Chess libraries

Due to mergers and acqusitions in recent years there are only two chess libraries of major signicance and only a few other specialist collections. They are,

• The John G. White Chess and Checkers Collection at Cleveland Public Library.
  • Largest chess and draughts library in the world.
  • Built on the donation of quarter of a million dollars and 11,000 books from John G. White's private library upon his death.

• The Chess & Draughts collection at the Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana (part of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands).
  • Second largest chess and draughts library in the world.
  • Built on the donations of from the private chess libraries of Antonius van der Linde, Meindert Niemeijer and G.L. Gortmans.
  • Contain 40,000 works.

• Chess collection at the Templeman Library, University of Kent at Canterbury.
  • Built on donation of archive material of the British Chess Federation.
  • Contains a number of unique items relating to British chess clubs.

The most significant publically acknowledged private chess library is currently that of Paolo Ciancarini.

External links

• http://www.chessarch.com/excavations/0006_savage/lecture.shtml
• Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana
• The John G. White Chess and Checkers Collection
• University of Kent Chess Collection
• Catalogue of Paolo Ciancarini's library