"Euwe: Master Journey on the Chess Board and Beyond"

Welcome to Max Euwe's chess odyssey, where every move tells a story and every game is an unforgettable journey!

Max Euwe was born on May 20, 1901 in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam, Netherlands. His parents were Cornelis Willem Euwe and Elisabeth Maria Meer, and he had a younger sister named Elisabeth. His father was a chess fan and taught him to play when he was six years old. Euwe showed great talent as a child and won his first tournament at the age of ten.

Euwe grew up in a country that had achieved neutrality during the First World War, but was suffering the economic and social consequences of the postwar period. He studied mathematics at the University of Amsterdam, where he received his doctorate in 1926. 2 He was a mathematics teacher in Rotterdam and then at a girls' lyceum in Amsterdam. He married Carolina Elisabeth Bergman in 1926, with whom he had two daughters, Elisabeth and Caroline. 

Euwe combined his teaching career with his passion for chess, which he played as an amateur. He won the Dutch national championship twelve times between 1921 and 1955, a record that has not yet been surpassed. 5 He also became world amateur chess champion in 1928, in The Hague. 6 He participated in several international tournaments, where he faced the best players of the time, such as Alekhine, Capablanca, Bogoljubow, Flohr and Spielmann. Although he did not always obtain good results, he gained experience and prestige.

One of the most curious anecdotes in his life was that in 1930, during a tournament in Hamburg, he met Albert Einstein, who invited him to play a game of chess. Euwe accepted and beat him easily, but Einstein told him that he had enjoyed the game very much and that he would like to learn more. Euwe gave him one of his chess books and dedicated a phrase to him: “To the great scientist and lover of chess, with admiration.”

Euwe had a very logical and methodical style of play, based on the principles of the classical school. He was an expert in openings and defenses, and had good finishing technique. His main contributions to chess were his books and articles, where he analyzed the games of the grandmasters and explained the strategic and tactical concepts of the game. He was also interested in the mathematical and psychological aspects of chess, and conducted studies on game theory and computer programming applied to chess.

The greatest achievement of his career was winning the world chess title in 1935, by defeating the reigning champion, the Russian Alexander Alekhine, in a match held in several cities in the Netherlands. Euwe was the first and only amateur world champion, and his victory was a big surprise, as Alekhine was considered the best player in the world and had a big advantage at the beginning of the match. However, Euwe demonstrated great tenacity and took advantage of the mistakes of his rival, who was affected by her alcoholism and his emotional instability. The final result was 15.5 to 14.5 in favor of Euwe, who became a national hero and an example for chess players around the world. 

During his reign, Euwe played several tournaments and matches, but did not defend his title until 1937, when he accepted the challenge of Alekhine, who had regained his form and his confidence. The match was played in several cities in Holland and Belgium, and this time it was Alekhine who clearly dominated, winning 15.5 to 9.5 and recovering the world title. Euwe recognized the superiority of his rival and cordially congratulated her. 

Euwe continued playing chess after losing the title, but his results were irregular. During World War II, he opposed the Nazi occupation of his country and refused to participate in tournaments organized by the Germans. After the war, he had some successes, such as winning the 1946 London tournament and placing second in the 1946 Groningen tournament, second only to the Soviet Mikhail Botvinnik. However, in 1948 he came last in the Hague-Moscow tournament, which determined the new world champion after Alekhine's death. In 1953 he played in the Candidates tournament, where he came second to last. From then on, he only participated in the Olympics representing his country and in some minor tournaments. 

Euwe dedicated himself more to teaching, research and organizing chess. He was a professor of mathematics and computer science at the universities of Rotterdam and Tilburg, and wrote several books on these topics. He was also president of the Dutch Chess Federation and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) between 1970 and 1978, where he promoted the development of chess around the world and mediated conflicts between the Soviet champions and their Western challengers. 

Euwe died on November 26, 1981, aged 80, of a heart attack, in Amsterdam. His remains were cremated and his ashes scattered in the sea. Euwe is remembered as one of the great champions in the history of chess, and as a man of science, culture and honor. Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, who dedicated a volume of his “My Great Predecessors” book series to him, praised him as a “solid, logical and honest” player, and as a “wise, fair and generous” leader.