No. 178 – Vol. XV – October 2009 John Roycroft Special EG is produced by the Dutch-Flemish Association for Endgame Study (‘Alexander Rueb Vereniging voor schaakEindspelStudie’) ARVES http://www.arves.org Editor in chief Harold van der Heijden Michel de Klerkstraat 28, 7425 DG Deventer, The Netherlands e-mail : [email protected] Editors John Roycroft 17 New Way Road, London, England NW9 6PL e-mail : [email protected] Spotlight : Jarl Henning Ulrichsen Sildråpeveien 6C, N-7048 Trondheim, Norway e-mail : [email protected] Originals : Ed van de Gevel Binnen de Veste 36, 3811 PH Amersfoort, The Netherlands e-mail : [email protected] Computer news : Emil Vlasák e-mail : [email protected] Prize winners explained : Yochanan Afek e-mail : [email protected] Themes and tasks : Oleg Pervakov e-mail : [email protected] Lay-out : Luc Palmans e-mail : [email protected] printed (& distributed) by -be- à aix-la-chapelle e-mail: [email protected] PRELIMINARY JOHN ROYCROFT The invitation to celebrate my 80th birth- The three British papers are reproduced day with an ARVES event in Amsterdam here, with Rainer’s to come later and Harrie’s came out of the blue from ARVES President represented by a review of his limited edition and world-renowned chess book collector Jur- monograph. gen Stigter. Delighted, honoured, indeed over- If, like me, you are used to living on one or whelmed, naturally I accepted. The technical two floors, it came as a mild surprise when en- date was 25th July 2009, but Jurgen told me joying Jurgen’s hospitality to find myself time that ‘everyone goes away in July’, so we set- and again cautiously mounting and descend- tled on Saturday 13th June, in the Euwe Cen- ing three none-too-short flights of very steep tre. And that is where and when we came stairs. Seemingly an architectural waste of together. space this design enables citizens of Amster- Encouraged to invite specific close chess dam to escape the worst of a Netherlands friends, I did so with great selectivity, hoping flood merely by going upstairs while still re- not to cause offence to anyone left out and maining on their own property. Good think- choosing colleagues ready to offer an original ing! lecture. Paul Valois, John Beasley, Brian On the Tuesday following the Saturday I Stephenson, Rainer Staudte and Harrie Grond- took advantage of Jurgen having secured cir- ijs accepted, to my great delight. I hope that cle tickets for a fabulous production of Bizet’s Jurgen Stigter’s many reproductions of the Carmen by the prestigious Netherlands Opera covers of rare books can be used as artistic in their impressive theatre. page fillers in EG. It was good to see and lunch with Marcel As the Eurostar express from Brussels ap- Van Herck and Ed van de Gevel. The, to me, proached St Pancras International terminal totally unexpected guest was the otb tourna- right on time, the head of a family was over- ment arbiter legend, éminence grise (OK, he’s heard saying briskly to his little group, “Come a sizeable gentleman and was wearing a grey along, now, get your things together. This is suit) Geurt Gijssen. Yochanan Afek arrived our stop.” “No”, said his six-year-old lad, “It’s hotfoot from playing in a tournament in Lux- everyone’s stop.” embourg, but could not make the Saturday. A weekend to remember, for ever. – 307 – ARVES DAY AT THE EUWE CENTRE, AMSTERDAM, ON SATURDAY 13TH JUNE 2009 JOHN ROYCROFT Presentations were made by: ly incomprehensible (he is proud of it!), Harrie Grondijs, Rainer Staudte, Jurgen pundit, omnivore, joker, and other things sure- Stigter, Paul Valois, and by John Beasley and ly yet to emerge. Brian Stephenson in absentiâ. Rainer Staudte, composer, supremely con- Harrie is represented here by a review of scientious researcher, tireless correspondent, his new monograph centred on the ‘Nalimov’ regular WCCC attender, host during my short tablebases. Rainer’s ground-breaking re- stay in Chemnitz (‘Karl Marx Stadt’) in 1988. search into the life of Friedrich Amelung is Brian Stephenson, inheritor of the Richard ‘work in progress’ which it is hoped will be Harman card-index classification hoard, solv- published in due course. Jurgen’s chosen topic ing contest organiser extraordinary, computer encompassed his book classification system specialist, facilitator of a number of CESC and collector comments, eg regarding prices. meetings in Central London, columnist, con- Paul Valois reminisced over EG’s early days vivial companion. and the contribution made by ASSIAC’s col- Jurgen Stigter, one of the world’s great umn in the New Statesman. John prepared his collectors of chess books, generous provider ‘impresario’ paper ahead of time and provided of hospitality, President of ARVES, cyclist, multiple print-outs. Brian’s paper dissected connoisseur of music and opera, ever ap- the dilemma of selecting studies for solving proachable and open for advice given quietly contests. Both promises made on page 7 of but firmly. Vol.XI of EG have now been fulfilled. Paul Valois, co-founder of EG, Russian John Beasley, composer, author, editor, language specialist (ie interpreter and transla- founder of British Endgame Study News in tor) relied on on many occasions, secretary to 1996 (often accompanied by a ‘special’, of John Rice when PCCC President, indefatiga- which no.60 is the most recent), experienced ble worker behind the scenes at tasks others organiser of solving contests, columnist (dia- shun, studies selector for The Problemist, re- grammes, BCM), CESC stalwart, musician, searcher of newspaper chess columns (includ- mathematician, retailer of anecdotes, British ing Russian ones), regular WCCC attender, Chess Problem Society librarian, close friend and the most reliable of acquaintances. and near-enough neighbour, link to the world Presentations were pieces of original work of problems. by personal friends, to whom I express my Harrie Grondijs, maverick composer, au- profound appreciation, respect and gratitude. thor of the unexpected and sometimes virtual- – 308 – GREETINGS AND TRIBUTES JOHN ROYCROFT Greetings tion Union (ICCU), following a pronounce- Harold van der Heijden and his wife sent ment by ‘big’ FIDE. a nice card. There were mentions in The Prob- Amatzia Avni (Israel), composer, judge, lemist and Die Schwalbe. E-mail greetings author and journalist (Baron Munchausen came from: Gennady Chumakov, Hew Dun- tales). das, David Gurgenidze, Sergei N. Gady Costeff (Israel/USA), composer, Tkachenko. And see review of Dvoretsky judge, contributor to EG Vol.XI, sometime book for Yochanan Afek’s gift (which came Spotlight editor, regular WCCC attender. with a calorie-packed, exotic selection of Bel- Rudolf Larin (Novosibirsk, Russia), con- gian chocolates...). veyer of formal congratulatory greetings from the regional chess composition body. Tributes came from Karen Sumbatian (Russia, Armenia), Uri Avner (Israel), composer, author, composer, judge, versatile linguist, studies ac- judge, President of the FIDE PCCC, possibly tivist, friend-in-need-and-deed. to be renamed International Chess Composi- Tributes President of the world organization for From Uri Avner chess composition Ramat Gan, June 9th 2009 Dear John Roycroft, May I congratulate you on your forthcom- ing 80th birthday? From Amatzia Avni In Hebrew they say “80th anniversary for heroism,” and certainly you have proven it June 2009 through your relentless fight to preserve the Dear John, heritage of the composed chess study. I’ve known you for three decades, I think. Your famous book Test Tube Chess clarifies Although we met in person just a few times (I every aspect of the field as well as contribut- recall twice in Israel, once in London’s “Chess ing to the philosophy of the chess study. & Bridge” and once in Wageningen congress), The world of chess composition owes you a we exchanged many letters and emails, which great debt for your long-lasting contribution! makes me feel that I know you quite well. Wishing you many years to come of fruitful I’m sure that people always think of you in activity in our field as well as in your private connection with EG. This is a problem for a life, person who does something very significant – Uri Avner – 309 – John Roycroft : Greetings and tributes people tend to ignore his other accomplish- In short, it is a pleasure to know you and to ments. greet you on your 80th anniversary. May you So, realizing that you are bound to be have a long and healthy future! placed in history as the EG founder – it is in- Cheers, deed difficult to imagine where were we (stud- Amatzia ies-wise) without this groundbreaking magazine – I’d like to raise a toast to your prominent characteristics. From Gady Costeff I think that you are very highly skilled with words. Years of watching the late Raaphy Per- Sometime in the 1980’s, I got word of EG. I sitz taught me that this is not a trivial quality. sent in my dues and received my first issue. In Whenever you express yourself in writing, a flash I was introduced to the latest work by you are always direct, precise and to the point. the greatest Eastern European composers, One may disagree with you but one can never translated classic articles and awards of tour- say that your intentions are vague. neys I did not know existed. I immediately You are a superb journalist. Your essays sent money for the first 80 or so issues so I’d about Porterfield Rynd, Bakaev (‘Believe it or have a complete set. not’ in EG–Vol.XI, p. 149) and Bent’s This was a formative experience. A vast 6.Ka1!!!, to draw examples just from recent number of studies and opinions were now years, are classics.