| Nov-20-05 | | Resignation Trap: S Almgren = Almgren . Sven Almgren was a strong American amateur who was born in Eskilstuna Sweden on May 14, 1900. He was strong enough to participate in two US Championships. In 1944: http://members.aol.com/graemecree/c... and again in 1948: http://members.aol.com/graemecree/c... . He died at his home in Los Angeles on January 31, 1973. |
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| Jun-30-13 | | DoctorD: Almgren was also a composer of chess problems. One of his games, with reference to his skills as a problem composer, is given in an article by Hilbert on the 1930 Metropolitan Chess League: http://www.chesscafe.com/urcan/urca... |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: <DoctorD>'s link is stale. Too bad. A suggestion for all such future postings.
Just take a moment or two and copy the FEN into your comment. That way, we at least have the actual composition preserved despite cyber-vissitudes. (At least as long as <CG> shines the light) |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: BTW- anybody know what year he emigrated to the US? |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: Is this him?
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f... (It's the right dob/dod)
But it's in Conn (CT), whereas it seems he died in Calif (CA): https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903... |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: Found this game of his, where he lost to J. Piatigorsky: http://www.chessclub.org/news.php?n...
<Dutch A92
Sven Almgren–Jacqueline Piatigorsky
Los Angeles County Championship 1952
1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.c4 c6 7.Nc3 Qe8 8.d5 d6 9.dxe6 Bxe6 10.b3 Na6 11.Ng5 Bf7 12.Qc2 Bg6 13.Ne6 Rf7 14.f4 Ng4 15.h3 Bf6 16.hxg4 Qxe6 17.g5 Bd4+ 18.Kh2 h6 19.gxh6 Bh5 20.Bf3 Qxh6 21.Kg2 Bxf3+ 22.Rxf3 Re8 23.e3 g6! 
click for larger viewInitiating an overwhelming attack against the white king. 24.Bb2
If 24.exd4, Rh7 wins quickly. But White has no satisfactory defense in any case. 24...Rh7 25.Qd3 Qh2+ 26.Kf1 Qxb2 0–1
White cannot meet Black’s threats, not the least of which is ...Rh1 mate. An extraordinary game for a player of so little experience! San Francisco Argonaut, February 22, 1952.> |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: According to
http://graeme.50webs.com/chesschamp...
he was living in Brooklyn in 1944. Ten years later he was located in LA (see <2nd PanAm (1954)>He was also in Brooklyn in 1937: http://bklyn.newspapers.com/newspag... |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: Here's an endgame composition by Almgren
http://www.gadycosteff.com/eg/eg43....
click for larger view(White to move and draw) |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: And this one, from 1925:
https://gameknot.com/comment.pl?t=2...
click for larger view(White to mate-in-3) |
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| Dec-07-14 | | zanzibar: And one more for the road - from Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1937-03-18: <Chess Problem No. 1543
Sven Almgren Brooklyn, NY>
click for larger viewGiven as <(White to move and draw)> But Stockfish gives this as Black win with eval (-7.17/30). Who's right? |
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Feb-11-16
 | | andrewjsacks: Mr. Almgren was also very interested in endgame studies, and I believe that he composed some. In his later years he lived in Southern California. Interesting and likable character, he. |
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| Feb-12-16 | | valiant: <zanzibar: BTW- anybody know what year he emigrated to the US?> There is a story about Sven Almgren in Tidskrift för schack nr 3, mars 1949 (page 70-71)
http://www.schack.se/tfsarkiv/histo... He took part in a match between Los Angeles and San Francisco 1948 (score: 28,5 - 28,5). Almgren played vs Fink (picture on page 71). |
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Oct-15-17
 | | MissScarlett: <BTW- anybody know what year he emigrated to the US?> According to https://www.libertyellisfoundation...., he arrived in April 1927 from Gothenburg on the S.S. Stockholm, aged 26 and listed as a general worker. His place of birth is given as Enköping, not Eskilstuna (as above). He was one of 47 boards facing Capablanca in February 1928 (<BDE>, 1928.02.12), and by 1932 is Western Pennsylvania's defending champion (<Pittsburgh Press>, 1932.11.27). |
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Kibitzing
