Getty Images (selected chess history)

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Some examples from Getty Images of chess history. They vary from standard to interesting mysteries and conundrums. Caption information always needs double-checking.

(1) International Women's Chess Tournament at Emmen (1957)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1404442433

I think it is the woman on the left who is Hilda Chater, a brief biography of whom is here:

https://www.ulsterchess.org/archives/pl ... cal-sketch

She is playing Dutch player Fenny Heemskerk.

EDIT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenny_Heemskerk

(2) Danlonlustrum chess tournament (1960)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485913047

Quite a few pictures available from this tournament. Fenny Heemskerk is (I think) standing at right in the first photo, and also features in this one as well.

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485897864

(3) 26th Highoven chess tournament in Beverwijk (1964)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485890907

(3) Chess championships in the Netherlands (1954)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485890066

No idea if something has been lost in translation?

(4) Blast furnace chess tournament (1957)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485838798

There are lots of chess photos on the Getty Images website keyworded "blast furnace". I think this is an automated translation issue (the Dutch word 'hoogoven' translates as 'blast furnace'), and these are from the Tata Steel tournament (Hoogovens), but may be wrong (might be mixing this up with Wijk aan Zee).

(5) Pensive Nigel Short (1987 'blast furnace' tournament)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485838983

(6) Young Jan Timman (1985 'blast furnace' tournament)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485839028

(7) Wrongly captioned photo (1984)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485838992

This is not Nigel Short at left, but who is it, or is that Beliavsky? I think this is actually Korchnoi playing Beliavsky in the 11th round.

(8) Korchnoi versus Beliavsky (1985)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485839071

Same opponents as previous photo, but different year and different round (different colours as well). It would be trivial to match up the photos with the games here.

(9) Tough photo parade (1962)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485790029

Anyone want to try and identify those 8 Russian chess masters? (The answers are probably to be found in other photos from the chess tournament they played in.)

(10) Bit of a mystery

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485708145

"Assignment Antara chess tournament" - anyone able to work this one out?

EDIT: I think this is a match from the 11th Chess Olympiad in Amsterdam. The date of 7th September may be misleading. It that possibly Lothar Schimd shaking hands with the Columbian captain?

(11) Another Tal simultaneous display

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1414087614?

Somwhere, the Dutch equivalent of Britbase is trying to identify the participants in this simul...

(12) 1873 Varsity Match

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... /929044208

(13) Chess with living pieces, Guildhall, Winchester (1883)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... /931852704

(14) Chess contest between England and the USA (1910)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... /548146707

I presume this is the 1910 Anglo-American cable match:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Ame ... ss_matches

I wonder how many of the chess players in that photograph can be identified? Can the game be identified from the position on the board? Were all the games played out on large boards like that? Quite bizarre!

I will stop there (that was only 11 pages of 27 from the search I made on "chess" and "history"). Lots of interesting material there.

[Ian Thompson]

(14) Chess contest between England and the USA (1910)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... /548146707

I presume this is the 1910 Anglo-American cable match:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Ame ... ss_matches

I wonder how many of the chess players in that photograph can be identified? Can the game be identified from the position on the board? Were all the games played out on large boards like that? Quite bizarre!

The position is from:

[Event "England-USA Cable Match"] [Date "1910.??.??"] [White "Marshall, Frank J"] [Black "Blackburne, Joseph H"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 g6 4. e4 Bg7 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 Ne8 7. Be3 c6 8. Bd3 Na6 9. O-O c5 10. d5 Nac7 11. Qd2 b6 12. Rae1 Nf6 13. h3 Nd7 14. Kh1 f6 15. f5 g5 16. Ne2 Ne5 17. Nxe5 dxe5 18. Ng3 Ne8 19. b4 cxb4 20. Qxb4 Nd6 21. c5 bxc5 22. Bxc5 a5 23. Qa3 Ba6 24. Bxa6 Rxa6 25. Rb1 Qd7 26. Qd3 Raa8 27. Rb6 Rfb8 28. Rc6 Rb7 29. Bxd6 exd6 30. Nh5 Kf7 31. Rfc1 Bf8 32. R1c4 Be7 33. Qa3 Rb1+ 34. Rc1 Rxc1+ 35. Qxc1 Bd8 36. Kh2 Rb8 37. Qc4 Rb6 38. Rc8 Rb7 39. Qc6 Rc7 40. Qxd7+ Rxd7 41. Ra8 h6 42. Kg3 Be7 43. Rxa5 Rc7 44. Ra3 Rc1 45. Kf3 Rf1+ 46. Ke2 Rg1 47. Kf3 Rc1 48. Ng3 Rb1 49. Rb3 Ra1 50. Rb2 Rc1 51. Ne2 Rc5 52. Ke3 Bd8 53. Kd3 h5 54. Rb7+ Ke8 55. Nc3 Ba5 56. Nb5 Kd8 57. a4 Rc1 58. Rf7 Rd1+ 59. Kc2 Rd2+ 60. Kb3 Rxg2 61. Rxf6 Re2 1-0

I'd have said spectators watching one of the games, except that the person sitting behind the black King and Queen does look like Blackburne.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thank you, Ian. Wonder if there are any other photos of that or the other matches.

(15) Good Training for Chess Champion aka 'Different times'

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1053604130

"Good Training for Chess Champion, Little Elaine Saunders, of St. Margaret's, Twickenham, the ten year old chess champion, is a fine young horsewoman, and regularly rides in Richmond Park. - Elaine Saunders ready for her morning ride in Richmond Park."

(Not sure you would ever get that sort of 'news' coverage today.)

[John Moore]

The tough photo parade is probably the Russians at Schipol prior to the Candidates Tournament in Curacao in 1962. The front row is Keres, Geller, Petrosian, Korchnoi and A.N other. It may be that Tal is just behind. Doesn't much look like him but he was. of couse, ill. The remainder are seconds and other hangers-on. It should be easy to identify the remainder of the Soviet party to Curacao.

[John Moore]

Number 10 is not Lothar Schmid, but looks like Vassily Smyslov to me.

[John Moore]

Number 10 is not Lothar Schmid, but looks like Vassily Smyslov to me.

Edit but the date sort of works for Lothar Schmid and Boris de Grieff in a game which de Grieff won.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thanks John. There are two other "Assignment Antara chess tournament" images that Getty have. I will label them 10a and 10b. They appear to be from a match, but only two of the boards. The flags are visible. It does look to be USSR playing and if the date of 7 September is right, then it should be possible to identify the match on Olimpbase. No idea who the other person is in photo 10.

10a) "Assignment Antara chess tournament" (1954 Olympiad)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485708133

10b) "Assignment Antara chess tournament" (1954 Olympiad)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485708119

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I think from here:

https://www.olimpbase.org/1954/1954ea03.html#urs

The USSR were playing Austria on 7 September 1954, so both 10a and 10b show Smyslov playing Robatsch and Bronstein playing Beni. Presumably 10 shows Smyslov shaking hands with the Austria captain? Unsure.

EDIT: 10 must show Smyslov shaking hands with someone else from another team. I suspect the Colombian team?

EDIT: Apologies John, I see now that Boris de Greiff is Colombian and likely to be the person in 10.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_de_Greiff

Though looking at pictures of Boris de Greiff, I am not convinced now...

[Reg Clucas]

(6) Young Jan Timman (1985 'blast furnace' tournament)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1485839028

I presume 'Spaggelt' should be 'Spraggett'.

The 1873 Varsity match appears not to be using clocks, though there are some large egg-timers on the table!

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thank you, Ian. Wonder if there are any other photos of that or the other matches.

(15) Good Training for Chess Champion aka 'Different times'

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/ne ... 1053604130

"Good Training for Chess Champion, Little Elaine Saunders, of St. Margaret's, Twickenham, the ten year old chess champion, is a fine young horsewoman, and regularly rides in Richmond Park. - Elaine Saunders ready for her morning ride in Richmond Park."

(Not sure you would ever get that sort of 'news' coverage today.)

To add to the above, Elaine Saunders (later Pritchard) was feted in her time as detailed in the excellent feature article here by Edward Winter:

https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/saunders.html