Machgielis (Max) Euwe was a genius in mathematics and chess, born May 20, 1901. Born near Amsterdam, he earned his doctorate at the University of Amsterdamin 1926. He applied his passion of math to chess, analyzing the game and publishing his finding that the current chess rules had not taken into account the possibility of infinite games.
From 1921 to 1952, Euwe participated in many Dutch chess championships and won every tournament that he entered. His 12 titles in the Dutch championship are still a record even to this day. He covers the boards as champion, only leaving gaps during the times in which he chose not to compete. In 1928, at The Hague, Euwe became a world amateur chess champion.
Euwe was limited in comparison with many chess players of his day. The young man had a family to take care of, leaving him to only compete in competitive chess during vacations. In the few matches that he could pursue, however, he showed excellence at every step. His strength increased with every big-name chess player that he defeated. Elites such as Alekhine (1926), Capablanca(1931) and Spielmann (1935) all lost to Euwe in their games, showing the young player to be of exceptional talent.
On December 15, 1935 Euwe proved his skills to the world when he defeated Alekhine and became the fifth World Chess Champion. Frustrating Alekhine and impressing chess players everywhere, Euwe spawned a resurgence in Alekhine’s wish to succeed. The past champion fervently trained and, in a tension filled-match against Euwe, regained his title as World Chess Champion. These matches brought him to the height of his career and of his fame as a chess player.
Alekhine held this title until his death in 1946, after which many viewed Euwe as the obvious choice as the next World Chess Champion. Euwe instead was a one of five participants in a tournament formed in 1948 to select the newest champion. Unfortunately, at 47, Euwe was significantly older than his peers and was found to be past his prime, finishing in last place.
Despite this, Euwe would always be remembered as a great, winning a grand total of 102 first prizes in his competitive career. Surprisingly, Euwe never was a true professional player, which poses the question of how much more amazing would his performance be if he took on chess as his main agenda? In 1981 Max Euwe died of a heart attack at the age of 80, leaving behind his fascinating history as a chess player.
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog