Copenhagen’s Successful Easter Tournament

And so it is over once again, and a whole year must pass before the Danish Chess Union’s national tournament returns with all its enjoyable and eventful days of chess—days which players and spectators, newspaper readers and radio listeners may fairly be said to have experienced this time as fully as ever before. This was not only because the event once again set a participation record, but also because both the individual games and the standings in the various sections produced many exciting situations.

The Easter tournament continues to grow, and Copenhagen, which has hosted it more frequently than any other city, once again had the honour of organizing it. How many hours of work and how much devotion to the cause of chess are required to register the numerous, and in some cases very large, sections—E. Passow—to provide accommodation and meals for all interested participants—Johs. Lund—and to ensure the smooth conduct of what were sometimes several hundred games a day, with the correct pairings—I. P. Christensen, Johs. Lund and Frantz Fiedler. Yet these are only some of the main problems involved in organizing the Easter tournament. Every participant certainly owes the organizers a debt of gratitude.

The tournament’s attractive programme, which immediately put the players into the proper chess mood, mentioned the healthy rivalry taking place over the board between, among others, players from the capital and those from the provinces. Naturally, this rivalry becomes particularly noticeable when Copenhagen, as on this occasion, enjoys home advantage. In fact, the Copenhagen participants performed very well, with many prize-winners in the various sections, though without dominating the competition.

The lists that follow show that, of the sixteen first prizes in all classes and sections, the hosts—the players from Greater Copenhagen—won exactly half. The organizers had also obtained no fewer than seventeen special prizes, donated by the City of Copenhagen and by well-known newspaper publishers, businesses and chess organizations in the city.

During the competition in the Championship Group, an anonymous donor offered 200 kroner for the best game.

The Contest in the Championship Group

It may safely be said that the competition in the Championship Group was fully equal to that of previous tournaments. There were blunders of various magnitudes, as is only proper in a tournament played by human beings rather than chess machines. But there was also lively play, changing situations and a number of good games, particularly attractive from the attackers’ point of view. As so often before, the struggle for first place remained undecided until the final game.

With an excellent start, including three consecutive victories, Verner Nielsen dominated the first half of the tournament. Then Eigil Pedersen, who had suffered a defeat against Verner Nielsen in one of the early rounds, produced a long series of victories. These included an elegant combinational win over Chr. Poulsen.

After eight rounds, Verner Nielsen and Eigil Pedersen shared first place with 5½ points each, followed by Poul Hage with 5 points.

The final phase was particularly exciting because several of the leading players still had to meet one another. In the ninth round, Poul Hage defeated Verner Nielsen, who had accepted a Queen’s Gambit and appeared to have achieved a satisfactory position. He waited too long, however, before driving away a knight, after which Hage attacked on the queenside and created a passed pawn that advanced all the way.

Eigil Pedersen gradually obtained the better game with Black against Jens Enevoldsen, but he had now developed the habit of winning and was determined to do so again. His excessive ambition was punished: he was driven back, lost a pawn and eventually lost the game.

Before the penultimate round, Hage therefore led with 6 points from 8 games, half a point ahead of Verner Nielsen and Eigil Pedersen.

The Final Two Rounds

In the penultimate round, Hage had Black against Evald Lauridsen and made great efforts to secure a victory. He built up an attacking position against Lauridsen’s kingside, although the position was not easy to break through.

Despite being in time trouble, Black sacrificed a piece in an attempt to force the issue. He emerged from the interesting complications with a rook against two minor pieces. Hage’s pressure along the files nevertheless remained so strong that the adjourned game was eventually drawn.

Eigil Pedersen played an “Ultra-Catalan” with White against Håhr and won quite quickly on the queenside, while Verner Nielsen lost his Exchange Variation of the Spanish Game against Bjørn Nielsen.

Before the final round, the position was therefore:

• Poul Hage — 6½ points
• Eigil Pedersen — 6½ points
• Bjørn Nielsen — 5½ points plus an adjourned game
• Verner Nielsen — 5½ points

Hage and Eigil Pedersen were to meet each other in the final round.

Hage had White against Eigil Pedersen. The opening was the Four Knights Game, defended with an older variation. Hage gradually obtained the advantage in the positional struggle, won the exchange and, on the following day, won the adjourned game.

Bjørn Nielsen attempted to attack with White against Evald Lauridsen using a new Queen’s Gambit variation involving a pawn sacrifice. He eventually won a bishop, although Black received three pawns as partial compensation. In time trouble the bishop was badly placed and the win became doubtful, but White’s final remaining pawn proved decisive.

Verner Nielsen appeared to have lost some of the fine form he had shown at the beginning and lost, this time to Håhr.

The final adjourned game of the section, a rook ending between Bjørn Nielsen and Kupferstich, was won by White after prolonged play.

The Final Assessment

Poul Hage began somewhat uncertainly but gradually improved. He defeated Jens Enevoldsen convincingly, for example, and took a formidable revenge for two previous defeats against Bjørn Nielsen by means of a fine pawn sacrifice followed by a breakthrough.

Considering that Hage entered the tournament—which had certainly not become less demanding following the introduction of a five-hour playing session—without any particular chess preparation, his final placing was especially convincing.

Eigil Pedersen’s third place came as a surprise even to himself, but it was thoroughly deserved and constituted a genuinely fine debut, marked by imaginative and combination-rich play.

As already mentioned, Verner Nielsen’s solid play brought him success through a long sequence of rounds, but toward the end there appeared to be a reaction.

Julius Nielsen played a consistently solid tournament, whereas Chr. Poulsen was erratic, though he demonstrated his well-known attacking ability, among others against Hage.

For the remaining competitors, fortune was less favourable. They all made uncertain starts and were probably below their usual form.

This applies particularly to the defending champion, Jens Enevoldsen, who on this occasion seemed unable to devote the necessary concentration and energy to his play. The importance of such intensive involvement in the struggle is demonstrated by the fact that this year none of the competitors avoided defeat.

Enevoldsen’s result was the surprise of the tournament, but in future events he will fight to restore his reputation and prove that his performance in the 1949 Easter tournament was merely a temporary phenomenon.