News archive
February 2016
Zurich Chess Challenge 2016
This year’s Zurich Chess Challenge (13-15 February) was again an extraordinary event, held in glamorous surroundings and covered at length by the chess press. Michael Negele was there on Sunday and Monday, 14th to 15th of February (3rd - 5th round rapid and blitz).
Jonathan Manley's query
Jonathan Manley, chief editor of Kingpin Chess Magazine wonders whether any KWA member might be interested in reviewing any of the following recent historical works for www.kingpinchess.net:
The Classical Era of Modern Chess (Monté)
Chess Competitions, 1971-2010 (Di Felice)
Ignaz Kolisch: The Life and Chess Career (Zavatarelli)
Please contact Jonathan Manley - email jon_manley@msn.com - if you wish to contribute a review.
Sonja Graf in the WCHoF
We are pleased to hear that the German born female chess master Sonja Graf-Stevenson has been included in the World Chess Hall of Fame - see this page of the WCHoF website! So from coming April both Mrs. Stevenson (the other is Vera Menchik) will decorate the walls of the World Chess Hall of Fame in Saint Louis.
On this occasion we remind of Michael Negele’s extensive article Schicksal eines Fräuleinwunders - der Lebensweg der Sonja Graf-Stevenson (PDF, 1st edition 2004, updated 2007), as well as the page Childhood of Sonja (Susanna) Graf ....
Further links:
Sonja Graf in der World Chess Hall of Fame by André Schulz (German ChessBase)
Five new players in the Hall of Fame (English ChessBase)
Photo above: Vera Menchik and Sonja Graf, 1939
Adams: Chigorin
We are very pleased about a further excellent biography of one of the chess greats (predominantly) of the 19th century ...
Read more in our column New Chess Literature.
PS (14/02/2016):
We still give a link to Michael Clapham's new blog Chess Book Chats: chessbookchats.blogspot.co.uk/
PPS (24-25/02/2016): New article by Michael Negele on Daniel Harrwitz: Ein deutscher Vorkämpfer des Schachs im Ausland.
We still add another biographical article on Reinhold Max Blümich, already published in last November.
The Lighthouses of Chess
On 23 January the next chess tour of Michael Negele was due, this time to Wijk aan Zee which once again was completely under the spell of the royal game. Only the last part of the trip was very intricate due to some road construction near Beverwijk ...
Fonds Jean Mennerat
On coming Saturday, 6th of February, the collection of the late Jean Mennerat will be inaugurated in the Bibliothèque Municipale de Belfort. The web site of this library offers a separate page devoted to the inauguration of the "Fonds Jean Mennerat" where you can find the programme of the celebration. There is also a catalogue with a search form: www.bm.mairie-belfort.fr/OpacWebAloes/...
Moreover 2 pdf files (courtesy of François Mennerat):
Invitation Belfort and Press invitation Belfort
In Memoriam Jan van Reek
Jan van Reek
* 10 July 1945 † 8 August 2015
As I learned only yesterday, our member Jan van Reek had already passed away in last summer in his adopted home in Ban Phu, Thailand. Before his emigration he had lived in Margraten, South Limburg, Netherlands. The Limburgse Schaakbond has given a short notice of his death. Jan van Reek leaves his wife.