Let me say this as a disclaimer: this is not a chess book you will learn chess from. Even though you will find all the games from the 1955 World Junior Championship played in Antwerp in the book, they aren’t annotated, nor are they meant to serve more than a historical purpose. That being said, it’s still a great read for any chess player, and it gives a historical insight into what the chess world was like at the time when Spassky was just starting out.

Serruys gives a detailed look into how the tournament was organized, the funding, the accommodation for the participants, and much more. He got into contact with the participants (those who are still alive), and thus managed to create one of the most detailed insights into the history of a chess tournament.

A student of mine recently asked me if I knew of any “bedtime” chess books. Books he could read before going to sleep that didn’t require him to think hard or have a board next to him. Unveiling the Victory is perfect for that. It’s a great read whether you play chess or not. Serruys’ writing is exceptional. He depicts the events surrounding the Antwerp tournament, its participants and organizers, as if he were talking about The Lord of the Rings.

What I found most appealing were the original photos Serruys had discovered. As a chess enthusiast, it felt incredible to see the tournament in such great detail. That is a rare case when it comes to tournaments from the mid 20th century, especially the lesser known ones.

Junior Chess Championships are almost never covered in chess history. Since their inception, and the first one, held in 1951 in Birmingham, they were almost ignored. Until Spassky became the World Champion. He is the first elite player who has won the Junior Championship, this marks the 1955 Antwerp Championship as the most significant historically.