A person who doesn't like the Romántico Ajedrez, doesn't like the ajedrez.
 Who is not contemporaneous, who is not exalted with, for example, de Labourdonnais and his departure of the three peones in the seventh, with the departure of Morphy in the opera, the Inmortal and the Siempreviva of Anderssen or with the Torre Ingrávida (in the search , the bautizo is my opinion) by Steinitz in Hastings, I cannot, in my opinion, be a true ajedracista.
 In this work, Álvaro Bermejo del Barrio, a true guide to the top of the head, collects this collection of photographs that he took on a safari in the savanna of the cliffs of the 19th century. And I do it with the care I like from a lover of beauty and the precise adrecístico knowledge of an experienced player. And above all with the unconditional love that every teacher must have for our divine Caissa.
 Thus, the author of the anthology gives us a map to use over a hundred years in which the ajedrez became popular and laid its foundations, both organizational and theoretical-scientific, from where he became the nominal referent in the popular collection is Wilhelm Steinitz y su The Modern Chess Instructor, although the cues are more complex.
 However, the XIX is the symbol that forms the basis of the modern era, recording, publishing and commenting on all the matches of a match; the symbol of the birth of the first chess column in a periodical, of the creation of the first chess-themed magazine, of the first clubs dedicated exclusively to our game, of the first international tournament, of the institution of the world champion title (of new our Steinitz) and the value of reflection time as a key competitive element.
 The vineyard is good and winemaker Bermejo has been up there. Result: a wine list that is the same regardless of which page is opened; offers a cup of tempting bouquet.
 So, dear readers, I leave it to the hands of Álvaro Bermejo del Barrio to begin the visit to the century-old winery of the XIX century and not make any repairs to any extent, embroiled with as much talent as he resorted to digging in this golden century.
 Jose Luis Torrego
 Madrid, March 2024.