This standard 8 by 10 black and white portrait photograph of Hans Kmoch (1894-1973) was presented by him in an inscription (ink), upper left: "To Edwin N. Asmann / in rememberance to many hours / spent in his / charming / company. / New York, Jan 18 - 1956 / Hans Kmoch" . Kmoch had been since the early 1920s a leading chess figure and since World War II had been heading the Manhattan Chess Club. Austrian, Kmoch moved to the Netherlands in the 1930s and then to New York in 1947. He wrote books on the subject, as well.

Edwin N. Asmann, Lake Forest College '27 and living in Lake Forest until his death in 1991, was an avid chess player who followed the game in periodicals, etc.