Gunnar Gundersen

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Gunnar Gundersen (born March 11, 1882 in Bordeaux , † February 9, 1943 in Melbourne ) was an Australian mathematician , university teacher and chess player .

Life

Private and professional life

He was the son of Hans Jørgen Gundersen (1850–1927) and Sara Elisabeth Berg (* 1853) and was born in Bordeaux, France , where his father worked as Scandinavian vice-consul between 1879 and 1886 - Sweden and Norway formed a personal union at that time with the same head of state and a common foreign policy . Between 1887 and 1907 the father was then consul in Melbourne, where Gunnar Gundersen grew up and remained settled.

He studied mathematics at the University of Melbourne , received a Wyselaskie scholarship and was a research assistant from 1920 . From 1923 on he held a teaching position as senior lecturer at his alma mater and also represented Professor John Henry Michell during his stays abroad. Gundersen retired early in 1942 due to health problems. He died a few months later at the age of 60.

Gundersen had two sisters, Amalie Christine Elise (* 1884) and Sara Elisabeth (* 1886). The younger also taught as a senior lecturer in bacteriology at Melbourne University. He was married since 1914 to Lenna Eveline Amadio (1885-1959), a sister of the famous New Zealand-Australian flutist John Amadio (1883-1964); the couple had a son.

Chess career

Gundersen learned to play chess during his first semester as a student at the university. He won the championship of the Australian state of Victoria in 1907, 1908, 1912, 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922 and 1929. He also won in 1925/1926 and 1926/1927 in Melbourne held Pietzcker Christmas tournaments and secured the titles at the New Zealand championships in 1929/1930 in Wanganui and 1931/1932 in Napier .

His only noteworthy appearance overseas was his participation in the main tournament A of the 19th DSB Congress in Mannheim , which was held from July 20, 1914. On August 1st, the competition was canceled due to the beginning of the First World War . Until then, Gundersen had only achieved 2½ points from ten games (+ 0, = 5, - 5) and was last among the 18 participants. In the turmoil of the beginning of the war, equipped with a forged ID, he managed to escape through Denmark to the Norwegian capital Christiania on a six-day train ride , from where he returned to Australia.

He was a member of the Melbourne Chess Club and from 1910 to 1938 he was editor of the weekly chess column at The Australasian . He then withdrew from the active game of chess.

Remarks

  1. ↑ The scholarship goes back to John Dickson Wyselaskie (1818-1883), a wealthy rancher and benefactor, who donated it in his will.
  2. ↑ Johannes (John) Alexander Pietzcker (1870–1958) came from Dessau and emigrated to Australia in 1891. Between 1932 and 1951 he was Honorary Consul of Switzerland. He was also President of the Melbourne Chess Club . He organized the Christmas tournaments named after him between 1925 and 1940.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c "Obituary". In: The Argus , № 30098, February 11, 1943, page 9.

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Gundersen, Gunnar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian mathematician, university professor and chess player
DATE OF BIRTH March 11, 1882
PLACE OF BIRTH Bordeaux
DATE OF DEATH February 9, 1943
Place of death Melbourne