In 1929 world champion Alexander Alekhine chose Efim Bogoljubow as his opponent. The match opened on September 5, 1929 in Germany, where Alekhine achieved the 15½ points needed to keep his title.
In 1934 Alekhine accepted the offer from Bogoljubow (now a German citizen) to play a new match for the world title in Germany, with the same technical and financial conditions as the one they played in 1929. Like in their previous encounter, Alexander Alekhine had no difficulty winning the contest, with the score 10½:5½, and kept his title.
In 1935, the world champion Alexander Alekhine accepted a challenge for the title from Max Euwe; the Dutch player was seconded by Salo Flohr from Czechoslovakia, one of the best players of that time.
October 3, 1935: Dr. Willem de Vlugt, Mayor of Amsterdam, plays the first move of the match
After 30 well-fought games, Max Euwe won the world championship and become the 5 th World Chess Champion. Immediately after the event, as was stipulated in the players’ contract, a return match was scheduled for 1937.
In the return match Alekhine won. The announcement destroyed FIDE plans to organize a match with Salo Flohr under the auspices of FIDE. While Alekhine confirmed his willingness to organize the next world championship without involving FIDE, the Czechoslovakian Chess Federation announced at the general assembly meeting in Paris in 1938 that they were ready to arrange a match with Salo Flohr. However, by September 1938, following the invasion of Czechoslovakia by German troops, all interest vanished. This second match between Alekhine and Euwe was the last world championship for which the champion had control of the title and could set match conditions.
At the 2nd FIDE congress in Zurich in 1925, delegates discussed organizing the second Tournament of Nations. Hungary was granted the event, but due to administrative problems, only four teams registered for the competition. The event was described as the second unofficial Olympiad. Historically, it was the first international team event ever played with modern standards.
London 1927: The first official FIDE Olympiad or Tournament of Nations opened in London on July 18, 1927, with 16 teams of 4 players and one reserve. At this Olympiad, no distinction was made between professionals and amateurs regarding participation. Hungary won the tournament ahead of Denmark and England. In the women's event, Vera Menchik from Czechoslovakia won the first women's world championship, which was organized in parallel with the Olympiad event.
Hamburg 1930: The German Chess Federation organized the event to celebrate the centenary of the Hamburg Chess Club. The tournament included 18 teams, with many masters, including world champion Alexander Alekhine, who was playing for France on the top board and who won all 9 games he played. Poland won the 3rd Olympiad ahead of Hungary and Germany.
Prague 1931: FIDE chose Prague as the venue for the 4th Olympiad and its 8th FIDE congress. For the first time, fixed board orders were applied. The U.S. team won its first gold medal ahead of Poland and Czechoslovakia. After approving membership for Lithuania and Iceland, FIDE reached 28 federation members.
Folkestone 1933: Originally Spain had proposed hosting it, then the USA, but in the end, it was the British Chess Federation that invited all FIDE members to participate in the 5th Olympiad in Folkestone; unfortunately, only 15 federations registered for the tournament. The U.S. team, still led by the veteran Frank Marshall, became the event winner ahead of Czechoslovakia and Sweden.
Warsaw 1935: The 6th Olympiad saw 20 teams and 99 players. The organizers had tried hard, without success, to convince the Soviet team to participate. Once more, the U.S. team returned home with the gold ahead of Sweden and Poland.
Munich 1936: The Schach-Olympia 1936 took place in Munich, organized by the Grossdeutscher Schachbund (GSB). FIDE refused to recognize the tournament but gave freedom to its federation members to decide by themselves about their participation. The tournament was the 3rd unofficial Olympiad, with eight boards for every team (the record). The USA, England, and Belgium decided not to send a team, and many top players preferred to accept the invitation to play in a competing event in Nottingham, England, among them Max Euwe, Emanuel Lasker, Jose Raul Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine and some team-leaders. The Hungarian team won the event ahead of Poland and Germany.
The U.S. team: Fritz Brieger (sponsor), Samuel Reshevsky, Isaac Kashdan, Israel Horowitz, Reuben Fine, and Frank Marshall
Stockholm 1937: The Olympiad and congress of 1937 were organized together in Stockholm. FIDE approved membership for totalitarian countries, provided this would not provoke the resignation of other federations and they would accept FIDE statutes. After missing Munich, the U.S. team returned to Stockholm with Samuel Reshevsky playing on Board 1. The U.S. team was undefeated and won its 4th Olympiad title ahead of Hungary and Poland.
Alexander Rueb and Augusto De Muro at the Olympiad 1939 closing ceremony, Moshe Czerniak vs. Jose Raul Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine analyzing
Buenos Aires 1939: Buenos Aires was the venue of the 1939 Olympiad, with 27 teams participating but without the U.S. team, which had declined the invitation because of the boycott by the players for financial reasons. The German team, including an Austrian player, participated again after a break. There was significant concern when the German army invaded Poland, and of course, much more so when England and France declared war on Germany a few days later. England sailed home, and Palestine and Poland refused to play with Germany.
To avoid complete chaos, the organizers and FIDE ruled that all matches not played for political reasons would be scored 2:2. Although Germany won the final group with 36 points, the Hamilton Cup was not presented to them, and the cup stayed in Argentina until 1950.
The chess world expected a fierce battle between the two great champions in the France-Cuba match, but Capablanca had another player put in his place, which allowed him to get 1st place playing Board 1, ahead of Alekhine
How to get the book: The easiest way to purchase the book is at Schach Niggemann, where it is available for €60.00.
Description: The book features images, many rarely seen before, along with details of events, organizers, players, arbiters, and key dates in the modern history of chess, all meticulously compiled by Willy Iclicki and Dmitry Oleynikov.
As you go through the pages, remember that behind every story or event described in this book are thousands of hours of work, on and off the chessboard, by enthusiasts from different eras, cultures, and backgrounds, all united by their love of chess. The chess world is deeply indebted to all of these people who have enriched the beauty and history of our game and elevated chess to new heights of global appreciation and respect. This book is also a celebration of them.
Also read the ChessBase report: Congratulations: FIDE turns 100!
| Advertising |
