John S. Hilbert, a retired senior attorney with the Social Security Administration living in Buffalo, New York, has written 16 chess books and over 100 articles on chess biography and history, winning multiple national and international awards. The late Peter P. Lahde was a former editor of Tennessee Chess News. He had written on Albert Beauregard Hodges, Alekhine, the Hastings tournaments, the modern United States Chess Championship, and chess in Tennessee. He was a retired research chemist and lived in Nashville.

“I'm a great fan of books by [Hilbert]. They are always incredibly well researched and deep, usually uncovering material you will not find in any other book.”—American Chess Magazine; “a fitting tribute to the man and his time. Highly recommended”—IM John Donaldson (JeremySilman.com); “the book is one of considerable scholarship”—British Chess Magazine; “impeccably produced...Hilbert and Lahde’s work offers readers not only a vivid depiction of the life and games of an unfortunately forgotten master, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, an in-depth look at one of the most enthralling periods in America chess history”—ChessCafe; “a massive and very detailed biography”—Chess; (London); “exemplary scholarship, top-notch production quality...detailed footnotes”—Chess Horizons; “a fine memorial.... The authors research is on the massive scale which truly is amazing”—Dale Brandreth, Caissa Editions; “recommended unreservedly”—Chessville; “an extremely fine work”—Marsh Towers; “Hilbert, is indisputably one of the world’s foremost chess historians and every new work of his arouses interest on the part of anyone fond of chess history...an important contribution to the knowledge of American chess history”—Quarterly for Chess History.

• Table of ContentsIntroduction      PART I. The Chess Life of Albert Beauregard Hodges      ONE. “The Tennessee Morphy”      TWO. Ajeeb and the “Snugs”      THREE. New York, 1890–1892      FOUR. 1893: A Year of Achievements      FIVE. 1894: A Year of Champions      SIX. 1895: A Year of Team Play      SEVEN. The Anglo-American Cable Matches      EIGHT. Domesticated Play      NINE. Tournaments—Too Late      TEN. Toward an Ending      ELEVEN. The Final Years      PART II. The Chess Games of Albert Beauregard Hodges      Appendix A. The Chess Problems      Appendix B. The Match and Tournament Record      Appendix C. The 1897       Staats-Zeitung Cup Fiasco      Appendix D. Three Obituaries      Selected Bibliography      Index to Hodges’ Games (game numbers)      Index of Openings—Hodges’ Games (game numbers)      Index of ECO Codes—Hodges’ Games (game numbers)      Index to Others’ Games (pages)      Index of Illustrations (pages       General Index (pages)