Flohr Simul

 

This note from the Palestine Post, July 3rd, 1934, p. 6, was brought to our attention by a frequent correspondent. It verifies the identity of some of the strong players who played against Flohr in Palestine in his match with 11 of the strongest players in the country. As noted, Winz drew, Dobkin won, and the rest lost to Flohr. Mohilever and Lucovich came all the way from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to play - no mean dedication at the time. 

Jerusalem - Tel Aviv Match, 1935: a Pen Portrait

 

The above note, from the Palestine Post (later the Jerusalem Post), Feb. 15th, 1935, p. 7, gives a short pen portrait of the players on both team. It was brought to our attention by a frequent correspondent. Note, in particular, the many foreign Jews who came to the country - Enoch, Blass, and Czerniak. 

We add that we finally find an English source for the player we phonetically spelled 'Churgin.' The Jerusalem post prefers 'Hurgin'. But neither Gaige's Chess Personalia nor Chessbase's database has a fitting player (except for one 1923 correspondence game with 'Churgin,' which may or may not be the same person.) As both spellings seem reasonable, we shall keep 'Churgin.'

"Dedicated to the Editor of this Column"

 

Chess problems are often dedicated to various individuals, but we wonder how often it is that a problem is dedicated directly to the "the editor of this column" to who it is sent. In this case such a problerm was dedicated to Marmorosh. The problem is a mate in three by G. Taroch (ph. spelling) from Lithuania. It was duly published by Marmorosh in his chess column in Ha'aretz, April 14th, 1939, p. 7.

1939 Team

 

We have previously posted on this blog a picture of the 1939 Palestine team. Herbert Halsegger had kindly provided us with a much better quality photo (obviously taken on the same occasion, based on the clothes). In particular he noted Salome Reischer, born in Austria, who was part of the Palestinian team in 1939. As her Wikipedia page points out, she (like Karff) didn't stay in Palestine after the war, but went back to her native country, Austria. 

Added: Mr. Halsegger notes the photo is found on this web page, of the Associacion Rosarina de Ajedrez, which credits La Nación, sept. 3rd, 1939 for the photos, as well as Edward Winter, David McAlister, and Knud Lysdal.

Euwe Training - Updated

 

The above cutting, from Davar, Oct. 11th, 1935, is a report of Euwe's training for his world championship match with Alekhine. The report notes Euwe's serious preparations, and the photo  captions identifies, seated from right to left, Mrs. Flohr, Flohr, Euwe with Maroczy (his second) standing behind him, Spielmann, Holinger, Becker and Eliskases. 

Added: We thank Herbert Halsegger for providing us with a much better picture, from the Wiener Schach-Zeitung (all details in the link): 

Chess Music

 

A frequent correspondent notes that in 1960, the Israeli composer Abel Ehrlich composed a suite 'A Game of Chess', which was performed on Kol Israel radio. The above criticism (La'merchav, Oct. 28th, 1960, p. 6) notes the suite's parts are named 'White opens the game,' 'Black regrets his move,' 'White wins, Black upturns the board in anger' and so on. The work's score is available for purchase at the Israeli Music Institute, which has complete details about it. 

Beutum - Gruenfeld 1:0

 

We noted before that Siegmund Beutum was a strong player before he came to Palestine. Here is one example: his defeat of no other than Ernst Gruenfeld in 20 moves. The game does not seem to appear in Chessbase's database. We thank Herbert Halsegger for providing us with the source, the Pilsner Tagblatt, 16 March 1930, p. 5.

It is comforting to a "patzer" like myself to note that Black, in a worse but not lost position, loses the game to a one-move blunder - and that he was one of the best players of the era! 

Beutum,Sigmund - Gruenfeld,Ernst

Two Knight's Defense [C56]

Trebitsch tournament

Source: see above

Annotations: Pilsner Tagblatt

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Qa5 9.Nxe4 Be6 10.Neg5 0–0–0 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Rxe6 Be7 Better is the old 12...Qd5 

13.Ne5! Nxe5 14.Rxe7 Rhe8 15.Bd2 Qd5 16.Rxe8 Rxe8 17.Qh5 This positional move is already discussed in [Tartakover's] "The Hypermodern Game". 17...g6 18.Qxh7 Qe4 19.Re1 Qxc2?? 

Loses the queen. 20.Rc1! Black resigns (1–0). 

 

Advertisement

 

The state of chess funding in Palestine can be gleamed from this advertisement, brought to our attention by a frequent correspondent. It is by the 'Chess section, Ha'poel physical exercise union, the Histadrut' about a chess tournament to take place in 1937 in Netanya. The official advertisement (with the stamp, 'advertising tax paid') was actually hand written in pen. 

Street Advertisements

 

The above street poster from 1961 was brought to our attention by a frequent correspondent. It advertises both a lesson about opening traps and a simultaneous display (the next day) in the lecture hall in the Philip Murray cultural center in Tel Aviv. Both were given by Dr. Menachem Oren, Israel's first chess champion.