Efim Dimitrievich Bogoljubov, 1952

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June 19 1952

Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, Hollywood, California, Thursday, June 19, 1952

Death Checkmates Ewfim Bogoljubov
Triberg, Germany, June 19. (AP)—Ewfim Bogoljubow, 64, Russian exile three-time German national chess champion, is dead.

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July 11 1952

The Guardian, London, Greater London, England, Friday, July 11, 1952

Bogoljubow
The death is announced at the age of 64 of Ewfim D. Bogoljubow, one of the great figures in chess. His best days were in the twenties, culminating in his remarkable victory in the Moscow tournament of 1925, where he finished well ahead of Em. Lasker, Capablanca, and other front-rank masters.
In his later years his powers gradually fell off and present-day players tended to forget what a great player he was. That is the fate of most masters who do not follow Morphy's example and retire at the height of their fame. Bogoljubow's chief characteristics were imagination and originality. They served him well against lesser mortals, but against players of his own class they cost him many a point, although even when playing Alekhine he won more than a few fine games.

In the following brevity from a Stockholm tournament in 1920 (playing White) against Wendel he shows an almost puckish humour:

Efim Bogoljubov (white) vs. Verner Wendel (black)
2nd Stockholm Jubilee (1920), Stockholm, Sweden
Dutch Defense: Spielmann Gambit

Descriptive 1. P-Q4 P-KB4 2. N-QB3 N-KB3 3. P-KN4 NxP 4. P-K4 P-K4 5. PxBP Q-R5 6. Q-K2 N-QB3 7. N-B3 Q-R4 8. N-Q5 B-Q3 9. NxP BxN 10. PxB QxBP 11. B-R3 P-KR4 12. P-KB3 Q-B2 13. NxPch K-Q 14. NxR N-Q5 15. PxN 1-0

Algebraic 1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g4 Nxg4 4. e4 e5 5. exf5 Qh4 6. Qe2 Nc6 7. Nf3 Qh5 8. Nd5 Bd6 9. Nxe5 Bxe5 10. dxe5 Qxf5 11. Bh3 h5 12. f3 Qf7 13. Nxc7+ Kd8 14. Nxa8 Nd4 15. fxg4 1-0

1. Against 2. … P-Q4; trying to prevent the gambit continuation 3. P-K4, Bogoljubov had thought out the following line, relying more on his own ingenuity than on the soundness of the conception; 3. P-K4, QPxP; 4. B-N5 (or B-QB4), followed by N-R3, or P-KB3, with good attacking chances.
2. The idea is 3. … PxP; 4. P-K4 P-Q3; 5. P-KR3, and White acquires great mobility.
3. Forcing Black to continue to attack, when he should be more concerned with his means of defence.
4. The cat among the pigeons. There is no adequate reply.
5. Plausible, for he threatens 11. … N-Q5. If at once 10. … N-Q5; 11. Q-K4.
6. An amusing ending; 15. … NxQ; 16. B-N5ch K-K1; 17. N-B7ch K-B1; 18. R-KB1, &c. A delightful miniature.

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