Chess in Amsterdam
I came upon this scene where a crowd had gathered around an outdoor or garden size chess board. There were two people who were the actual players but they were surrounded by pundits and hecklers (the friendly kind I think). It turned out that the area was a square dedicated to Max Euwe who was a chess world champion before the Second World War. He was also the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in the 1970s.
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| The end game seemed interesting and I just wondered how they ended up with the positions. |
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| Chess aficionados all around |
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| Max Euwe was world chess champion for 2 years (1935-1937). |
Max Euwe was World Chess Champion at a time when chess was not yet dominated by the Soviet Union but with the latter's players beginning to dominate the game. He played with the like of Capablanca, Flohr, Bogolyubov, Botvinnik, and Alekhine, whom he beat in 1935 to become World Champion. He lost in their rematch in 1937. This was a time when the world championships were basically held upon the acceptance of a match challenge from the champion unlike in the later years and the present when candidates matches or competitive tournaments are held to determine challengers.
It was interesting to see a game played between two players with a lot of "mirons". I thought it was lively and there was a bit of humor with the comments coming from some people who probably were better chess players than those who were playing. Such public matches on these huge chess sets can be a hit in Manila but I guess some people won't be as game or accepting of hecklers. Baka magka-asaran at away lang ang kahinatnan (Perhaps some people will just get upset and this could lead to fights.).
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