Nov

29

Najdorf, from Nigel Davies

November 29, 2007 |

NajdorfI like to collect biographical games collections of particular players, when I can get them at a good price. But my negotiations with one particular chess bookstore feature the proprietor trying to give me the book I want and then me beating him up to a higher price.

Last weekend I spyed Najdorf's life and games and it was all I could do to pay for it. "It was remaindered" he told me, "I got it for a pound". "But you've got running costs" was my retort, you need to make a profit. I tried to go higher, he tried to go lower. Eventually we settled on 3 pounds.

I still think I got a bargain, Najdorf (1910-1997) was a wonderful player and interesting personality who argued with just about everyone. I learned that he performed his fabled blindfold exhibitions so that the news might reach his family who were trapped in Poland. He left for the 1939 Buenos Aires Olympiad just prior to Hitler's invasion and found himself unable to return. The news never reached them, Najdorf and his family were Jewish.

When asked about his definition of intelligence Najdorf answered immediately that it was the speed with which someone changed their mind to meet circumstances. Despite becoming very wealthy in insurance, his view of money was to live as a rich man but die as a poor one; he didn't want to be the richest man in the cemetery. And every day he played chess with someone and reviewed some of the latest games.

I met Najdorf once and can't say that I liked him. But such people are often the ones from whom we can learn the most.


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