The Menchik Euwe Chess Battles

Wanting for a while to make a topic with the following games all together [had gathered this short material long ago], probably known games, [And this recent blog reminded it somehow to me. Thank you].

Vera Menchik and Max Euwe will sit over the same chessboard 4 times, in Carlsbad 1929 and in Hastings Christmas chess tournament (1930/31, 1931/32, 1934/35). [besides wiki check here for Menchik and here for Euwe].

[Comments of the games found mainly in Robert Tanner, Vera Menchik, a biography, 2016, and many of them included in the following pgns]

#1 Carlsbad 1929 chess tournament
(Karlsbad, Czechoslovakia, 31 July - 26 August 1929)

The famous Nimzowitsch's triumph. After the end of the tournament, New York times published an article of the big absent Alekhine, where inter alia wrote (NYTimes, 29 August 1929):

"... but it is little known to the public that she has also attained superior positions against Euwe, Treybal, Colle and Dr Vidmar."

From (Neue) Wiener Schachzeitung, 1929, p. 243, found in National Austrian Library website

A fascinating game...

#2 Hastings Christmas 1930/31 Chess tournament
(Hastings, England, 29 December 1930 - 7 January 1931)

Second time that Euwe won this tournament after 1923/24. While Menchik was the current club's champion, being a club's member since 18th March 1923. This time Euwe lost only one game, against Menchik at round 2, on 30 December 1930. They were equal until move 52, when Euwe miscalculated things (if not blundered). After that Menchik did what she had to do in an endgame.

Here's a puzzle of this interesting endgame position. Can you draw for Euwe?

And here's the whole game. Menchik had a great ending...

#3 Hastings Christmas 1931/32 Chess tournament
(Hastings, England, 28 December 1931 - 6 January 1932)

This one was won by 23 year old Salo Flohr without losing, 8/9. Euwe finished third, 5/9. And Menchik fifth at 4/9. Chessmetrics set this tournament as Menchik's best individual performance, at 2582.

At this game (29 December 1931) Euwe possibly blundered early at move 11 and then Menchik kept the advantage for the rest of the game.

"This was also the year in which she won her second game from Max Euwe. It is said that after this game Dr. Euwe’ s wife came to find out who this femme fatale was. No doubt it was quickly evident that the good doctor was not succumbing to the plump Miss Menchik’ s wiles and the two ladies got along quite amicably." by Robert Tanner in Vera Menchik, A Biography, p. 15. No comments!

[EDIT 22.08.2018: on comment #9 a fifth game between them is represented with some photos and event coverage, played on 19.03.1934 ~ for now it's last comment, so link works]

#4 Hastings Christmas 1934/35 Chess tournament
(Hastings, England, 27 December 1934 - 5 January 1935)

In this tournament the winners were decided in the last match. Thomas, Flohr and Euwe tied at first place.

In brackets: Before last round sir G. A. Thomas, the 1934 british chess champion, was ahead with 6.5/8, Euwe got 6 and Flohr 5.5. At round 9 Flohr won, Euwe had a draw against Norman and Thomas lost against british Mitchell. And all three tied with 6.5/9.

This defeat of Thomas at last round probably caused a good impression. G.H. Diggle, in Chess Characters (Geneva, 1984), notes: "There can be no doubt that Michell would have liked to “go easy”, but such were the rigid principles of both players that he went all out for a win and got it. At the prize-giving Dr Euwe referred to “characteristic British sportsmanship” and Flohr “expressed a wonder whether any other country could have furnished such an example”."

But in The Chess Review, Feb 1935, p. 26: "Today, all England mourns his missed opportunity."

At round 5 Euwe meets Menchik again over the board for the last time...

In the end

This last game was like a new year's eve gift for Euwe!

..... taking also in account the pressure for the upcoming match against Alekhine [check here].

And watching all these games maybe it's true what was said about him... And if not, it's funny enough to post it.

"His greatest weakness is a tendency to blunder. Kmoch asks: "Has he some psychological antipathy to realism? I am no psychologist, and cannot say. The fact remains that Euwe commits the most inexplicable mistakes in thoroughly favorable positions, and that this weakness has consistently tarnished his record"."

Prins and Wood, in M. Euwe, Meet the masters, 1945, p. 258  // original Kmoch's in Zóó schaken zij! by Hans Kmoch, 1938

Weren't beautiful the games?!

Fine and enjoyable games, no doubt

Glad you've liked it tzima...

And about these Euwe's blunders, in the above mentioned tournament of Carlsbad 1929, this game was played between Nimzowitsch and Euwe.

Blunder by both sides!!

From The Chess Review, Jul 1934, p. 114

Euwe's blunders continued

Reuben Fine, in Chess Review Nov 1941, p. 200, writes: "And again in the second match (Alekhine 1937) Euwe made a number of incredible blunders." Here're two I think.

A most excellent set of postings (what we should be seeing on a chess site!): games with transcribed notes,  images, links. 

Euwe was certainly a work-in-progress.

Thank you batgirl!! Really nice to read such words by you!

Continuing on Fine's sayings basis, I've checked this game.

Could Euwe's 31st move [g4] be considered a blunder?

Old comments, I've found on this game, don't mention it [Chess Review Apr 1938, p. 99 & Wienner Schachzeitung 1937, 358]... while engines now see it as inaccuracy, considering black's position from about -0.90 to about -2.25. But -0.9 could be a draw, couldn't it?!?

Removed as not needed

As I was gathering material for my recent blog about Sonja Graf, I've found some event coverage in the Dutch press about a radio transmitted game by VARA station in Hilversum [NED] between Euwe and Menchik, played on 19.03.1934.

Seated: Menchik, Sonja Graf, Euwe. Standing: G. van Harten L. G. Eggink in De Telegraaf of 20-03-1934

Event coverage of the game can be found in De Gooi of 21-03-1934.

The game...

After the game's presentation this was written in Dutch in De Gooi of 21-03-1934 [editable form for google translation maybe].

"Het spel werd eenige malen onderbroken, waarvan Euwe gebruik maakte de stelling voor de microphoon uiteen te zetten. Al te open kon hij daarbij niet te werk gaan, omdat zijn tegenstandster er bij zat. Tegen het slot kreeg Euwe gelegenheid openhartig te spreken, doordat Miss Menchik in een ander vertrek geleid werd. Helaas was toen de partij juist beslist, zoodat er niet veel te analyseeren overbleef. Onzen kampioen komt een woord van lof toe voor de keurige wijze, waarop hij van een minimale positiefout van zijn sterke tegenstandster gebruik heeft weten te maken."

And an older photo of VARA station in Hilversum [NED]...

Thanks mate - only just spotted this! I don't remember seeing this last game before. As explained in my post,  in the 1931-32 game Euwe didn't blunder in the opening. He was trying out a known idea. Great stuff! Thanks again.   

Welcome simaginfan, I've seen the game[1934] in databases just didn't know details.

...and it was a main reason for me to link to your blog about the 1931/32 game at the start of this post!!