine how to deal with this important and historic collection.

Some materials, most notably those related to US Chess history and governance, will remain with US Chess and its staff. Others - particularly foreign language literature and periodicals - will be loaned to the World Chess Hall of Fame on a long-term basis.

There remains a tremendous stock of books and tournament bulletins that are no longer of use to US Chess staff. In the past, a publications editor might need to reference a large library of printed material to check game quotations, reference opening theory, etc., but with the advent of large commercial databases and the Internet, those needs are not as acute as they once were.

It is our intention to distribute the remnants from our sorting and culling to US Chess members free of charge on a first come, first served basis. (Note: We originally sent this to affiliates only. Based on limited response, we have decided to open this up to the entire US Chess membership.)

1. Only current (as of April 21/22) members are eligible.

2. You must come to our Crossville office to select and take what you want. Under no circumstances will US Chess search for, reserve, or ship any books ourselves, even if you want the entire inventory.

3. No book dealers, unless you happen to also be a member.

4. Send an email to Dan Lucas at [email protected] giving the day and time you plan to be there. The office hours those two days will be 8-5 Central Time. You can also contact Lucas with questions.

File boxes of books have been prepared as part of our moving process. Some boxes are labeled with general ideas of contents, i.e, openings, biographies, bulletins. Others lack a label and may contain a hodge-podge of chess books or pamphlets. The majority of the books are in the English language, while the tournament bulletins may be in multiple European languages. If this feels like a bit of a treasure hunt, well, it is. Here are some photos showing what it all looks like: