Fridrik Olafsson In England. 1950/1951.
Afternoon everyone.
Sadly we have just lost one of the good guys of chess - Fridrik Olafsson. A man who took on the job of FIDE president to try to make things better for chess players.
Back when I did my articles on Malcolm Barker I intended to write this, but it never got done. Now seems an appropriate moment to get round to it.
Before I forget, you can find year by year accounts of Olafsson's career here - https://skaksogufelagid.is/greinar/ Lots of great photos in the gallery section as well.
Back in 1950 and 1951 my friend Ritson Morry organised two ground breaking events - the first international junior tournament and the first World Junior Championship. One of the youngest competitors was Olafsson.
Lets give the tables - from Tony Gillam's book on the events ( from which I will give some material, with my humble thanks )
The story of how the young Olafsson
took part is fascinating. Gillam gives an article from Skak, which I will give some excerpts from.
'' ln those days the lcelandic chess Federation had no financial support
from the State nor a steady income of any sort except membership fees, and
the idea of sending a young boy by aeroplane or a passenger boat to England was clearly out of the question.
However, Arni Snaevarr, the president of the lcelandic chess Federation, who was a board member of the Reykjavik Municipality Fishing Company, was able to arrange for me
to go on one of the company's trawlers, which was due to land a cargo of fish in Grimsby, a few days before the tournament in Birmingham started.
And so it happened that I was sent off to England on a trawler, and for a young boy, who has never set foot in another country, this was a very special and memorable experience.( He was 15 years old at the time - Simaginfan.)
I was naturally enthusiastic and eager to test my strength against young players from other
countries and find out where stood. ln my mind I was already in Birmingham, all I had to do was get there. Little did I know what was in store for me! ..........
And then, when we finally arrived in Grimsby, I suddenly realised that, in all the haste getting me aboard the trawler in Reykjavik, nobody had remembered to provide me with money for the trip!
...Well, I went to the captain of the ship and explained the situation to him, rather ashamed of myself, of course. I asked him if he could lend me a few pounds......
I did not know anything about the train system - there were no trains in Iceland. Therefore I was, to be on the safe side, given a letter in which people were asked to assist me in finding my way to Birmingham, if something went wrong ....
I was met at the railway station by W. Ritson Morry, the chief organiser of the tournament, and he took me to the YMCA where I slept the first night. ''
Can you imagine such a story with a modern 15 year old today!!
Chess wise he performed admirably. Ritson's report on the tournament gives him a special mention.
''Perhaps the most impressive of all the players was Olafsson. Although more than three years the junior of the other prize winners, he played fine positional chess and displayed fine powers of combination when the occasion demanded. He has been in the master-class of the Reykjavic Chess Club since he was twelve.'' ( The Chess Bulletin, April 1950.)
Some chess. Lets start with a fine win against a future correspondence Grandmaster.
He did well against the home players - this one is just text book.
A bit of luck in this one - The Worcs player blunders at the end in a tenable position.
The paths of Olafsson and Barda Junior crossed a number of times in their early years.
Between the two tournaments Olafsson played some chess in Iceland.
This game is an impressive one - His opponent was one of the best Icelandic players for many years - most famous for a loss against Alekhine.
So, on to the first World Junior Championships.
He was still one of the youngest - I think Cruz was younger. He did not do so well - only finishing with 50%. A little story from the Gillam book.
''Shortly after I came back home I met a senior player in downtown Reykjavik and he asked me how things had gone. I told him. ''Well'', he said, ''we Icelanders are simply not better than this!''. His remark stayed with me and no doubt urged me to do better in the future.
In the tournament in Birmingham in 1951 I had, however, the satisfaction of winning a blitz tournament ahead of many well known chess masters, such as Bogoljubov, Tartakower, Matanovic, Donner, Rossolimo and Unzicker, to mention only a few, who at the same time were playing in the Staunton centenary Tournament in Birmingham.''
John Jackson recalled that event later, on the chessscotland site.
The first ever World Junior Championship was organised in Birmingham in 1951. It was held alongside the Staunton Centenary International Tournament, which was played in Cheltenham, Leamington and Birmingham. There were sixteen competitors in that event, which was won by Gligoric, ahead of Pirc, Stahlberg, Trifunovic and C.H.O'.D. Alexander. Other players included Tartakower, Bogolyubov, Donner and Unzicker.
"It was a great honour to represent Scotland in the first World Junior Championship in 1951 in Birmingham. (I was the only one they had!) Too bad I didn't give a better account of myself. [John scored 3/11 - AMcG]
In retrospect, it was wonderful to be in the same playing hall as all the great luminaries. I even played Bogoljubov in a 5-second "lightning" tournament. The 5-second timing was done by someone up on the stage with a stop-watch and a bell, which he punched to signal 'Move!' I got a clearly winning position, but was so excited at the prospect of beating this man, that I blew it.
My, how things have changed! Gligoric, Mieses, Tartakower, Bogolyubov, Ivkov, Penrose, Sir George Thomas, et al. Happy days. At that age, one never appreciates what history is being made. Wade, Fairhurst, Mansfield, Combe, Aitken etc."
https://www.chessscotland.com/documents/history/Jackson.htm Also the source of a picture given later.
A big hello to modern online blitz players who moan about a tenth of a second lost on the digital clock when they premove. What would Nakamura think of such a thing!!
.
Some chess and pictures - it's what I do!
Jackson tries an opening popular at 'club level' Olafsson responds in the simplest way. A useful lesson for Sicilian players who come across this - very ancient - approach.
Joyner
was the Canadian representative. Olafsson tries to win a drawn position - risks losing - and then wins an instructive endgame when his opponent blunders. However, it's not an obvious blunder! Lots to be learned from this endgame.
You get a couple of versions of a picture for Olafsson's game with Arnold Eikrem
Eikrem went on to become president of the Norwegian Chess federation. Gillam gives a picture of Olafsson and Eikrem together in 1979, but it is too poor in quality to reproduce here. The above is from this gem of a photo.
In the game Eikram cracks under positional pressure. Olafsson picks up a Pawn and converts without huge problems. He shows nice technique - giving the Pawn back at least temporarily in order to break up his opponents Pawns.
So, onto the feature game.
''In this first Junior World Championship I met for the first time the Danish player Bent Larsen, a future rival and a good friend ever since, who in due time was to become one of the most successful tournament players of all times''. Olasson.
The two in 1956, from the above site.
The game is a fascinating one. Most of the way Olafsson looks every inch the future Grandmaster and achieves a winning position. He gets a little careless and indecisive, letting Larsen fight his way back into the game. Then, just at the point where the draw is clear, Larsen - possibly thinking he had a draw by perpetual check - blunders the game away!. A great fight between the two teenagers who were to go on to be the two best players in Western Europe.
I hope you enjoyed this humble tribute to the wonderful Fridrik Olafsson. RIP Grandmaster - you will be missed. A personal thank you for all the pleasure your chess has given me.
