Salo (Salomon) Landau (1 April 1903,

Bochnia Bochnia (german: Salzberg) is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Eu ...

, Galicia,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

– March 1944,Westerbork Cartotheek NIOD Amsterdam Grodziszcze, Świdnica County, Poland) was a Dutch

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

player, who died in a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

Biography

Early life

Salo was born into a Jewish family in

, Poland (then Galicia,

). In 1914 (World War I), the Landau family fled to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and young Salo was sent to friends in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

in the Netherlands.

Chess career

For some years, he was the Dutch number two, behind

Max Euwe Machgielis "Max" Euwe (; May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. He served as ...

. In July 1924, Landau took 4th at Antwerp. In May 1926, he tied for 4th–5th at Scarborough. In 1926/27, he took 7th at

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

(Reserve Tournament). In 1927, he finished 2nd to

Richard Réti Richard Selig Réti (28 May 1889 – 6 June 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian, later Czechoslovakian, chess player, chess author, and composer of endgame studies. He was one of the principal proponents of hypermodernism in chess. With the exc ...

, at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. In 1927, Landau lost a match against Réti at

(+1 –5 =0). In 1927, he tied for 4 th-6 th at

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

. In July 1927, he tied for 2nd–3rd at London (Reserve). In 1927/28, he took 3rd at Hastings (Reserve). In 1928, he tied for 3rd–4th at

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. In 1928, he took 2nd, behind

Henri Weenink Henri Gerard Marie Weenink (17 October 1892, Amsterdam – 2 December 1931) was a Dutch chess player and a problem composer. He took 2nd, behind Fick, at Amsterdam 1918/19; tied for 4-5th at Amsterdam 1919 (Richard Réti and Max Marchand won), t ...

, at Amsterdam (

Dutch Chess Championship The Dutch Chess Championship was officially established in 1909, although unofficial champions stretch back to the 1870s. Early years : Official championships The official championship was established in 1909 as a biennial, twelve-player, round-ro ...

). In December 1928, he took 2nd, behind van den Bosch, at The Hague. In 1928, he tied for 1st with van den Bosch at Zwolle. In 1928/29, he tied for 2 nd-3rd with Pitschak, behind

Ludwig Rellstab Heinrich Friedrich Ludwig Rellstab (13 April 179927 November 1860) was a German poet and music critic. He was born and died in Berlin. He was the son of the music publisher and composer Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab. An able pianist, he publi ...

, at Hastings (Reserve B). In February 1929, he took 3rd at

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

. In July 1929, he tied for 2nd–3rd with Weenink, behind Euwe, at Amsterdam (8th Dutch championship). In 1929, he tied for 2nd–3rd at The Hague. In 1929/30, he won at Hastings (Reserve B). In February 1930, he tied for 3rd–4th at Amsterdam. In 1930, he took 4th at

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. In August 1930, he came fourth and last at Rotterdam (''Quadrangular''). Landau had one outstanding result at Rotterdam in 1931, where he finished 1st ahead of

Edgard Colle Edgard Colle (18 May 1897 – 19 April 1932) was a Belgian chess master. He scored excellent results in major international tournaments, including first at Amsterdam 1926, ahead of Savielly Tartakower and future world champion Max Euwe; fir ...

Savielly Tartakower Savielly Tartakower (also known as ''Xavier'' or ''Ksawery'' ''Tartakower'', less often ''Tartacover'' or ''Tartakover''; 21 February 1887 – 4 February 1956) was a Polish and French chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grand ...

, and

Akiba Rubinstein Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1 December 1880 – 14 March 1961) was a Polish chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest players never to have become World Chess Champion. Rubinstein was granted the title Grandmaster (chess), ...

, defeating all three in the process. Landau played and lost some matches: in 1930 against

Géza Maróczy Géza Maróczy (; 3 March 1870 – 29 May 1951) was a Hungarian chess player, one of the leading players in the world in his time. He was one of the inaugural recipients of the title International Grandmaster from FIDE in 1950. Early career G ...

(+0 –3 =0) at Amsterdam; in 1930 against

(+0 –3 =2) at Amsterdam; in 1931 against

(+1 –3 =2) at Amsterdam; in 1932 against

Salo Flohr Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr (November 21, 1908 – July 18, 1983) was a Czechoslovak and Soviet chess player and writer. He was among the first recipients of the title International Grandmaster from FIDE in 1950. Flohr dominated many tournam ...

(+0 –1 =3) at Rotterdam; in 1933 against

Rudolf Spielmann Rudolf Spielmann (5 May 1883 – 20 August 1942) was a Jewish-Austrian chess player of the romantic school, and chess writer. Career Spielmann was born in 1883, third child of Moritz and Cecilia Spielmann, and had a younger brother Edgar, an o ...

(+1 –2 =3) at Rotterdam; in 1934 against

Andor Lilienthal Andor (André, Andre, Andrei) Arnoldovich LilienthalReuben Fine, ''The World's Great Chess Games'', Dover Publications, 1983, p. 216. . (5 May 1911 – 8 May 2010) was a Hungarian and Soviet chess player. In his long career, he played against ten ...

(+1 –2 =3) at Amsterdam; in 1934 against Euwe (+1 –4 =1) at Amsterdam. In Autumn 1934, he won (+6 –0 =0), and drew (+4 –4 =2) matches against

Johannes van den Bosch Johannes, Count van den Bosch (2 February 1780 – 28 January 1844) was a Dutch officer and politician. He was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1830–1833), commander of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, Minister of Colonies ...

. He represented his adopted country on fourth board in

3rd Chess Olympiad The 3rd Chess Olympiad (german: Die 3. Schacholympiade), organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between July 13 and July 27, 1930, in Hamburg ...

at Hamburg 1930 (+5 –7 =3), and on second board in

7th Chess Olympiad The 7th Chess Olympiad ( sv, Den 7:e Schackolympiad), organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and (unofficial) women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between July 31 and August 14, 1937, ...

at Stockholm 1937 (+5 –2 =8). In 1933, he tied for 4th–6th at Scheveningen (Flohr won). In February 1934, he took 2nd, behind

Alexander Alekhine Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine, ''Aleksándr Aleksándrovich Alékhin''; (March 24, 1946) was a Russian and French chess player and the fourth World Chess Champion, a title he held for two reigns. By the age of 22, Alekhine was already a ...

, at Rotterdam (Qudragular). In October–December 1935, during the World Championship match between Alekhine and Euwe in the Netherlands, Landau served as official second for Alekhine. In May 1936, he tied for 3rd–4th at Ostend. In July 1936, he tied for 7th–9th at Zandvoort. In 1936, he lost two matches against Spielmann, at Amsterdam (+0 –4 =4), and at Zandvoort (+1 –3 =3). In 1936, he tied for 4th–6th at Hanover. In October 1936, he tied for 1st with Alekhine at Amsterdam (''Quadrangular''). In October 1936, he tied for 4th–6th at Amsterdam. In 1936, he won the 10th Dutch national championship (although the world champion, Euwe, did not compete). In April 1937, he tied for 4th–5th at Ostend. In June–July 1937, he tied for 15th–16th at Kemeri, but won the best game prize. In June 1938, he tied for 5th–6th at

Noordwijk Noordwijk () is a town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water and had a population of in . On 1 January 2019, the former municipality of Noordwij ...

. In 1938, he tied for 5th–6th at Amsterdam (11th Dutch ch.). In November 1938, he was the referee in famous

AVRO AVRO, short for Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep ("General Association of Radio Broadcasting"), was a Dutch public broadcasting association operating within the framework of the Nederlandse Publieke Omroep system. It was the first public broad ...

Tournament. In 1938/39, he tied for 3 rd-4th with

Vasja Pirc Vasja Pirc () (December 19, 1907 – June 2, 1980) was a Slovenian chess player. He is best known in competitive chess circles as a strong exponent of the hypermodern defense now generally known as the Pirc Defense. Pirc was champion of Yugosl ...

, behind Szabo and Euwe, at Hastings. In 1939, he tied for 4 th-6th at Amsterdam (KNSB), shared 1st with Euwe at Amsterdam (VARA) took 3rd at Baarn B, tied for 4th–5th at Barnemouth. In 1939 he also drew a match against

Theo van Scheltinga Tjeerd (Theo) Daniel van Scheltinga (6 March 1914, Amsterdam – 30 July 1994) was a Dutch chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1950. Van Scheltinga was one of the leading Dutch players from 1936 to the late 1950s. ...

at Amsterdam (+3 –3 =4), drew a match against László Szabó at Amsterdam (+2 –2 =6), won at Amsterdam (the 12th NED-ch), and lost a match for the Dutch Champion title to former World Champion Euwe (+0 –5 =5). During World War II, in 1940, he won at Baarn (''Quadrangular''), took 4th at Delft (''Quadrangular''), tied for 3rd–4th at Amsterdam (VAS), tied for 4th–7th at Rotterdam (Kamstra Cup), and tied for 1st–3rd with

Nicolaas Cortlever Nicolaas (Nico) Cortlever (14 June 1915, in Amsterdam – 5 April 1995) was a Dutch chess master. He tied for 7-8th at Rotterdam 1936 (10th Dutch Chess Championship, NED-ch, Salo Landau won); took 2nd at Amsterdam 1938 (11th NED-ch, Max Euwe won) ...

and

Lodewijk Prins Lodewijk Prins (27 January 1913, Amsterdam – 11 November 1999) was a Dutch chess player and referee of chess competitions. Prins was awarded the International Master title in 1950, and was made an International Arbiter in 1960. In 1982 FI ...

at Leeuwarden. In 1941, he won at Groningen.

Attempt to escape the Nazis; Concentration camp

Finally, in September 1942, Landau tried to escape the Nazis by fleeing to Switzerland with his family, but they were caught on September 28 in

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

, near the border with

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and sent to

Westerbork transit camp Camp Westerbork ( nl, Kamp Westerbork, german: Durchgangslager Westerbork, Drents: ''Börker Kamp; Kamp Westerbörk'' ), also known as Westerbork transit camp, was a Nazi transit camp in the province of Drenthe in the Northeastern Netherlands, d ...

. He was sent to a concentration camp in Gräditz, Silesia in November 1943, where he died sometime between December 1943 and 31 March 1944 (probably March). His wife and young daughter, whose hiding place was betrayed, were sent to

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

in September 1944, where they were gassed on October 12, 1944.

Notable chess games

Salo Landau vs Akiba Rubinstein, Rotterdam 1931, Queen’s Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, D66, 1-0Salo Landau vs Efim Bogoljubow, Zandvoort 1936, Queen’s Gambit Declined, Cambridge Springs Variation, D52, 1-0Salo Landau vs Eero Böök, Kemeri 1937, Queen's Pawn Game, D05, 1-0
The best game prize !
Max Euwe vs Salo Landau, Hastings 1938/39, Grünfeld Defense, Russian Variation, D96, 0-1Hans Kmoch vs Salo Landau, Groningen 1941, Queen's Gambit Declined, Slav, Exchange Variation, D14, 0-1

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Landau, Salo 1903 births 1943 deaths Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Dutch chess players Jewish chess players Jewish Dutch sportspeople Chess Olympiad competitors People condemned by Nazi courts Dutch civilians killed in World War II People from Bochnia Sportspeople from Rotterdam Dutch people who died in Nazi concentration camps Sportspeople from Lesser Poland Voivodeship 20th-century chess players