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Top 10 Cool Facts about Max Euwe

Max Euwe was a Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator. 

Born on May 20, 1901, he was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. He served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.

Although Max Euwe was not a professional chess player and had a full-time job as a University professor, he is one of the best chess players the Netherlands has ever produced.

Here are the top 10 cool facts about him.

1. He was a Mathematician

Max Euwe studied mathematics at the University of Amsterdam under the founder of intuitionistic logic and later his friend L.E.J. Brouwer. He earned his doctorate in 1926 under Roland Weitzenböck.

After his graduation, he first taught mathematics at the University of Rotterdam, before joining the girl’s Lyceum in Amsterdam in the same capacity.

Max Euwe became interested in computer programming and was appointed a professor at the University of Rotterdam. He later joined Tilburg university, where he stayed until his retirement in 1971.

2. Euwe Played his first Chess Tournament at the Age of 10

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Max Euwe became interested in chess games when he was a small kid. He entered his first competitive chess tournament at the age of 10, in which he won all games he played.

Due to his commitment to his school studies, Euwe could play competitive chess only during school vacations. This made his opportunities for top-level international chess competitions very limited.

Despite the limitations, Euwe performed very well in the few tournaments and matches he participated in, and he became the world amateur chess champion in 1928.

3. Euwe Became world Champion in 1935

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After a series of wins in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Euwe challenged the world champion Alekhine to a championship match in 1933. Alekhine accepted the challenge, and the match was scheduled for October 1935. 

On December 15, 1935, after 30 games played in 13 different cities around the Netherlands over a period of 80 days, Euwe defeated Alekhine by 15½–14½, becoming the fifth World Chess Champion.

His win was regarded as a major upset as many believed his win against Alekhine was highly unlikely. The title gave a huge boost to chess in the Netherlands.

4. He Lost the  World Champion Title in 1937

Maxi Euwe held the world chess championship title from 1935 to 1937 after a re-match with Alekhine also played in the Netherlands. He lost the match by a lopsided margin of 15½–9½.

Alekhine had given up alcohol and tobacco to prepare for the rematch and had returned to the form he had shown from 1927–34 when he dominated chess.

The match was a real contest initially, but Euwe’s play collapsed near the end, and he lost four of the last five games. Max Euwe attributed the loss to nervous tension, possibly aggravated by his attempts to maintain a calm appearance.

5. He was Granted the Title of Chess Grandmaster in 1950

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Although Euwe was significantly older and well past his best years,  FIDE granted him the title of international grandmaster on its inaugural list in 1950. He later took part in the Gijón international tournament in 1951winning ahead of Pilnik and Rossolimo.

International Grandmaster is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is held for life.

Euwe’s final major tournament was the double round robin Candidates’ Tournament in Zürich, 1953, where he finished next to last. He won a total of 102 first prizes in tournaments during his career, many of them local.

6. He was FIDE President for Eight years

After his retirement from participating in competitive chess matches, Euwe became the president of FIDE in 1979, a position he held for eight years until 1978. As president, he usually did what he considered morally right rather than what was politically convenient.

During his tenure, Euwe promoted and improved the standard of world chess despite getting into occasional conflicts with the USSR Chess Federation.

USSR Chess Federation thought it had the right to dominate matters because it contributed a very large share of FIDE’s budget and Soviet players dominated the world rankings in the 1970s.

Recognized around the chess world for his many contributions, he traveled extensively while FIDE President, bringing many new members into the organization.

7. Euwe Authored over 70 Chess Books

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Apart from being a mathematician and a chess player, Euwe was also an accomplished writer. He wrote over 70 chess books, far more than any other chess World Champion.

some of the best-known are The Road to Chess Mastery, Judgement and Planning in Chess, The Logical Approach to Chess, and Strategy and Tactics in Chess.

Former Soviet grandmaster Sosonko used one of Euwe’s chess books as a textbook when teaching in the Leningrad House of Pioneers. Fischer World Champion, an account of the 1972 World Chess Championship match, co-authored by Euwe with Jan Timman, was written in 1972 but not published in English until 2002.

8. The Max Euwe-Centrum is Dedicated to Him

The Max Euwe-Centrum is located at the Max Euweplein 30-a in Amsterdam and was established in honor of Max Euwe. It also houses a unique museum that is entirely dedicated to Max Euwe.

A multitude of photographs, documents, and memorabilia, spread over the 27 wall panels and the display cases, portray the life and work of Max Euwe, framed in an overview of the history of chess from its earliest beginnings in India and the Arab world to now.

The museum also organizes small temporary exhibitions on all kinds of subjects related to chess. Permanent is a photo overview of all world champions and the Dutch grandmasters.

9. He Played against Bobby Fischer

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In 1957, Euwe played a short match against 14-year-old future world champion Bobby Fischer, winning one game and drawing the other.

Bobby Fischer was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight U.S. Championships at the age of 14. 

Euwe’S lifetime score against Fischer was one win, one loss, and one draw.

10. He Made Major Contributions to Chess Theory

Euwe was noted for his logical approach and for his knowledge of openings, in which he made major contributions to chess theory. Paradoxically his two title matches with Alekhine were displays of tactical ferocity from both sides.

He was very confident in some extraordinarily complex variations, and if he thought logic was on his side, he was extremely good at calculating these variations.