Today’s Models of Success
will be presented
in Dutch,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Bulgarian, Chinese,
Dutch, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Thai
and Spanish.
Welcome,
innovative viewers,
to this week’s episode of
Models of Success.
On today’s show,
we will feature
a world chess champion
and noted mathematician
from the Netherlands,
Dr. Machgielis Euwe.
Machgielis Euwe,
internationally known
as Max Euwe, was born
in Watergraafsmeer
near Amsterdam,
the Netherlands.
His mother and father
were avid chess players,
and taught young Max
how to play the game
when he was
only five years old.
It did not take long
for his natural talents
to show, and
soon Max was able to
understand how to
checkmate his parents
during their matches.
In school,
Max Euwe especially
loved mathematics,
as it not only strengthened
his logical thinking
but also helped him
advance in chess.
During the Christmas
season when
he was 10 years old,
Max Euwe took part in
his first chess tournament
and won every single game.
His winning further
fortified his confidence,
interest, and ambition
in the board game.
He also joined the
Amsterdam Chess Club,
which provided him with
a conducive atmosphere
for learning
by practicing with others
who shared his interest.
Four years
after having entered
his first competition,
Max Euwe began
to take part in
the Dutch Chess
Federation tournaments.
During his years
of playing there,
he was able to learn to
remain composed and
contemplative despite
the challenges of the game.
After graduating
from high school,
Max Euwe made his first
trip abroad to England,
where he participated in
the well-known Hastings
Chess Tournament and
came in fourth place among
notable chess players.
Max Euwe studied at the
University of Amsterdam
and majored
in the subject he loved
– mathematics.
He connected
his knowledge in this field
to his beloved game
of chess, utilizing
its logical, precise,
and algebraic principles
to fine-tune his skills
and strategies.
Later, he published
an interesting paper
in which he defined
what is now called
“Max Euwe’s Sequence.”
This shows that chess
can go on continuously,
even with the existing rule
which states:
“A chess game
ends with a draw
if a sequence of moves,
with all pieces in exactly
the same positions,
is played three times
successively.”
Since this previous rule
did not take into account
the length of the sequence,
Max Euwe
was able to prove
that it did not effectively
bind a chess game
to being finite.
To solve the problem
of games with
an infinite duration,
the proposed modification
was to also end a game
if no pawn is moved and
no piece is taken after
50 successive move pairs
(white-black
or black-white).
This improvised regulation
has been adopted
by the World Chess
Federation (FIDE),
which organizes
annual international
chess tournaments.
By the 1920s, Max Euwe
was a leading chess player
in his country,
winning his first
Dutch Championship
in August 1921.
His academic education
also developed alongside
his chess achievements.
In 1923, he graduated
with honors from
Amsterdam University.
Continuing his studies,
Max Euwe undertook
extensive research
in mathematics.
He was awarded
a doctorate degree
under the thesis
“Differential variants of
two co-variant vector fields
with four variables.”
Dr. Max Euwe
was appointed
as a high school teacher
of mathematics in Lyceum
for Girls in Amsterdam,
where he taught
for 14 years.
He still took part in
worldwide competitions
whenever he had free time.
In his mid-20s,
Dr. Max Euwe
had the opportunity
to play a match with
Alexander Alekhine,
to whom he narrowly lost.
Soon after,
Alexander Alekhine
rose to World
Chess Champion.
This served to enhance
Dr. Max Euwe’s
confidence in his abilities,
as his game
with Alexander Alekhine
had been so close.
He then played against
many renowned chess
grandmasters such as
Mr. Efim Bogoljubov
from Russia,
Mr. José Raúl Capablanca
from Cuba,
Mr. Rudolf Spielmann
from Austria,
and Mr. Salo Flohr
from Czech Republic,
and obtained
very optimistic scores
resulting in mostly draws
or wins.
During a tournament
in Berne, Switzerland,
Dr. Max Euwe
took second place
to Alexander Alekhine.
In the summer of 1935,
Max Euwe once again
invited Alexander Alekhine
to a game of chess.
When asked the reason,
he simply replied:
“First of all, it’s
a very high honor for me
to play a match for
the World Championship;
and second,
my… country would like
to have a national hero.”
This famous playoff
lasted for months
and was held
at 23 different locations.
Chess Grandmaster
Mr. Lodewijk Prins
and International
Chess Arbiter
Mr. Baruch Harold Wood
once described Dr. Euwe’s
immense abilities:
“When his genius
is functioning
at its smoothest
he strides confidently
into some extraordinary
complex positions:
he is no disciple
of simplicity.”
Dr. Max Euwe held
the most wins against
Alexander Alekhine,
making him the new
World Chess Champion
of this distinguished
tournament and
signifying the peak of
his overall chess career.
After this,
Dr. Euwe still occasionally
took part in tournaments;
however,
he also began to focus
his interest elsewhere.
When we return after
these brief messages,
we will take a look at
some other achievements
of the Chess Grandmaster
from the Netherlands,
Dr. Max Euwe.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Illuminating viewers,
welcome back to
Models of Success.
On today’s episode,
we are featuring
Dr. Max Euwe, the fifth
World Chess Champion
and distinguished
mathematician
from the Netherlands.
Since learning
the ways of chess
at the tender age of five,
Max Euwe had been
fascinated by
the complex mindset
of the game and
continued to advance to
playing and triumphing
in matches with
world famous players.
He was also very proficient
in mathematics, a field
in which he conducted
intensive research.
Mathematics
not only helped him
develop his logic but also
led him to approach the
board game algebraically.
Some of his
most notable games
were the Max Euwe
versus Efim Bogolyubov
in Budapest, Hungary,
and Max Euwe
versus Geza Maroczy
in Bad Aussee, Austria
matches in 1921,
as well as
the Siegbert Tarrasch
versus Max Euwe game
in Amsterdam,
the Netherlands in 1923,
to name some of his
many beautiful matches.
Dr. Max Euwe often used
very scientific and
methodical strategies
in his chess games.
He would record
every possible variation
he could think for
the opening and ending
of a game and
try each of them out
during his tournaments.
In addition to
mind preparation,
Dr. Euwe also physically
conditioned his body
with such activities as
swimming and gymnastics
before each game.
After months
of competing with
Alexander Alekhine,
which finally concluded
in Berne, Switzerland,
Dr. Max Euwe
earned the title of
World Chess Champion,
which he held
for two years.
Because he was
an amateur player,
Dr. Max Euwe
did not receive
any financial reward
in his world tournaments.
However,
his victory garnered
much honor and respect
for his home country.
In addition, it helped
make chess more popular
in the Netherlands,
and chess clubs
began to bear his name.
Indeed, the love of chess
was most important
to Dr. Euwe,
and his underlying reason
for participating
in competitions.
In the 1940s, Dr. Max Euwe
led a chain store
food company,
and through this
he organized underground
food delivery services
to people in less fortunate
parts of Europe.
A decade later,
Dr. Euwe’s
inquisitive nature led him
to become interested in
a technological domain
– computers.
He first became
a scientific advisor to
the computer department
of the early American
business machines
manufacturer
Remington Rand.
Dr. Euwe later moved on
to being the Director
of the Research Center
for Automatic
Data Processing
in the Netherlands.
His research group
focused on areas such as
telecommunications,
Dutch language
computer dictionary,
and a universal
programming language.
As Dr. Max Euwe
was one of few
who were proficient
in computer informatics
at that time, he was
appointed professor of
the field of Informatics
and Cybernetics at the
University of Rotterdam,
the University of Tilburg,
and the University
of Mantach.
Dr. Euwe also
chaired a research which
studied the possibility of
running a chess program
on a computer in order to
test arrays of
artificial intelligence.
Though computer chess
was still a dream
in those days, the
widespread technological
chess programs today
are attributed to
Dr. Max Euwe’s
original research.
In 1970, Dr. Max Euwe
was appointed
the President of the
World Chess Federation
(FIDE), a position
he held for eight years.
Dr. Euwe travelled
around the world
at his personal expense
in order to
seek prominent players.
During this time,
FIDE also opened
its membership to
many additional countries.
Perhaps one of the most
harmonious events which
Dr. Euwe supported
was the
“Match of the Century,”
a chess tournament between
Mr. Bobby Fischer
and Mr. Boris Spassky.
Through Dr. Max Euwe’s
tireless negotiations
and determination,
this tournament
eventually took place
and symbolized the first
diplomatic communication
between the West
and the East
during that period.
During his lifetime,
Dr. Max Euwe wrote
over 70 chess books,
far more than any other
world chess champion.
The most popular
of these works are
“The Road
to Chess Mastery,”
“Judgment and Planning
in Chess,”
“The Logical Approach
to Chess,”
“Strategy and Tactics
in Chess Play,” and
“Practical Chess Lessons.”
Through all of
his achievements,
Dr. Max Euwe approached
everything he did
with great care.
Dutch chess Grandmaster
Gennadi Sosonko recalls
his experience
with Dr. Max Euwe
when he was reviewing
his fan mail:
“These letters were
all very similar,
and almost always
included requests –
for autographs, photos,
or books.
‘Do you think
this will be enough?’
he would usually ask me,
as he signed
a piece of paper
or autographed a photo.
‘More than enough,’
I would reply.
‘Do you really think
it’s enough?’
he would say, doubtfully.”
Dr. Max Euwe’s
determination,
intellectual curiosity,
and willingness
to learn from others
helped him excel
in numerous fields,
from chess to mathematics
to technology.
He did not seek honor
for himself but
always for his country.
His wholehearted dedication
to everything he did
made him an enduring
role model for many.
Thank you
for joining us today on
Models of Success.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television
for Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living
coming up next,
after Noteworthy News.
May your days
be blessed with peace,
joy, and wonders.
Thank you
for joining us today on
Models of Success.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television
for Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living
coming up next,
after Noteworthy News.
May your days
be blessed with peace,
joy, and wonders.
The delicious
and nutritious Savory
Fermented Soybean
Noodle Soup
is a traditional dish
known by
Aulacese (Vietnamese)
people everywhere.
This noodle soup
has a rich taste,
very easy to make,
and its ingredients
are easy to find.
Also, we use lots of
fresh vegetables
and roots to cook,
so it’s very nutritious.
Join us as we learn more
about this scrumptious
authentic southern
Aulacese dish,
Savory Fermented
Soybean Noodle Soup,
this Tuesday, December 15,
here on
Supreme Master Television’s
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Join us as we learn more
about this scrumptious
authentic southern
Aulacese dish,
Savory Fermented
Soybean Noodle Soup,
today, here on
Supreme Master Television’s
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Hanukkah commemorates
God’s miracles.
It’s a holiday about
freedom, about faith
in what you believe in.
It’s the Festival of Light.
In any dark place,
even if we keep
just a small flame,
this can grow into
a very very big flame.
So it fills me with hope,
Hanukkah.
Join us on this magical
Jewish holiday
this Sunday,
on A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.