In memoriam Dr Jean Mennerat
(* 11 August 1917 - † 21 September 2007)
Only very late we received the sad news: Dr Jean Mennerat, the doyen of our association and the greatest French chess collector of our age is no longer alive. We don’t know anything about his last months, unfortunately we had lost contact already since August 2006.
After many years of active life as a doctor in Paris he had settled with his wife in the small village of Amancey in the French Jura Mountains where he lived a very secluded life devoted in great parts to the extension of his collection.
He had entrusted only few with his address, and certainly the number of those who were permitted to reach his "Holy of Holies" was still much smaller. Christophe Bouton belongs to this small circle of chosen ones, he reports in his obituary (worth reading, see Echecs64 blog), that tough preliminary negotiations were required at that time to get to an on-site interview with Dr Mennerat and to have a look at his very impressive collection. It is known that C. Bouton reported on this unique event in New In Chess 2005/5.
Kurt Landsberger on a visit to the capital of our Land
(4 October 2007)
Read more … Kurt Landsberger on a visit to the capital of our Land
The Ken Whyld Association in New York City (14-16 September 2007)
Report on the Annual Meeting 2007 by Andy Ansel
Read more … The Ken Whyld Association in New York City (14-16 September 2007)
Michael Negele's Short Trip to Holland - 21 July 2007
Read more … Michael Negele's Short Trip to Holland - 21 July 2007
Egbert Meissenburg 70 years!
Egbert Meissenburg from Seevetal, renowned chess historian and bibliographer as well as one of the most eminent German chess collectors, is well-known far beyond the borders of our country, so there's nearly no need for an introduction. Owing to his chess historical knowledge which he has acquired by self-education he considers himself (with a slight understatement) as a "Leisure Time Historian". Our member Siegfried Schönle has written a more detailed appreciation, here once more the link to his article (in German only) Egbert Meissenburg zu Ehren.
On this special day Egbert Meissenburg can look back on seven decades, we wish him all the best and hope that many further years of successful chess research are still to come.
Ad multos annos!