Fédération Française des Echecs - French Chess Magazine Mentioning Duchamp's 1925 Championship Win

Fédération Française des Echecs: Bulletin no. 13 – 15 Janvier 192[5]. 32 pp. Dated January 15, 1924, corrected in pencil to 1925. Original bulletin of the French Chess Federation, reporting on meetings of the committee, recent games and tournaments, including the Upper Normandy tournament of 21–23 September 1924, of which the winner was Marcel Duchamp. The bulletin describes him on p. 21 (translated from the French): "The Upper Normandy champion, M. Duchamp, earned his title with his solid and profound playing. His imperturbable sang-froid, his ingenious style, the impeccable way in which he uses even the slightest advantage, make him a formidable opponent on all occasions." Toning and some edge wear; overall very good. 5.5 x 9 inches (14 x 22.7 cm).

Marcel Duchamp had a long-standing interest in chess, but his serious involvement in the game began when he left the New York art scene for Buenos Aires in 1918. By the time he moved to Paris in 1923, he was in essence no longer a practicing artist, but a chess player; he would study chess for the rest of his life, to the exclusion of most other activities. He designed the poster for the Third French Chess Championship in 1925, and as a competitor in the event, finished at fifty percent, earning the title of chess master. By the 1930's, he realized that he had little chance of succeeding on the highest level in chess, but became a chess journalist, writing weekly newspaper columns. While his contemporaries were achieving spectacular success in the art world, Duchamp observed, "I am still a victim of chess. It has all the beauty of art—and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer than art in its social position." (16413)

---

Ephemera

Book

Art & Design

Recreation & Leisure

• Sold