Well then and there. A surprise that someone currently living in Japan told me about: The World of Chess in Ohio. Wow. So here we are with a visit to the downtown Cleveland Public Library on the third floor of the main building, and a step into the rabbit hole. I took a few photos (not of everything or all) in order to put into a slide-show. (Which I couldn’t do today for some reason, but will try later.)

The lovely Stacy took us around and also pulled out of the archives for us—original hand-written folio sheets from as long ago as the middle ages (Chaucer), unrelated to chess, and little books—see the only person photo, and the skull on the desktop. Somehow I lost the other photos of little books. The one in the photo below is of Hamlet. I now have a new appreciation for little books and learned their purpose, which was to hide and smuggle information where it was not welcome or illegal. Many of them are quite incredible works of art.

For those who don’t know, the second photo below is of Bobby Fischer playing chess and the third is of Boris Spassky, famously defeated in Laugardalshöll arena in Reykjavík, Iceland, by our own Bobby. People from all over watched the brilliant encounter and final chess game, even those who had never heard of it before. Bobby, a grandmaster, won the tournament to become the reigning chess king of the world in 1972. He eventually disappeared, chased by the U.S. trying to arrest him for playing chess where sanctioned. He was eventually found in Iceland where his mental decline into madness was obvious and where he died in 2008. He went back there as it was the only county to offer him citizenship.

From Wikipedia: Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11–0 score, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament. 

All of the exhibits in the library are donated, and they may be freely photographed. The John G. White collection takes up all of the floor in that wing and includes books on chess as well as the notes of famous chess players, game cards (with the moves noted) as well as the chess sets from the centuries and world.

Ohio’s own Calvin Blocker won the International Master title in 1982 and continues to play upon occasion. He will be appearing at the White-collection room this month where he will be playing several at once. He is often described as an eccentric who loves the game of chess. He is also said to be an absolute grandmaster player who has all but the title (as he will not leave the state of Ohio to play). The chess floor entertains regular chess games and competitions where it is not unusual at all to see Blocker.

My friends and I spent the afternoon there. I personally could have spent the day and come back for more.

P.S. Apparently all you have to do is click on any of the photos and you’ll get a slide show. To start at the beginning, select the first photo.