Outstanding Chess Exhibition in Hamburg
(Photo report by Michael Negele)
While celebrating the 175th anniversary of the foundation of the "Hamburger SK von 1830" (see KARL 1/05) their members and patrons (first and foremost the couple Marianne and Hans Krieger and the tireless Christian Zickelbein, supported by Barbara and Hans Holländer as well as Thomas Thomsen) have once again achieved something really incredible in this club’s tradition.
In the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe on Steintorplatz more than 400 precious exhibits are being presented in five spacious exhibition halls till August 28, 2005 under the title "Schachpartie durch Zeiten und Welten" [A Game of Chess – A Journey through Worlds and Epochs]. Surely the largest exhibition on the subject chess ever put together.
A Game of Chess - A Journey through Worlds and Epochs
(Report by Peter Münder; in German only)
Some members of the Ken Whyld Association – for the most part also members of CCI International and/or of the Emanuel Lasker Society - got the chance to attend a guided tour of this exhibition in the course of the CCI Germany meeting in Hamburg on May 20-22, 2005. We would like to inform our members and friends about it by means of several pictures and particularly to encourage them to visit the "Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe".
Additionally we recommend the wonderful catalogue on the exhibition which came out in the Edition Braus in the Wachter Publishing House, Heidelberg.
Naturally this meeting gave plenty of occasion to conversation – at the dinner the KWA / Lasker people (Jurgen Stigter, new member Norbert Fieberg, Wolfgang Angerstein, Andreas Saremba, Michael Negele and Hans-Jürgen Fresen) were still "by themselves"– Michael Mark kept us company.
After a fantastic fireworks display - the so called "Kirschblüten-feuerwerk" [fireworks of cherry blossoms] above the "Außenalster" by the Japanese Community of Hamburg - there was still far into the night a merry circle in the lobby of the hotel "Reichshof" where a series of lectures of the CCI Germany started the next morning.
Meeting of the Chess Collectors ...
(by André Schulz; in German only)
Among other things Hans Krieger told about Otto von Bismarck and the chess set being visible in the exhibition (on loan from the Bismarck-Stiftung [Bismarck Foundation] in Friedrichsruh; Catalogue p. 173), Thomas Thomsen about the coming activities of the CCI International and its national groups respectively. Surely the reports of Yuri Averbakh about a collector’s meeting at Moscow (July 28 – August 1, 2005) and of Massimiliano De Angelis about the annual meeting of the Italian CCI were interesting for the members of the Ken Whyld Association as well.
I was deeply impressed by the report Ralf Buchholz gave on the restoration of a Persian/Indian chess table in the possession of Thomas Thomsen – the fantastic result of this work may be admired in the exhibition (Catalogue p. 177).
Egbert Meissenburg told in his "dry style" about the historico-cultural development of the chess board, finally Barbara and Hans Holländer gave explanations of the concept and the contents of the exhibition.
As usual our time was too much restricted to discuss everything in detail and to see all sights, at about 3:30 p.m. several members of the Lasker Society met for a chat over a coffee in the "Destille", the nice museum restaurant.
The main point was the planned inauguration of a Berlin Lasker museum situated in the premises of the Dorland company whose executive shareholder Stefan Hansen shows an excellent personal commitment to realize this idea. The Ken Whyld Association will surely help and support within the bounds of possibility.
We will inform you at the next meeting in Brunswick (Friday, 17 June 2005 in the House of Klittich-Pfankuch) or at the general meeting in Amsterdam at the latest (Thursday, 15/09/2005 till Saturday, 17/09/2005 in the Max Euwe-Centrum) about further details of possible cooperations and joint meetings of the CCI International, the Emanuel Lasker Society and the Ken Whyld Association.
I (M.N.) can only express my thanks to Marianne and Hans Krieger and to Christian Zickelbein from the "HSK 1830", as well as to Thomas Thomsen and to Barbara and Hans Holländer who made this great day in Hamburg possible. Furthermore I say thank you to Andreas Saremba for letting me have several pictures and for a first impressive demonstration of our database portal to the "Universal Bibliography of Chess"– more about that also in Amsterdam at the latest.