A combination from 1919

Here's a missed combination from a 1919 game featuring Max Euwe.


 As White, Hendrik van Hartingsvelt is playing against Max Euwe in Haarlem, 1919.

White to play

Van Hartingsvelt misses a nice combination to win a pawn, and a few moves later plays the strange Qe4, which must surely be a fingerfelher, since he captures the pawn next move after 13...fxg 14. Qxg2.

13. Qe4 ??

He then seals his fate with 21.Bf4

21.Bf4

None of these are too hard to find, and the combination in the first diagram is a sweet one, so its interesting to see the difference in play ( or maybe that should be in expectations ?) between 1919 and 2019 as van Hartingsvelt was a top player in the Netherlands at the time ( EDO rates him as 2251 and Euwe as 2300 ).

In 2019, would you expect a 2350-rated player to miss a pawn-winning combination just 7 moves into the game ?

In fact, I find the same position 2 more times since Euwe's game and neither plays the best move,although 2039-rated Milan Lizner finds a similar combination after missing it first time around !

Chess in the Sun

Yesterday was, just as today is, a beautiful sunny day, and definitely not one to be used up inside the house.

Luckily for me, whilst out doing the usual Saturday tasks, and enjoying them much more in the sun,  I wandered through the chess centre of Amsterdam to discover a "Chess Festival"  in full swing.

As well as a Kid's Corner, Mate in two problems to win prizes and the Dutch under 20 championship, there were also simuls by GMs  Loek van Wely and Daniel Stellwagen , and blitz against IM Manuel Bosboom.

Looked like a lot of fun in a great setting, and happily I could take some pictures...

Daniel Stellwagen

Loek van Wely

Manuel Bosboom, thinking : beer is essential 

Manuel Bosboom - Playing

Manuel Bosboom - Winning ! and about to shake hands

A chess player thinking 

Just shows that chess isn't always quite so serious as people think, and you can still have fun, or perhaps better, enjoyable activities around it.

Afterwards, I visited the Max Euwe Centre, which had sponsored the event. Surprisingly I have never been before, since it usually only opens on weekdays.

A small but well-put-together exhibition about Max Euwe's chess career, including intriguing and in some sections amusing DVD footage, I guess from just before his 1935 Match against Alekhine for the World Championship, when Capablanca is asked to comment on Euwe's style of play and chances against Alekhine.

Great fun, and strange to see footage of such famous players : I never knew such things existed !

It also contains a library, available for consultation ( not lending )  by the public, and during my visit, a few people were also watching the live transmission of the current Dutch Championship, which is being played out this week.

UPDATE:  Here's the official report !

GM Gambit !

Not that I play it as White, but I think its great to see a Grandmaster play an opening as romantic as the King's Gambit.

Currently there is a series of matches being played involving 5 of the Netherlands most promising "youngsters" against invited GMs.

These include Yasser Seriwan (author of many training books), Lubomir Ftacnik (opening analyst and most recent book "Sicilian Defence")  and Nigel Short ( no longer the strongest English GM, but in good form since the Staunton Memorial last year ). As well as two lesser known invitees Sebastian Siebrecht and Dennis de Vreugt.

The format is a match of 4 games and Short's first game against  (Chessbase's World Cup commentator ) Anish Giri was the King's Gambit Accepted which Giri continued with the relatively rare 3...Ne7. No quick GM draw here, but a fine 59 move game finishing in a Rook and pawns ending.

In a surprise second game, as Black, Short played the Benoni Defence against Giri's d4, and although it also was drawn Giri said of it "'I thought, he never plays the Benoni so he knows nothing about it except maybe for something he prepared. I thought I was ok but he had 21.. d5! after which I am worse or maybe even lost. If I could have played a move like Qf3 my position would be fine. So Nigel played a very good game but he just missed Qh6."

So what does Short play today ? The Veresov, of course, what could be more natural !

However, the first win from the 'promising youngsters' came from Lisa Schut, beating Siebrecht on the White side of a Sicilian Paulsen, to gain her second ever win over a GM. She apparently didn't know the variation with 7...Nc6 but played well and with 16. f4 produced a slight error from Seibrecht who went down fighting.

A first report is here ( in Dutch and with a very 'Bridget Jones' looking Lisa Schut ) and the games are relayed live here .

More information on the match here. The last games will be played tomorrow at the Max Euwe Centre.

Max Euwe - Too cold to play outdoor chess !

Too cold to play chess outdoors today, but Max Euwe was still there, thinking of the next move...