MARK RUBERY CHESS

Jacques Mieses (1865-1954) had a career that was for a long time the benchmark of longevity in chess (at least until the exploits of the late Korchnoi). A player known for his brilliant attacking style, he was also a chess columnist and author. At the age of 73 Mieses escaped the Nazi persecution in his native Germany and settled in England. There he became the first British player to be awarded the Grandmaster Title (the late Tony Miles being the first British born GM in 1976). The move 1 d3 is called the Mieses Opening. Here are a few of Mieses’ miniatures.

Mieses,j - Chigorin,m [C25] Ostende, 1906

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Qg4 Qf6?

(Entering a very treacherous line of the Vienna. Instead 4...g6 is satisfactory for Black.) 5.Nd5 Qxf2+ 6.Kd1 Kf8 7.Nh3 Qd4 8.d3 d6 9.Qh4 Bxh3 10.Qxh3 (10 Rf1! Be6 11 c3 winning)... Na5 11.Rf1 Nxc4 12.Qd7 f6 13.Nxf6 Qf2 (13...gxf6 14.Rxf6+ Nxf6 15.Bh6+ Kg8 16.Qg7#) 14.Rxf2 Bxf2 15.Nh5 1-0

Mieses,jacques - Bogoljubow,efim [B21]

Gothenburg (11), 1920

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be2 d6 7.Bd2 Nf6 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 Nd4 10.Bd1 Qc7 11.c3 Nf5 12.Qd3 0–0 13.g4 Nh6 14.Qh3 Qc4 15.Bxh6 1–0

Mieses,j - Euwe,m [C45] The Hague (4), 1921

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.Bd3 d5 7.e5 Ng4 8.0-0 Bc5 9.Bf4 g5 10.Bd2 Qe7 11.Bc3 Nxe5?? (An enormous blunder from the future world champion) 12.Bxe5 (as 12…Qxe5 loses prosaically to 13 Re1) 1-0

Mieses was one of the organisers of the famous 1911 San Sebastian tournament and his innovation began a trend that continues to this day-he insisted on the payment of travelling and living expenses to the competing masters. From then onwards this procedure became the norm.

BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN