Paulsen - Lange, 1864.

Morning everyone.

You are quite right - I love my old chess pictures.

A couple of days ago I found the one given above, here. 

What a wonderful image!! I don't think I have ever seen it before, and so decided to share it by building a short article around it. ( That doesn't mean it has not been given in a printed source that I don't have, or that it isn't on a website somewhere - just that I don't recall seeing it!!)

The term 'Westdeutschen Schachbundes' may be new to you. Until 1880, when they amalgamated into the national 'Deutscher Schachbund', there were three chess organisations covering what was then Germany. The 'Nord', 'West' and 'Mittel'.

Max Lange was one of the founders of the 'Westdeutschen' organisation, and as you can see, produced a yearbook for them.

(Before going any further on Max Lange - There is a little trap for historians. The only time I have had the temerity to correct a published historian is on this point. There was a second player and writer with the same name, who edited various Berlin chess columns over the end of the 19th century into the twentieth, and played in various 'Hauptturniers'. He is sometimes referred to as 'Dr. Max Lange', and there is a reference to him in the Barmen 1905 book.)

 O.K., we all know the name Max Lange - he has an opening line named after him that opening repertoire books have been reccommending for many a long year. He was a pretty strong player. He won the Westdeutscher Schachbund championship 4 times - in 1662, 1863 and 1864 ( all in Dusseldorf) and at Aachen in 1868. Interestingly he also won the Norddeutschland title, in Hamburg in 1868.

He was, however, more influential as an organiser and writer/editor, for his work on various periodicals.

Having started on the Westdeutscher Schachbund, I will add that Lange's opponent in the games I will give, Louis Paulsen, was also active in their tournaments. He won3 - Krefeld 1871, Frankfurt 1878, and the final one before the amalgamation, at Braunschweig in 1880. Like Lange, he also won a Norddeutschland Championship at Leipzig in 1877.

With regards to Paulsen, I came across the following picture recently, of Paulsen and Morphy.

Further infomation on that one would be welcomed!!

O.K. some chess. In Schachzeitung, 1864, Lange gives the games of a 'match' with Paulsen. ( As mentioned elsewhere, the whole question of what constitutes a match back in those days is a knotty question!!) 

His introduction to the first game is as follows.

(Erstes Spiel aus der kurzen Reihe von Partien, welche M. Lange während der ersten Zeit des Februar,
die er nach fast jahrelanger Abwesenheit wieder in Leipzig zubrachte,
dort mit L. Paulsen zu machen Gelegenheit nahm.
Gespielt am 2. Febr. Abds. 7–11 Uhr)

Quick Simaginfan translation.

(The First game from the short series of games which M. Lange played during the first part of February,
after he returned to Leipzig, following almost a yearlong absence,
and while there took the chance to play against L. Paulsen.
Played on February 2 from 7-11 o'clock in the evening.)

The games.

As you can see, Paulsen won this particular encounter by 5 win to 2, according to the games given by Lange. The dates in the game scores are inacurrate! Didn't get round to correcting them!

The full version of the picture.

 A quick side point. 

The two players met in Max Lange's last tournament, on which a nice aticle can be found here.

http://www.chessarch.com/archive/0033_Nuremburg/index.shtml

It includes the following picture.

 The game between the two players on that occassion.

A great 2018 to everyone.

Cheers, 

Simaginfan.