William Norwood Potter. The Most Extraordinary Chess Writer Ever.

Afternoon everyone.

Last time round we had the pleasure of being joined by my friend Hans Renette, which reminded me that there is a book in pre-publication which I am desperate to get my hands on.

I have done small blogs on both of them, with the unfulfilled promise to be back at some point with more. Well, once I have the book I may well return to them.

I am just back from a short holiday, and the reading material this time was the two volumes of 'The City Of London Chess Magazine', (COLCM) edited by Potter.

His writings are unique in chess literature. Uneducated as I am, I am at a loss to describe his prose style ( Feel free to have some fun in the comments by posting suitable adjectives!!)

A couple of examples from the first pages of COLCM.

He was also a very fine annotator of games. Strong enough as a player ( he drew a match with Mason and pushed Zukertort to the limit in a match, amongst his other results ) to understand the games, and empathic enough towards his readers - many of whom were in the 'odds-receiver' category - to explain things in an understandable way. He was also aware that many readers would not take the time to properly study what he was trying to explain to them!!

When he chose to combine the prose with the annotations, the results were rather wonderful!

A few examples at random - there are many, many more to be found in COLCM, Westminster Papers and his column in 'Land and Water'.

The allies are evidently full of alarm at the perils which appear to surround them, hence this desperate leap out the window;
 but a calm survey of the board would have shown them that there was nothing so very much the matter at all.

'Just the kind of blunder with which this very wretched
specimen of a game ought to finish.'

'Misfortune is clearly coming up the avenue, but this move
saves the unwelcome visitor from knocking at the door.'

The game.

The last game in COLCM is this one - Potter no doubt enjoying the prospect of leaving his readers on a high note. (He was one game behind in the match and needed to win btw)

‘Self-admiration is as a tape-worm of the brain. It particularly infests Chess-players and is rarely eradicated.’

 William Norwood Potter

British Chess Magazine (July 1883), p.244