Masterpieces and Dramas of the Soviet Championships Volume I (1920-1937) by Sergey Voronko

Paperback, 534 pages, Elk and Ruby Publishing 2020 In his three-volume treatise, leading Russian chess historian SergeyVoronkov vividly brings to life the long-forgotten history of theSoviet championships held in 1920-1953. Volume I covers the first 10championships from 1920-1937, as well as the title match betweenBotvinnik and Levenfish. The key contestants also include worldchampion Alekhine and challenger Bogoljubov, lesser-known Sovietchampions Romanovsky, Bogatyrchuk, Verlinsky, and Rabinovich, andnames that today will be unfamiliar yet were big stars at the time:Riumin, Alatortsev, Makogonov, Rauzer, Ragozin, Chekhover, and manyothers.   This book can be read on many levels: a carefully selected collectionof 107 of the best games, commented on mostly by the playersthemselves, supported by computer analysis. A detailed and subtlyargued social history of the Soviet Chess School and of how chess cameto occupy such an important role in Soviet society. A discussion ofhow the chess com