News archive
2024
Schach im DP-Lager Landsberg und im Ghetto Terezín / Theresienstadt [Chess in the Landsberg DP camp and in the Terezín / Theresienstadt ghetto]
Schwarzweiße Wege der Forschung zu Nathan Markowsky und Isidor Schorr [Black and white paths of research on Nathan Markowsky and Isidor Schorr]
Comments on the current book by Siegfried Schönle from Kassel
by Konrad Reiß
[Original article in German is here. Translation with DeepL.com (free version)]
I used to travel through Theresienstadt a lot. The town was on the route to Schneekoppe, where my club, the 1871 Löberitz chess club, combines chess with a holiday for a few days every year around Easter.
Every time I drove through the town or even just heard the word Theresienstadt, I had to think of the misery that Jewish people had to endure there. At the same time, scenes from the Nazi propaganda film entitled "Der Führer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt"1 [The Führer Gives a City to the Jews] darken my mind.
The Theresienstadt ghetto could not have been described in a more perfidious and perverse way. Well, the camp was not an extermination camp, but it still served as a forecourt to hell. These hells existed as main camps (24) and subcamps (1,000) between around 1933 and 1945 and were called Auschwitz, Majdanek, Belcek, Sobibor and Treblinka.
Capablanca, the prodigious ascent (1888-1920) - by Georges Bertola
Georges Bertola, editor-in-chief of the magazine Europe Echecs and chess historian, has just published in French a book on Capablanca, with a preface by the Ukrainian champion Vasyl Ivanchuk.
Coincidentally, 19 November (today) also happens to be his birthday!
This fascinating, richly illustrated book takes you back through the career of this chess prodigy.
The first volume covers his rise from birth in 1888 to the year before he won the World Championship against Lasker in 1921.
An excellent gift for the festive season.
You can buy the book on the Europe Echecs magazine website
Price 39,90 €
Here's what the back cover says:
Read more … Capablanca, the prodigious ascent (1888-1920) - by Georges Bertola
Unveiling the Victory – How Spassky Won The Third World Junior Chess Championship Antwerp 1955 – Henri Serruys
Our friend Henri Serruys, treasurer of the CH&LS association, has just published a book with Thinkers Publishing about the 1955 Junior World Championship won by Boris Spassky.
Henri presented his great work to us two years ago in Marostica. The project has now become a reality!
The 3rd World Junior Chess Championship in Antwerp, Belgium in 1955
Another great Swedish Biography
Our member Peter Holmgren recently published the first of two planned volumes about his great countryman GM Gideon Ståhlberg (1908-1967), for decades one of the world’s strongest masters.
We are hoping to bring an in-depth review of the magnificent work later – in the meantime you may watch Daniel King’s presentation of the book on his YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqkqze-tKdg
Interview with Herbert Bastian about the book Chapais - The revolutionary chess manuscript by Gaspard Monge
A. Herbert Bastian: Who is the author?
Born in 1952, the author studied mathematics and physics up to the 2nd state examination after leaving school and completing his military service, then worked as a research assistant in the department of experimental physics and subsequently as a teacher at a comprehensive school.
Stages as a chess player: German Cup Winner 1976, 20 times Saarland Champion, 27 participations in the German Individual Championship, 10 years in the Bundesliga for the Munich Chess Club of 1836, holder of an A-coach licence since 1986, International Master since 2005, 14 appearances as a national player.
Positions as an official: President of the Saarland Chess Association from 1992 to 2016, spokesperson for the regional associations in the German Chess Federation from 2004-2011, President of the German Chess Federation from 2011-2017, Honorary President since 2023, Vice President of FIDE from 2014-2018, currently DSB Commissioner for Franco-German Relations. 2017 Awarded the Badge of Honour of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, for the first time to a chess athlete.
Publications (selection): La France et son apport dans le jeu d'échecs en Europe (2022), together with Prof. Dr Frank Hoffmeister and Jean-Olivier Leconte, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Fédération Française des Échecs.
B. Siegfried Schönle:
The interviewer is a collector of chess scenes in German literature and is interested in the cultural history of the game.
FIDE president Folke Rogard by Henrik Malm Lindberg
During the FIDE olympiad in Budapest and the centenary celebration of the world chess organisation, our Swedish member Henrik Malm Lindberg presented his recent biography of his countryman Folke Rogard (1899-1973) who held the presidency of FIDE from 1949 to 1970.
Henrik says about his new book:
It has puzzled me how Folke Rogard managed to fade into oblivion for the vast majority of those active in the chess world. The more I got to know him during my many long days in various archives, the more dimensions of his work emerged. The image of him—the precocious student, lawyer, businessman, family man, and, of course, chess president—has many nuances. My book had to focus primarily on the later aspects of his career, specifically his role as a chess organizer in Sweden and internationally. FIDE President Rogard had to deal with the Cold War during his international career. Although I am a trained economic historian, I probably did not realise until quite late in my writing the full extent of how this low-intensity war shaped chess in the post-war period. Chess became a kind of theatre of war—a way for the superpowers to prove their superiority on the board or the superiority of their own social system.
Read more … FIDE president Folke Rogard by Henrik Malm Lindberg
Arnaud Berman – Chess artist
My name is Arnaud Berman, I am the great grandson of Marcel Berman, president of the French Federation of Chess (FFE) from 1955 to 1958, and vice president of FIDE afterwards. Marcel Berman also wrote the lyrics of FIDE anthem. He was an excellent friend of Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik and Folke Rogard.
Frei Schach! Free Chess!
Abstract and text (in German) proposed by Bernd-Peter Lange
Abstract
The tension between the game of chess as strictly regulated by rules and the idea of freedom can be traced in three radical examples separated by media and different periods of the twentieth century.
The first emphatic employment of the concept of freedom is in the title of a chess journal issued by the Communist opposition of the central German working-class chess organization at the end of the Weimar Republic.
In the journal Frei Schach! the radical subsection of "Red Sports Unity” asserts its claim for supremacy, demanding revolutionary goals in the class struggle.
Chess History & Literature Society - Frank Hoffmeister
An interview with Georges Bertola, editor-in-chief of “Europe Echecs” magazine and chess historian.
Frank Hoffmeister is currently President of the “Chess History & Literature Society”, which was originally founded as the Ken Whyld Association. At the general meeting held in Budapest on 13 and 14 September, we had the opportunity to get to know each other better.
Georges Bertola: First of all, what is the difference between the current "Chess History & Literature Society" and the former "Ken Whyld Association", and what distinguishes it from "Chess Collectors International"?
Frank Hoffmeister: The name “Ken Whyld Association” comes from the English historian Ken Whyld, who died in 2003, who had gathered a few friends around him to research the history of chess (Ken Whyld is notably the co-author, with David Hooper, of the reference work The Oxford Companion to Chess). After his death, his friends decided to continue his work by coming together in an association intended to become a meeting and exchange circle and to broaden his horizons with a new name “Chess History & Literature Society”. The idea is to attract members who are not focused solely on the United Kingdom, but whose interest in history corresponds to a global vision of the world of chess.
“Chess Collectors International” brings together people who like to collect books, chess boards, pieces, manuscripts, etc. to facilitate exchanges or gather information.
Our association “Chess History & Literature Society” is rather interested in research to treat different subjects in a concrete way of the history of chess. For example, this year, at our general meeting in Budapest, we concentrated on the history of FIDE.
Read more … Chess History & Literature Society - Frank Hoffmeister
The accession of Germany and the Soviet Union to FIDE
Frank Hoffmeister, President of the CH&LS Association, retraced the history of German and USSR membership of FIDE.
Two countries with a tumultuous history in the 20th century, a tumult that is reflected in their relations with FIDE.
Here is an extract from the presentation text for the General Meeting on 13 and 14 September 2024.
Read more … The accession of Germany and the Soviet Union to FIDE
Nimzowitsch's handwritten letter
This General Meeting is also an opportunity for our members to present documents from their collections. Claes Løfgren, for example, presented a remarkable handwritten letter from Aaron Nimzowitsch and put it into context. As you can see, part of the document is missing, and Claes explained to me that it is likely that Nimzowitsch's autograph was cut out before the letter was acquired.
Here is an extract (corrected - the game played is Nimzowitsch's) from the presentation text for the General Meeting on 13 and 14 September 2024.
The pre-war Olympiads
The second lecture of the CH&LS General Meeting was given by Matthias Johansson on the subject of the Chess Olympiads before the Second World War. As we can see, these Olympiads were strongly influenced by the political events of this troubled period in history.
Here is an extract from the presentation text for the General Meeting on 13 and 14 September 2024.
The creation of FIDE in Paris in 1924
Here is the support for the 1st conference given in Budapest as part of the CH&LS General Assembly.
Dominique Thimognier presents an in-depth study of the creation of FIDE in 1924.
Dominique focuses in particular on the various protagonists of this creation, and he has uncovered some previously unpublished documents.
This work complements my series of articles on this website about events in Paris in 1924.
Here is an extract from the presentation text for the General Meeting on 13 and 14 September 2024.
Annual Meeting of the Chess History and Literature Society in Budapest (13-14 September 2024)
On Friday 13 September 2024, the CH&LS held its annual meeting in Budapest in parallel to the 45th Chess Olympiad. Upon invitation of the Hungarian Chess Federation, roughly 20 members and guests convened at the historic premises of host. Members that could not make it to the Hungarian Capital in person, could follow the deliberations online.
Established in 1921, the Hungarian Chess Federation also became a founding member of the Word Chess Federation (FIDE) in 1924. The marvellous meetings rooms paid tribute to the long tradition in various ways. Next to an impressive amount of trophies gained in international tournaments, the Federation is also equipped by 30 wooden tournament tables, in which already the former Socialist Prime Minister, Kadar, used to play when he trolled over to Falk Utca 10, not far away from the marvellous Parliament building. The Secretary-General, IM Ivan Sipos opened the conference with a welcome speech. Paying tribute to the 100-years jubilee of FIDE, the CH&LS focussed its deliberations on the role of FIDE for international chess.
New book by Juan Morgado on Argentine chess history
Mr Juan Sebastián Morgado (Argentina), informs us of the publication of his new book on the history of chess in Argentina.
He explains:
Here is the link to my latest book, Prehistory, with which I have completed the history of Argentine chess from 1500 to 1955 (20 volumes). In case a museum or library accepts donations, I offer to send them my books directly from Amazon.
See also:
„Der Schach-Verein Bitterfeld“ and much more!
by Siegfried Schönle [Original article in German is here. Translation with DeepL.com (free version)]
Bitterfeld - who doesn't know this place name in East and West Germany and associate it above all with brown coal, the chemical industry, the so-called “Bitterfeld Way” in literature, environmental pollution and now also
- chess on 358 pages!
I would like to contradict a possible reaction to the name Schach-Verein Bitterfeld (Bitterfeld Chess Club) right at the beginning and point out what the reader of this book can expect in terms of “much more”. But first things first!
A wealth and variety of problem chess from the Bitterfelder Tageblatt, expertly explained by Dr. Ralf Jürgen Binnewirtz in his foreword. Ralf J. Binnewirtz also checked the individual “lightweights” for their coherence. In the appendix, p. 333ff, he provides a “historical excursus on the Chinese family” in order to gain “clarity on the development of the Chinese pieces in problem chess”. The reason for his reflections was the discovery of the “Paoma” article by Prof. Dr. P. Seyferth from Bitterfeld in 1936.
Problem chess fans should be delighted.
I would like to emphasize two things from the foreword by the author, Konrad Reiß. He has rightly worked through the life and chess history of the Jewish merchant Max Nussbaum in this chronology (pp. 169-177 and others) and, this should also be emphasized, he has formulated it in an appropriate and source-oriented manner in terms of chess and history. As Konrad Reiß's research has shown, Max Nussbaum was a co-founder of the Bitterfeld chess club, was excluded from the board in 1933 like thousands of other Jews and was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944.
The reader will be interested!
Anniversary book on the founding of the DSB after 150 years
In 2027, the German Chess Federation will celebrate its 150th anniversary. As in the previous anniversary years, an anniversary book is to be published. Herbert Bastian reports on the preparations for this:
Jubiläumsbuch zur Gründung des DSB nach 150 Jahren (German language)
René Wukits 20.5.1972 – 20.7.2024
From Austria we have received the sad news that our friend and fellow CH&LS member René Wukits passed away on July 20th, only 52 years old.
See also: Wiener Schachverband
The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - Epilogue (4/4)
by Jean Oliver Leconte
Fourth and last article dedicated to the 1st Chess Olympiad and the creation of the FI(D)E.
Part one: The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The first steps (1/4)
Part two: The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - Getting organized (2/4)
Part three: The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The Chess Tournament (3/4)
To begin with, here is a photo of the participants in the first Chess Olympiad, which appeared in the Belgian magazine L'Échiquier in 1925.
-
L'Échiquier -
L'Échiquier
Read more … The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - Epilogue (4/4)
The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The Chess Tournament (3/4)
by Jean Oliver Leconte
Third part of the articles dedicated to the 1st Chess Olympiad and the creation of the FI(D)E.
Part one: The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The first steps (1/4)
Part two: The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - Getting organized (2/4)
I would particularly like to thank Mr Guy Gignac, who sent me an exceptional document. It is the programme for the "International Amateur Chess Tournament", photos of which you have on the left and below.
Read more … The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The Chess Tournament (3/4)
The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - Getting organized (2/4)
by Jean Oliver Leconte
Second part of the articles devoted to the 1st Chess Olympiad and the creation of the FI(D)E.
Part one: The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The first steps (1/4)
While the organisation of the grand tournament starts moving forward, the newspaper le Figaro ironises.
Chess and the Olympic Games
There will even be a chess tournament during the Olympic Games!
It is being organised under the patronage of Mr Fernand Gavarry, Minister Plenipotentiary, Commander of the Legion of Honour, and will take place from 12 to 20 July in the salons of a grand hotel in the Étoile district.
Most of the major chess federations will be taking part.
After the Muscle Festival, it will be a small gala for the Brain.
Read more … The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - Getting organized (2/4)
The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The first steps (1/4)
by Jean Oliver Leconte
The year 2024 corresponds to the centenary of the creation of FIDE - Fédération Internationale Des Échecs. More precisely, it was in Paris on 20 July 1924 that FIDE was created (originally called FIE - The current acronym FIDE would be adopted at the 2nd FIDE Congress in Zurich, Switzerland in 1925, but the meaning did not vary: Fédération Internationale Des Échecs).
I propose to retrace this creation of FIDE, as well as the first Chess Olympiad via several articles. These two events are closely linked. Moreover, as we shall see, the idea of an International Chess Federation came after the launch of the organization of the international chess tournament alongside the Olympic Games.
This first part is devoted to the beginnings of the first Chess Olympiad.
To date, the FFE has said very little about this FIDE centenary event. You can find an article on its website here. But these events seem to me to be very meager (reconstruction of the act of signing the creation of FIDE and giant simultaneous).
There is no mention in these events, for example, of Pierre Vincent, the driving force behind the creation of FIDE. His grave is in the Montmartre cemetery.
Read more … The 1st Chess Olympiad and creation of the FI(D)E - The first steps (1/4)
Update on the Invitation to this year's General Assembly in Budapest (Hungary)
Dear members of the society!
This is to update you about our General Assembly on 13.-14. September 2024 in Budapest. For the time being we already have 20 participants, and we hope to convene in a building from the Hungarian Chess Federation (H-1055 Budapest, Falk Miksa u. 10). The FIDE organizing committee for the Olympiad will stay in the Intercontinental Hotel. You are kindly invited to organize your own accommodation. The current program stands as follows.
Read more ... (You must be logged in to read)
Chess, China, Ding Liren, Psychology and Technology
Ricardo Guerra, a new member of our association, (see New Member: Ricardo Guerra), conducted an interview with Croatian International Grandmaster Davorin Kuljašević, biographer of Ding Liren, the current World Chess Champion.
Here is a very interesting interview:
New Member: Marc Ghannoum
Our new member, Marc Ghannoum from Canada, introduces himself in the members area (you must be logged in to read).
Exhibition: Chess and porcelain
On 15 March, an exhibition will open in Hohenberg an der Eger, which for the first time is dedicated exclusively to porcelain and chess.
The following information can be found in the "Schach-Ticker".
SCHACH & PORZELLAN. DIE WELT AUF 64 FELDERN – eine Sonderausstellung des Porzellanikons (18.2.2024)
Facts about the exhibition
- Objects from 12 countries: Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, France, China and Japan.
- "The World on 64 Squares" is the first exhibition in Germany to exclusively show chess pieces made of porcelain.
- Various activities and events on the subject of chess are planned to accompany the exhibition.
- A 116-page catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition.
- The exhibition at Porzellanikon in Hohenberg an der Eger will run from 16 March to 13 October 2024. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays 10 am to 5 pm. There are 28 chess sets, 43 individual pieces and 34 sets of pieces on display.
- Address: Porzellanikon Hohenberg a.d. Eger, Schirndinger Str. 48, 95691 Hohenberg a.d. Eger, phone: +49 9233 7722-0, website: https://www.porzellanikon.org
Siegfried Schönle (Kassel), February 2024
Chess piece finds in Sandomierz and a conference volume
by Siegfried Schönle [You can find the original article in German here. Translation by DeepL]
Who among the chess piece collectors and chess book collectors knows right away where Sandomierz is and what was found there? Certainly very few!
I didn't know, or more precisely: I didn't know anything about this place!
Sandomierz is a place in Poland, located south-west of Lublin and about 230 kilometres south of Warsaw.
A conference of Polish and international researchers, organised and led by Ms. Agnieszka Stempin, dealt with the sensational finds from the years around 1968. The conference took place after 50 years, in 2018, under the title:
The Cultural Role of Chess in Medieval and Modern Times
50th Anniversary Jubilee of the Sandomierz Chess Discovery
This highly recommended conference volume [MUZEUM ARCHEOLOGICZNE W POZNANIU BIBLIOTHECA FONTES ARCHAEOLOGICI POSNANIENSES, Vol. 21] was edited by Ms. Agnieszka Stempin and is printed entirely in English. The lectures and essays are divided into 5 groups:
- Sandomierz Chess in the Context of the Medieval Chess Finds from Poland – 50 years of Mystery
- Archaeology of Chess – Between East and West
- Terminology and Image of Chess in Medieval Written Sources
- Around the Game
- Reminiscences
Read more … Chess piece finds in Sandomierz and a conference volume
bernd ellinghoven (1953 - 2023)
Our friend bernd ellinghoven passed away on November 13, 2023. Bernd was a well-known expert in problem and fairy chess. He was also editor and publisher of the magazine feenschach for over 30 years.
Thomas Brand, creator of the site Rund um die Retroanalyse, has published an obituary on his website: bernd ellinghoven
New Member: Ricardo Guerra
Our new member, Ricardo Guerra from Ponte Vedra Beach (US), is introduced in the members area (you must be logged in to read).
Invitation to this year's General Assembly in Budapest (Hungary)
Dear members of the society!
At General Assembly on 2 September 2023 in Belfort, the Chair of the FIDE Historical Commission, Willy Iclicki, has kindly indicated the possiblity to meet in 2024 in the margins of the next Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Responding positively to the idea, the Board proposes the following draft program for 13.-15. September 2024 in Budapest.
Read more ... (You must be logged in to read)
Egbert Meissenburg (26.6.1937 – 29.12.2023)
by Siegfried Schönle [Original article in German is here. Translation by DeepL]
" ...who is interested in that?" This was the meaning of the deceased's quickly formulated and dismissive comment when the author wanted to ask Egbert Meissenburg a few questions about him on the phone in around 2006, but then another personal meeting over coffee and cake in Seevetal ensued.
It will be difficult to summarise a life of 86 years that has now come to an end in just a few lines, and it will certainly not be possible to describe almost 60 years of chess in this obituary.