Users manual

 

Where to find the chess and draughts books in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek

Chess pavilion
The main part of the chess collection is on open access in the Chess pavilion on the second floor, together with the recent issues and complete volumes of the most important chess and draughts periodicals. 

Department of Special Collections
Chess and draughts books printed before 1800, manuscripts and other rare works are stored in the stacks of the department of Special Collections on the second floor. These works may be ordered at the Special Collections desk.

General stacks
The remaining chess and draughts titles (mostly recent publications) are held in closed access storage. These titles may be ordered from the general stacks using the General Catalogue (OPC).

 

How to find chess and draughts titles

General Catalogue
The chess and draughts titles are described in the General Catalogue.

Catalogue of the Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana, 1955
This catalogue lists all chess and draughts books, periodicals and manuscripts which were in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in 1955. Due to its completeness, this catalogue is often used as a bibliographical reference work. The catalogue consists of ca. 6.000 titles.
In the Chess pavilion several copies of the printed version of this catalogue may be found. The online version of the catalogue of the Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana may be consulted via Internet.

Published catalogues of the Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana

  • Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana. A catalogue of the chess collection in the Royal Library, The Hague. The Hague 1955. Also published on Internet as online database.
  • Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana aucta et de novo descripta. A catalogue of the chess collection in the Royal Library, The Hague. Vol. I Chess: Bibliography and History. Comp. by K.W. Kruijswijk. The Hague 1974. No further volumes published.

 

Finding chess and draughts books by subject

There are several ways to search for chess and draughts literature by subject:

  • The catalogue of the Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana, published in 1955, is classified by subject. The online database of this catalogue may be searched by subject in combination with other categories.
  • The Systematic Card Catalogue on the first floor corresponds with the General Catalogue, but is arranged by subject.

 

Periodicals

The recent issues of the most important periodicals are on open access in the Chess pavilion.
Several important chess periodicals are placed in their entirety in the Chess pavilion. The other chess - and all draughts periodicals - are held in closed access in the general stacks and may be ordered via the General Catalogue.

 

Internet

At the desk in the Special Collections reading room and on the first floor in the main reading room are several terminals which give access to Internet. Users of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek with a Year pass may surf without charge over the Internet.

 

Copying, printing, downloading

You can use the facilities for printing, scanning and copying in the main reading room.

 

More information

During opening hours specific information about the Chess and Draughts collection will be given via the Special Collections desk: (0)70-3140322 (telephone) or (0)70-3140655 (fax).
General information, about for example the use of the General Catalogue, will be given at the Information desk: (0)70-3140310 (telephone).
You may also contact us via the e-mail form of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, mentioning the Chess and Draughts collection.