| Jun-03-08 |
| sneaky pete: Born September 20, 1872; died September 29, 1897. Earned the master title by winning the Hauptturnier of the 9th congress of the German Chess Federation, Leipzig 1894. The decisive (play-off) game from that tournament against Ernst Varain went
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Be3 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Be2 0-0 6.f4 Ne8 7.Nf3 a6 8.Qd2 e6 9.h4 Nf6 10.Ng5 Nh5 11.Bxh5 gxh5 12.Qe2 f6 
click for larger view13.Qxh5 fxg5 14.hxg5 Qe7 15.Qxh7+ Kf7 16.Qh5 Kg8 17.f5 exf5 18.Nd5 Qxe4 19.g6 Rf7 20.gxf7+ Kf8 21.Qg6 Qxd5 22.Rh8+ 1-0 He was first reserve for the Hastings 1895 tournament, but when Gunsberg (because of heavy journalistic obligations) offered to withdraw in his favor, Van Lennep declined, because he didn't feel quite prepared to the exertion a strong and long tournament would require - he had come to Hasting only as a journalist. Van Lennep came from an upper-class family, and was expected to study and earn a title - not a chess master's title! -, get a good job and marry a nice young lady. Unfortunately, all he wanted to do was play chess and nice young ladies didn't attract him - nice young men did. Driven to despair, not being able to fullfill his parents' expectations, one September night he jumped - or maybe stepped - overboard into the North Sea from the ship Vienna, on its way from Harwich to Hook of Holland. |
