The Fine Art of Family Magazine

Bobby Fischer isn’t the only world chess champion on collector David DeLucia’s radar. Though he owns Fischer’s accordion, harmonica, and some trophies, the author of Bobby Fischer Uncensored has a number of other world chess champions’ things. Among them are José Raúl Capablanca’s pocket watch and Paul Morphy’s childhood chessboard, plus lots of score sheets, chess clocks, and one-of-a-kind contracts for the first and second world championships from the 19th century.

These items, which the retired business man calls “ephemera,” make up only a third of his nearly 20,000-piece chess collection, consisting of rare books, autographs, manuscripts, postcards, letters and much more—all stored in his 1000-square-foot L-shaped home library. One of the world’s top collectors of antique chess books, DeLucia has written two other books on the subject within the last few years: David DeLucia’s Chess Library: A Few Old Friend (Volume 1 and 2).

Here the Connecticut native, who says his favorite chess opponents are his son and daughter, divulges how he built this collection and his plans to share it in the future.

Inspiration

“Though I had played chess all my life (self-taught at age 9 or 10), I was first inspired to start collecting while working in London in 1984. I sat next to a guy who was an avid collector of fine antiques. He talked about how great it was to learn about a subject and hunt for it and suggested I pick something to collect.  The only thing I could think of was my passion for chess. I used to play it as a child with the local firemen two blocks from my home in New Haven. In my 20’s, I met a grandmaster, who gave me lessons, at the Manhattan Chess Club. That’s when my game really developed.

In 1985, Christie’s had its first chess auction in years. I bought six books—the first being an 1889 book on chess—and that was the start of it. From then on, I was hunting. What made it unusual is that chess isn’t widely collected, so there are many dead ends. But if you hunt and ask enough questions, there are people out there.”

Biggest Find

“In the spring of 1988, I was at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair asking around and someone mentioned how Mrs. Hennessey from California was trying to sell her husband’s wonderful chess collection. I called Mrs. Hennessey and she told me her husband, who had passed away nearly six years earlier, told her to sell the collection in its entirety—not in pieces. He had about 3,000 items, mainly old rare books.

Within a short time, she invited me to California. I spent three days in her home, looking at all the stuff and, finally, I bought it. That was really the beginning, the core, of my collection. I suddenly owned some fabulous books that included a first edition Ruy Lopez and several editions from the Portuguese chess player Damiano of the 16th century.”

Oldest Piece

“First edition Damiano dated 1512. It’s one of the first books written on the game of chess and is extremely rare.”

Most Rewarding Get

“Matthew Brady’s original 1859 photograph of Paul Morphy, known to be the greatest chess player in the world at the time. Brady was a Civil War photographer and this shot is very rare. What makes it more special is Morphy’s inscription:

‘To W.J.A. Fuller, as a souvenir and a slight token of friendship.—Paul Morphy, October 12th, 1859.’

Another rewarding find was a Man Ray-made sterling silver trophy won by Samuel Reshevsky, a world-class player.”

Luckiest Find

“Some years ago, the Manhattan Chess Club closed their doors and gave me many of their historic items, including the guestbook signed by all the players and the contract from the first world chess championship.”

Last Purchase

“The last remnants of the Capablanca estate, which included portraits of the player by the famous Cuban artist Valderrama, NBC recordings done in 1942, about 15 of his manuscripts, as well as his chessboard.”

Currently Exploring

“I’ve been looking for a 15th century chess book by Lucena for years. It’s very rare. I also have five of the Damianos, but I am still looking for the other three.”

Advice

“It behooves you to build relationships in the collecting world and exchange knowledge.  If the day comes when a collector you know decides to sell, you’re in a position to buy their entire collection. That’s very important. I probably have bought half a dozen great collections in my time.

Besides, I wouldn’t sell my collection to just anybody. I would want to make sure it went to a good home or many homes. For a number of years, people have asked me, what would I do with my collection? At one time, I thought I’d give it to an institution, but now I’d like to give it to collectors who really enjoy them. When you’re a collector, you really cherish the things you have. If I get to see old age, I’d really like to see it in the hands of new promising collectors.”

[Photography by Steven Randazzo]

Published on February 8, 2010

Tags: Celebrating, Collections, Heirlooms, Piece By Piece