Persons celebrating an Anniversary in November 2005

In November 2002 (shortly after his 68th birthday) Ward Stoffelen visited the Klittich-Pfankuch auction in Brunswick; in the background Michael Clapham and Rolf Littorin.
In November 2002 (shortly after his 68th birthday) Ward Stoffelen visited the Klittich-Pfankuch auction in Brunswick; in the background Michael Clapham and Rolf Littorin.

This month we are expecting two senior members: we will start with (Ed-)Ward Stoffelen, study expert and collector from the Belgian town of Brasschaat, he celebrated his 71st birthday on November 16th. Ward is still amazingly active in his "domain", so he is listed as the section editor of the category "Endgame Studies" at Probleemblad Online, the website of the Dutch Chess Problem Society (NBvS). His name also appears time and again as a judge in solving competitions, for instance in the 13th Belgian solving championship in 's Gravenwezel in May 2005, or in an international solving competition organized by the PCCC, an experimental event held for the first time in January 2005 in a decentralized manner, i.e. simultaneously in 23 countries – a repetition of this event is intended for 2006. This year’s September Ward again joined in the 48th WCCC in Eretria (Greece), he was one of the 3 assistants of the director for the solving competitions [29th WCSC (World Chess Solving Championship) and Open Solving Tourney]. "The indispensable, the indefatigable and the implacable Ward Stoffelen – the bulgin’ Belgian" – this caption in EG has put it in a nutshell!

Already well-known to us is the chess historian Isaak M. Linder – he is likewise completely committed to chess even if he turned 85 on November 20th. This year too he came – together with his companion Yuri Averbakh – from Moscow to visit several German chess events: so both were not only present at the Hamburg chess exhibition (we reported) but also recently they were given a hearty welcome at the Lasker weekend in Berlin where in addition the coinciding VIII. Symposium of the Initiative Group Königstein took place. The Lasker biographer Isaak Linder still enriched the latter by giving a lecture on the greatness of Emanuel Lasker. You may read the interviews given by the two prominent Russian chess figures to Dagobert Kohlmeyer at ChessBase, illustrated by various photos (in German only).

[Note: A further overview on the Berlin events will be found in Harald Fietz’ article "Geist und Globalisierung", Schach Magazin 64 – 22/2005, p. 607-610 (in German only).]

Congratulations!

PS: You will find all previous birthday greetings in our archives!