Business Trip into a Winter's tale
by Michael Negele
I could take advantage of the invitation to a workshop with representatives of the new European Chemicals Agency at Helsinki to visit the wonderful antiquarian bookshop of our founder member Kimmo Välkesalmi. In spite of difficult road conditions – the severe winter had Helsinki under control that afternoon with biting cold temperatures down to -10°C – my colleague and I could quite well reach the shop on foot from the hotel. Then we had a nice conversation with Kimmo – a long-time barter partner – naturally about chess in Finland and chess books, certainly he had several thousand to view in his shop. At least I could buy three interesting items, among them this strange game collection of the meanwhile inactive GM Heikki Kallio:
A brochure of 42 pages containing 31 (undated) games. Self published, Vaasa 2008.
The author has switched to professional poker in the meantime. Here the link to his web site http://www.hkallio.net/ and to the Wikipedia page (in German only).
The origin of the beautifully designed chess set for blind persons (photo below) remained unclear. However Kimmo was completely enthusiastic when I advised him of the historical importance of his youngest new acquisition – Amsterdam 1889: Emanuel Lasker’s first international tournament.
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The bookshop of Kimmo Välkesalmi, Web: www.shakki.net/kimmoval/... -
The impressive chess department of the bookshop -
Kimmo Välkesalmi in his area -
A special chess set for blind persons -
Kimmo Välkesalmi and Michael Negele
The additional photographs give a little impression of the deeply snow-covered metropolis in the North.
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The Alexander Theatre, directly adjacent to the hotel -
Ice hockey – national sport in Finland -
Children in the "snowbox" instead of sand – that will harden. -
View of the cathedral from the Senate Place – in the centre Czar Alexander II. -
The Uspenski Cathedral "towers" over the harbour, the Russian influence is distinctive. It was ice-cold here.