Our first birthday greetings go to Burg (near Magdeburg) where chess friend
and collector Bernd Domsgen celebrated his 51st birthday
on July 6.
The next 4 birthdays follow at daily intervals: we will start with Romano
Bellucci, his home is in the lagune city of Venice where he looked
back on whole 64 years on July 9. He is the head of the editorial department
of the international review Scacchi e Scienze Applicate (Chess
and Applied Sciences), an highly interesting magazine coming out once
per year since 1981 while it deals with the contributions that chess has
given and will continue to give sciences and vice versa. Recently he has
tackled a new book project, a bibliography on jubilee books of German
chess clubs, federations and associations to appear in German/English;
the KWA will do its best to give him assistance with regard to investigations
and research material.
The Dutch study expert Jan van Reek is the next on our
birthday list, he celebrated his 59th birthday on July 10. He started
as a study composer in his early youth and continuously improved in the
course of time - a point of culmination was 1986, being awarded a 1st
prize by Szachy as well as being appointed an International Judge
for Endgame Studies. In 1988 JvR was also the driving force behind the
foundation of ARVES and as an editor of the study magazine EG
he has decisively contributed to its success and its continued existence.
We are only able to record the numerous books and writings published or
edited by him in a separate list.
His latest work “Dutch Chess Champions” has just appeared
in this year, it may be ordered online at NewInChess.
You will find more about JvR at his websites www.endgame.nl/index.html
and web.inter.nl.net/hcc/rekius/.
David Shenk comes from Brooklyn, USA, already in the
first month of his KWA membership he is celebrating his birthday turning
38 on July 11. His joining of the KWA seems at first remarkable as he
is neither a chess player nor a chess historian or a particular chess
enthusiast. Instead he is nationwide well-known as a bestseller author
of so far four books of completely different (non chess) subject matters,
you may learn more about them by visiting his website.
But he has now tackled a further book dealing with the history and the
meaning of chess, written for a general readership from an outsider’s
point of view. Ken Whyld had already wished him good luck for this project:
“Perhaps someone outside the chess scene can look with a more detached
eye. I wish you well.“ – we would like to follow this wish
and we hope that David Shenk will find in our association many creative
suggestions and assistance for his work (it will be published by Doubleday
in 2006). David told us that he has some chess blood in his veins too
– his great-great-grandfather was Samuel Rosenthal – and he
aims for learning more about this one family connection to chess history
and also for a better understanding of the appeal of our beloved game.
A well-known Swiss collector is next in line, Urs Frischherz
celebrated his 46th birthday on July 12. He has not only published his
own collection at his fine homepage,
but also offers duplicates in exchange or for sale as well as many interesting
information on collectors and collecting old chess books – won’t
you visit it once more occasionally!
Continuation on the next page!
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