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Who is Herman Eisel?
November 2, 2018
I subscribe to a service of Olimpiu G. Urcan, in which he sends almost daily historical chess snippets.
One recent has Canadian content and I post the entire article, with a hope that a ChessTalk reader can give some biographical details of Mr. Eisel:
Eisel's Tactical Fortune
Defeating two elite grandmasters in simultaneous play in the same year is a dream-like scenario reserved to very few club-level amateurs. One of them is Herman Eisel, an obscure player active in Montreal's chess circles of the mid-1960s. In the first half of 1963, Eisel won from two elite Yugoslavian grandmasters during their simultaneous exhibitions in the "City of a Hundred Steeples."
Petar Trifunović was the first to experience Eisel's excellent flair for tactics. According to the Montreal Gazette of early January, after spending two months in the United States, the Yugoslavian grandmaster gave two exhibitions in Montreal: a 27-board display on January 5 at the International YMCA (+ 19 - 2 = 6) and a 20-board exhibition on the next day at the NDG Chess Centre (+ 16 = 4). A detailed report on page 7 of the January 8 issue of the Gazette provided an interview with the grandmaster as well. Quizzed about his own land, Trifunović emphasized: "We can speak, we can criticize. We have enough freedom in Yugoslavia." And when asked about his views of America after his sojourn there, he commented:
My impression is much better than before. The work impressed me, the Americans work very hard...much harder than at home. Americans used to come to Europe to look at the old buildings. Now it is time for us to come to this modern land. We need to come - because what we learn from newspapers and books is not good. In the United States, I even saw sons of millionaires working. In Yugoslavia all they see about United States is cowboys and Indians, Frank Sinatra and Doris Day in a gold dress. It is not good.
The January 12 Gazette column published the score of Eisel's win over Trifunović. Thanks to unprincipled opening play, Eisel was in trouble after 18 moves but then he snatched the initiative with clever tactical play, forced the grandmaster to an uncomfortable defense and then swindled him.
Seven months later, on August 25, Svetozar Gligorić, another elite Yugoslavian grandmaster, gave a 23-board simultaneous display at the Boulevard Chess Club in Montreal (+ 15 - 2 = 5). On August 26, he also gave an 8-board simultaneous display with clocks, winning all games. Eisel took part in the first exhibition and, once again, he handled the opening part of the game poorly but, after the grandmaster opted to return some of the material for a pretty attack, he defended well. Then, at his 23rd move, Eisel was given an unexpected tactical lifeline. He took his chance and turned the game around once again. The full score was printed on page 40 of the September 7 edition of the Gazette.
Finding biographical details about Herman Eisel is challenging. His name does not appear in other American or Canadian newspaper chess columns of the time. An uncorroborated press report stated he was 24 at the time of his play against two of Yugoslavia's finest.
__________
Can anyone supply the games cited?
November 2, 2018
I subscribe to a service of Olimpiu G. Urcan, in which he sends almost daily historical chess snippets.
One recent has Canadian content and I post the entire article, with a hope that a ChessTalk reader can give some biographical details of Mr. Eisel:
Eisel's Tactical Fortune
Defeating two elite grandmasters in simultaneous play in the same year is a dream-like scenario reserved to very few club-level amateurs. One of them is Herman Eisel, an obscure player active in Montreal's chess circles of the mid-1960s. In the first half of 1963, Eisel won from two elite Yugoslavian grandmasters during their simultaneous exhibitions in the "City of a Hundred Steeples."
Petar Trifunović was the first to experience Eisel's excellent flair for tactics. According to the Montreal Gazette of early January, after spending two months in the United States, the Yugoslavian grandmaster gave two exhibitions in Montreal: a 27-board display on January 5 at the International YMCA (+ 19 - 2 = 6) and a 20-board exhibition on the next day at the NDG Chess Centre (+ 16 = 4). A detailed report on page 7 of the January 8 issue of the Gazette provided an interview with the grandmaster as well. Quizzed about his own land, Trifunović emphasized: "We can speak, we can criticize. We have enough freedom in Yugoslavia." And when asked about his views of America after his sojourn there, he commented:
My impression is much better than before. The work impressed me, the Americans work very hard...much harder than at home. Americans used to come to Europe to look at the old buildings. Now it is time for us to come to this modern land. We need to come - because what we learn from newspapers and books is not good. In the United States, I even saw sons of millionaires working. In Yugoslavia all they see about United States is cowboys and Indians, Frank Sinatra and Doris Day in a gold dress. It is not good.
The January 12 Gazette column published the score of Eisel's win over Trifunović. Thanks to unprincipled opening play, Eisel was in trouble after 18 moves but then he snatched the initiative with clever tactical play, forced the grandmaster to an uncomfortable defense and then swindled him.
Seven months later, on August 25, Svetozar Gligorić, another elite Yugoslavian grandmaster, gave a 23-board simultaneous display at the Boulevard Chess Club in Montreal (+ 15 - 2 = 5). On August 26, he also gave an 8-board simultaneous display with clocks, winning all games. Eisel took part in the first exhibition and, once again, he handled the opening part of the game poorly but, after the grandmaster opted to return some of the material for a pretty attack, he defended well. Then, at his 23rd move, Eisel was given an unexpected tactical lifeline. He took his chance and turned the game around once again. The full score was printed on page 40 of the September 7 edition of the Gazette.
Finding biographical details about Herman Eisel is challenging. His name does not appear in other American or Canadian newspaper chess columns of the time. An uncorroborated press report stated he was 24 at the time of his play against two of Yugoslavia's finest.
__________
Can anyone supply the games cited?
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