Julius Finn was born in Russian Poland, and came to New York in 1887 at the age of 16. From a humble start as a street peddler on the Lower East Side, Finn swiftly rose to become New York's champion chess master and one of the country's best blindfold chess entertainers. Finn's chess success contributed to the rise of the chess scene in the Big Apple in the early twentieth century, and he fared equally well in business, parlaying his skills into a highly successful career. Along with a foreword by John S. Hilbert, this biography of Finn in America includes analysis of 99 of his chess games-- most of them previously unknown or little studied--diagrams of game situations, and photographs.
Olimpiu G. Urcan is a Singapore-based chess historian. He contributes regularly to Edward Winter’s Chess Notes and is the author of several chess biographies published by McFarland.
Table of ContentsForeword by John S. Hilbert Acknowledgments Preface A Note to the Reader xiiiPrologue Part I: A Peddler’s Rise on the Lower East Side, 1871–19001. Coming to America, 1871 –1894 2. First Forays into Chess, 1895–1900 3. A Rising Blindfold Artist, 1898–1900 Part II: Among New York’s Best, 1901–19054. The Very Busy Year 1901 5. The NYSCA Midsummer Meeting, July 1902 6. A Manhattan Man, 1903–1905 7. Equitable Life Insurance Agent 8. More Chess in New York, July–November 1905 Part III: Marketing a Rich Man’s Gambit, 1903–19169. With Rice and His Gambit, 1903–1905 10. A Match with Napier, January 1906 11. King of New York, 1906–1907 12. The End of the Rice Brotherhood, 1908–1916 Part IV: The Last Years, 1929–193113. A Preëminent Chess Official, 1910–1928 14. A Last Game of Chess, 1929–1931 Epilogue Appendix I: Finn’s Tournament Record Appendix II: Finn’s Match Record Appendix III: Finn’s Simultaneous Exhibitions Record Appendix IV: Finn’s Blindfold Simultaneous Exhibitions Record Chapter Notes Selected Bibliography Index to Finn’s Games (game numbers) Index of Openings—Finn’s Games (game numbers) Index of Supplementary Games and Positions (page numbers) Index of Supplementary Game Openings (page numbers) Index of Tables Index to Illustrations General Index
“a nicely produced book...numerous original photographs”—IM John Donaldson (JeremySilman.com); “a typical McFarland masterpiece. Lovely!”—British Chess Magazine.