Normal Topic CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS (Read 3974 times)
Gambit
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Re: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS
Reply #6 - 03/11/09 at 06:12:27
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Nice try. One problem is, Diemer was already alive when I was born, in 1967. I believe Diemer was born in 1908, which would make him 58 years old in January 1967. Thus, I cannot be the reincarnation of Diemer.

I think you need to make a difference between Diemer's political views and his chess, the same as with Alekhine. In both cases, their chess was very interesting, and worthy of emulation. Their political views were something else  altogether. This whole subject deserves a thread in itself,  which I invite you to create.

Diemer had no problems getting along with Jewish players after the war, even if he remained a Nazi. Most strange, but that's how it was.
Sh-t, it is a historical fact that Hitler had German soldiers who were quarter-Jews, in the German Army (Mischlinge).

As for Diemer playing the Colle System, well... EJD did not come to playing the BDG all in one fell swoop. Most likely it was a gradual process, one that took time.

Tournaments were not common during WW2, because of war and everything connected to it. So it is not as simple as playing 2 e4, rather, no chess tournaments were held in Europe. Of course, there were some Nazi-sponsored ones in 1941-1943, but these were the exception. Diemer was a reporter for the German media at the time, and he covered these tournaments.

Diemer-Langeheinecke, was played in 1940. In fact, Diemer writes that his first game after the war took place in 1945. 

The only other WW2 BDG I can find is P. Scriba-Vilbel, 1-0/23, correspondence 1942.

Comments?
« Last Edit: 03/11/09 at 19:16:25 by Gambit »  
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MNb
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Re: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS
Reply #5 - 03/11/09 at 04:29:01
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No. What I like to know is how it feels to play an opening invented by a nazi indirectly involved in killing your relatives.

Some more facts on EJ Diemer.

Around 1938 he played cowardly openings like the Colle. I don't quite understand how WW-II prevented Diemer from playing 2.e4, but maybe you can explain.

The Netherlands is not the world, I know, but EJ Diemer showed up at Hoogovens (these days called Corus) already in 1953, playing his "invention", if we neglect, like you always do, the contributions of Von Hennig and Milner-Barry. He astonished the Dutch chess community by proclaiming that 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 was a forced win, made a laugh of himself by repeatedly announcing mate following by a miserable loss. As Dutch chess players even then already had a certain sense of humour not unlike Willempie's etc., Diemer became very popular and even the leader of a sort of cult. As Dutch chess players also become tired of practical jokes like these this cult lasted not longer than two years. Diemer has been considered a practical joke by people like GM JH Donner since then; his great work The King contains an excellent description of that Dutch period. Last time he showed up in Beverwijk was 1961 as far as I know.

Diemer needed some foolish and fanatical Americans to take him seriously. Of course he has always taken himself way too seriously his entire life; exactly that made him the subject of Dutch mockery.

In 1943 Diemer wrote an article called Schachkampf und Kunst (Chessfight and Art) for the "Deutschen Schachzeitung". I don't have the entire article, but a few quotes will do. I have them from Michael Ehn's excellent 1996 work on Rudolf Spielmann. I give them both in German and in my poor English translation.

<Ein gewisser Emil Josef Diemer attackierte in der 'Deutsche Schachzeitung' die "Geistesverfassung, [...] aus der heraus vor 20 Jahren Spielman seinen berüchtigten Artikel 'Von Krankbett des Königsgambits' schrieb. Der Maginotgeist" galt als "Ausdruck jüdischen Einflusses", "und es wäre an der Zeit, dass damit und mit manch anderen ähnlichen Weisheiten radikal Schluss gemacht würde. Man weiss ja, woher damals der Wind wehte!">

<A certain EJD attacked in the 'Deutsche Schachzeitung' the "mental attitude, [...], with which Spielmann wrote his infamous essay 'VKbK' 20 years ago. The Maginot spirit" passes for "the expression of jewish influences", "and it would be high time to put a radical end to these and many other wisdoms. One sure knows, from what corner back then the wind blew!">

In other words, Diemer accused Spielmann being a coward about the same way you accuse other people of cowardice. As soon as you take the c-word in your mouth I suspect that you are the reincarnation of Diemer.
  

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Gambit
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Re: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS
Reply #4 - 03/11/09 at 00:14:39
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MNb wrote on 03/10/09 at 03:23:07:
Perhaps because Blackmar showed them his chess invention? The same may to be true for a certain EJ Diemer. His gambit may reflect a certain sad period in German history. Also note that that said Diemer was an active member of a prominent party of that period. And that party was involved in the killing of some (far?) relatives of LDZ.
How do people like David Gedult and LDZ cope with these facts? Just curious.


In some respects, very inaccurate. The Civil War was fought between 1861-1865; Blackmar invented his gambit around 1880-1881. Therefore MNb's argument is wrong.

Diemer first played his gambit in 1931, shortly before becoming a member of the Nazi Party. I read that he became a Party member in 1932/1933 and that his father threw him out of the house.

The world did not learn of the BDG until Diemer had published his book, Von Ersten Am Auf Matt, in 1957. From there, playing of the BDG slowly spread. I have the original German edition, and most BDG games by Diemer are from 1930s, late 1940s, 1950s. For the period 1939-1945, the book has no BDGs.  Which is not surprising, given the trials of WW2.

Diemer of course, is the reincarnation of Armand Edward Blackmar. Since he left the task of popularizing and improving the Blackmar Gambit unfinished, Blackmar was reincarnated as E.J. Diemer.

Yes, the Nazi Party killed a lot of my distant cousins, who stayed in Poland rather than move to Russia. I did not even know these cousins, but my Mexican cousin does. Her ancestors were from the places where Nazis killed Jews (Czechostowa, Hrubizow, etc.), so that's how I know of them. 

My Mexican cousin and I share the same great-great-great-grandfather, Leyzor Zilbermints II (1787-1834). The records show our great-great-grandfathers were brothers. My ancestors eventually ended up in Moscow, while hers remained in Poland.

To be fair, the Nazis killed a lot of other people than Jews. Gypsies, homosexuals, mentally ill, priests, old people, political prisoners, were just a few who died at the hands of the Nazis.

As for David Gedult, I can't speak for him. I know he fought in World War II and was in the French Legion. So that should say something...

For myself, I can only say that when WW2 happened I was not even born as Lev D. Zilbermints. That happened 22 years after the war ended. According to my past-life memories,  at the time of WW2, I was an Air Force pilot named James F. Ball, a young first lieutenant-in-training.

My WW2 career did not last very long, though. The airplane I flew went into a fatal spin in the Carribean Sea. Of the 5 people abourd the plane, only one had the foresight to bail out. Myself and the other four
were killed when the airplane crashed into the sea.  The year was 1943.

Twenty-four years later, I was reincarnated as Lev D. Zilbermints.

Does that answer your questions?
  
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Re: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS
Reply #3 - 03/10/09 at 03:23:07
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Perhaps because Blackmar showed them his chess invention? The same may to be true for a certain EJ Diemer. His gambit may reflect a certain sad period in German history. Also note that that said Diemer was an active member of a prominent party of that period. And that party was involved in the killing of some (far?) relatives of LDZ.
How do people like David Gedult and LDZ cope with these facts? Just curious.
  

The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.
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Re: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS
Reply #2 - 03/09/09 at 04:12:31
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but their tactical prowess couldn't make up for their deficit in materiel ...
  
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Re: CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS
Reply #1 - 03/09/09 at 03:07:56
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For one, Armand Edward Blackmar (1826-1888), the inventor of the Blackmar Gambit, 1 d4 d5 2 e4 de4 3 f3, was a Confederate veteran.

Second, the Confederate generals were much better tacticians than the Union generals. Compare General Lee and General Ambrose Burnside.

And that is just for starters...
  
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CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA AND CHESS
03/07/09 at 21:16:45
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Does anyone know the impact that the Confederacy had upon chess?
It was plenty! But before I tell you, how about you tell me what you know?
  
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