!TUUR (Arthur van de Oudeweetering)

In the footsteps of a.o. Botvinnik, Eline Roebers manoeuvres her queen 16....Qg8! & 17...Qh7 #creepingqueen #chesspattern and goes on to beat Shirov! #Hoogeveenchess #chess

Nimzowitsch & Flohr look on how Euwe is about to defeat Alekhine in Zurich 1934 with 31.Nf7! #chess

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1975 #chess

bsky.app/profile/tuur... In his younger years in Belarus Mazel composed studies & promoted #chess in far-away Irkutsk & UIan-Ude. His behaviour during chessgames wasn't impeccable: in 1939 he was suspended for a year. In 1941 Lieutenant Mazel faithfully patrolled between rounds.

via e3e5.com

In this position apparently Isaak Mazel (left) lost on time with White vs Bastrikov, USSR trade union 1938. Arbiter Volkovitsky inspects the matter. Mazel (1911-1945) was 2-time participant of the USSRch, won a match vs Kmoch in 1934 & the Moscow-ch 1941. Husband of Olga Rubtsova #chess

In fact, at this moment Nikolai Riumin was leading the tournament - undefeated, half a point ahead of Botvinnik, with 3 rounds to go. Yet he would lose this crucial game (as well as the last 2 games!), still he came 2nd in this 1931 USSR #chess championship.
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The picturesque position of Botvinnik-Riumin live(?) in 1931. The onlookers are Vainstein, Volkovisky and Zubarev.

Tamaz Giorgadze in later years #chess bsky.app/profile/tuur...

Via Georgian archives

Baadur Jobava pictured in 2004. At the age of 16 he played 1st board of Georgia II at the European Team Ch 1999 in Batumi. Today at the #ETCC2025 - also in Batumi - he snatched victory from (two-time European champion & world championship candidate) Matthias Bluebaum.

Via Georgian archives

Picture of a young Tamaz Georgadze (no moustache yet). He won the 3rd edition of the USSR Young Masters in 1969, which was held in Batumi #ETCC2025. Later ao he obtained a 4th place in the 1978 & 1979 USSRch, was part of Karpov's team, whereafter "Don Tomasio" went into business in Spain

Via Georgian archives

Nino Khurtsidze played 1st board of Georgia's first women's team at the 3rd European Team #chess championships 1999 in Batumi (only two boards & one reserve player those days). The year before she had won the national men's championship. She died much too young in 2018.

Via Georgian archives

Via Georgian archives

Batumi #ETCC2025 1960, Georgian #chess championship: Tengiz Georgadze-Alexander Buslaev. Viktor Goglidze, main arbiter this time, is looking on. As usual in those years Bukhuti Gurgenidze (pictured vs Petrosian, Moscow Spartakiad 1959) won the championship.

Pustina (Albania) - Browne (Australia) Skopje 1972. This Olympiad Albania refused to play Israel and as result did not play the last 4 rounds either: https://memorie.al/en/according-to-minister-kadri-hazbiu-security-lieutenant-kazanxhi-never-arrived-in-kefalonia-at-the-base-of-the-us-navy-as-testimony-of-the-greek-researcher-from-athens/

At the Siegen Olympiad 1970 Albania refused to play South Africa. The were forfeited (0-4). During the 1974 Olympiad in Nice the FIDE-memberships of South Africa & Rhodesia were suspended by the FIDE-congress (26-17, 21 abstentions). The IOC had boycotted South Africa since 1964. #chess

Nxg2....whatever it takes! Hakobyan-Nihal,Samarkand #FIDEGrandSwiss saw the spectacular 18...Qf6 19.Bxf8 Nxg2. In Psakhis-Chekhov USSRCh Vilnius 1980 Black also went all out with 14...Nxg2. Both Black players were rewarded! #chess

Where Shneider, away from chess, has been involved in a transport business in Luhansk, before he moved to Kyiv with his family, he recently has played #chess again for SV 1920 Hofheim. Kishnev is regularly interviewed in Russian media as Nepo's coach.
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Alexander Shneider (1962) is a Ukrainian grandmaster from Luhansk. Ao he came shared 1st in Groningen open 1991. Another notable win was vs Beliavsky, USSRch 1990. GM Sergey Kishnev (1956) focused on #chess training early together with the likes of Krogius, Estrin & Zlotnik
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Samarkand 1983: Alexander Shneider-Sergey Kishnev. In this one wing battle Black collapsed quickly after 28...h6? (28...Kg7!) 29.Ra1 Bd5? (28...Bb3 29.Raa7 Rd1+ 30.Bf1 e5) 30.Nf6 (1-0/44). In 1994 Shneider would score a fine win over Kasparov; Kishnev would become coach of Nepomniachtchi #chess

Nowadays Azmaiparashvili is known for a lot of things. opponent. bsky.app/profile/bode...
Once a promising youngster he beat Karpov with Black in the 50th USSR championship 1983 in a fine game, springing the opening surprise 10...b5 on his opponent. #chess

Via Georgian archives

Georgian trainer Shota Intskirveli (1929-1994), with 7-years old Zurab Azmaiparashvili & Mzia Tsereteli. He also coached oa Nino Gurieli and Gennadi Zaichik. He died 65 years old, apparently of cold and hunger in a house with shattered windows. #chess

Source unknown

Hovering above #chesspolitics

Via Georgian archives. 1st round facing Mukhutdinov of Uzbekistan (draw in 64)

A young (23) Dzindzichashvili at the USSR championship for teams 1967, playing for Georgia. Next to him Bukhuti Gurgenidze. #chess

On the free day before the last round (also the birthday of the participating Fridrik Olafsson) the players of Hoogovens #TataSteelChess 1977 played a football match against Dutch artists. It didn't break Timman's 5 wins out of 5 finishing streak! #chess

Arbiter Orbaan at Hoogovens 1964; Noord Hollands Archief

Geller Amsterdam candidates 1956; Nationaal Archief

Constant Orbaan, later longtime arbiter in the Hoogoven #TataSteelChess tournaments, held the winner of the Przepiorka memorial 1957 to a spectacular draw. Geller's greedy 19..Nb3? (20.Bxg7! came) spoilt his advantage, Orbaan rushed with 22.e5?. 22.Rxc2! Kf7 23.Bxh8 Nh6 24.e5!; 23...Bb7 24.Ng5+!

Via Noord Hollands Archief

Here she played in #TataSteelChess 1984, weekendgroup 6th Klasse C (4 players, 3 games). She also presented a TV sports programme for Dutch broadcasting company KRO en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieuwer... which organized the KRO matches with Timman nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/KRO-mat... on which she reported too

Four more fine portraits by photographer Valery Levitin (1950-2013): Andrei Sokolov (March 20th 1963), Jaan Ehlvest (October 14th 1962), Alexander Chernin (March 6th 1960) and Artur Yusupov (February 13th 1960)

Leonid Yudasin (August 8th 1959), Sergey Dolmatov (February 20th 1959), Lev Psakhis (November 29th 1958) & Smbat Lputian (February 14th 1958) as pictured by Valery Levitin in 1988. #chess

Alexander Khalifman (January 18th 1966), Evgeny Bareev (November 21st 1966), Valery Salov (May 24th 1964) and Eduardas Rozentalis (May 27th 1963), as pictured by Valery Levitin in 1988.