Lasker, Chess, and Psychology

Source: Ha'Aretz, July 15th, 1949, p. 9.

A frequent correspondent notes that Lasker's famous article about chess and psychology - what kind of memory or other qualities chess players have -- have been translated into Hebrew, in full, in 1949. It is interesting to note that Lasker already notes that while women play chess less well than men (at least, this was certainly true at the time), this is to be accepted as a 'brute fact', and does not imply any mental inferiority on women's part. 

Kniazer and Capablanca

Source: Davar, 14/3/1926, p. 4

A frequent correspondent sends us this note, from 1926, about Kniazer, who was 'the Egyptian chess champion' and, later, played in 'important tournaments in England'. Inter alia, he was 'the only one out of 40' who won in a simul again Capablanca in England 'a few years ago'. Our correspondent wants to know if the following photo may be that of the simul, which would explain why the photo (by an unknown photographer according to the source) is found in the zionist archives.

Emir Abdullah I and Chess

Source: Ma'ariv, 23 /7/1951, p.2

A frequent correspondent notifies us that on the occassion of Abdullah I's funeral, Ma'ariv published an incident about his chess playing. Ma'ariv claims Abdullah had, in chess, two weaknesses -- 'he had a weakness for chess and was a weak player'. 

The text claims Abdullah was 'convinced he was an extraordinary player' because his court's officials deliberately lost to him. It adds that on a trip to Europe on the SS Mariette Pasha, Abdullah met a 'Arabic-speaking Palestinian Jew, now a judge' and played chess with him. 

According to the report, in the first game, 'Abdullah was in a nearly lost position', and then the court officials asked the opponent to 'do everything to lose'. He deliberately lost the game to Abdullah, but won the next two games, which 'enraged the king who didn't want to play ay more'. 

What is odd about this report is that it contradict Marmotosh's own report (see details in Winter's Chess Notes 4211), that Abdullah knew he was not a particularly strong player and demanded Marmorosh play well, even if he, Abdullah, loses. There is no hint that Abduallah was "enraged" by Marmorosh winning, on the contrary. 

Israeli Championship,1968-1969

Source: Sarah Aloni's collection

Above are some nice photos of the players in the Israeli Open Championship, 1968-1969, which took place in Be'er Sheva, Israel. Can anybody help identify the players? I believe the seond image from the top has Malchiel Peretz (white) playing Yair Kraidman, and the third from the top might have Uzi Geller (white) playing Zadok Domnitz, but I might be wrong.

Edited to add: A frequent correspondent suggests that in the top photo, we have Avraham Kaldor (white) playing  the old Moshe Blass. Another correspondent suggests that Geller's opponent is not Domnitz, but rather  Ya'akov Bernstein ("Ya'akov" is Gaige's preferred spelling in Chess Personalia). He also suggests In the second picture from the top is the young Michael Porat (son of Yosef Porat) playing against Yoel Aloni, Be'er Sheva open 1972. 

I believe the second correspondent is surely correct about Bernstein, but am less sure about Porat-Aloni. This can be resolved by looking at the list of participants in the 1968-1969 vs. the 1972 tournament. I am quite certain the photo is from the 1968-1969 tournament because of the source -- a set of photos from that tournament in Sarah Aloni's collection. But it's not inconceivable a photo from a later tournament was misplaced in her photo album. 

Yeol Aloni and Ben Gurion

Source: Sarah Aloni's collections

Finally, for now, from Sarah Aloni's collection -- a photo of Yoel Aloni (in hat, left of the girl in the head scarf) next to David Ben Gurion (center), ca. 1960. 

Chess Match, 1961

Source: Sarah Aloni's collection

Another interesting photo from Sarah Aloni's collection is this advertisement, by Ha'poel sports organization (top right) and the Deganya kibutz (top left) for a chess match. It is for a match between the kibutzim's movement's team and the greater Haifa team. It took place on Nissan 7th-8th, 5721 (March 24-25, 1961) in Deganya. 

Formal and Informal

Source: Sarah Aloni's collection

From Sarah Aloni's collection, we have also these interesting photos of chess concentration in both "informal" and "formal" dress -- "formal and "informal" for a kibutz member, that is.

I do not recognize the player (can someone help?). But Mrs. Aloni notes photos were taken during the kibutzim's movement yearly chess tournament, in the Matzuvah kibbutz, ca. 1960. 

Yoel Aloni

Source: Sarah Aloni's collection

Sarah Aloni, Hillel Aloni's widow, had kindly allowed me to publish the photos of her extensive collection of her late husband's chess material. Above is a photo of his twin brother, Yoel Aloni, playing chess in uniform, ca. 1960. Yoel served as officer in the Golani brigade. 

The Jerusalem 1964 International Tournament

Source Davar, 15/10/1964, p. 4

The international tournament that took place after the 1964 Tel Aviv Olympiad was planned at that date to take advantage of the fact that the world's strongest players are all going to be in the country in any case. But it was, of course, planned in advance with the usual invitations extended to specific players. The following article notes that 'excellent players were invited to the international tournament that will take place in Jerusalem after the Olympiad'. The fit between the players in the tournament and those of the Olympiad was naturally, not 100%: as we noted in the blog before, Abrahams, who didn't play in the Olympiad, played in the tournament. 

A frequent correspondent notes that Davar reported, above, that the organizers wished to invite women's world champion Nona Gaprindashvili , a (somewhat) unusual case of a woman - if a world champion - being invited to an international "men's" tournament.