Meindest Niemeijer

Meindest Niemeijer (1982)

Meindest Niemeijer (born February 18, 1902 in Rotterdam ; † October 5, 1987 ) was a Dutch chess composer , patron and collector of chess literature . His library formed the basis of one of the world's largest chess book collections.

Life

Niemeijer earned his doctorate and was initially a lawyer. Between 1926 and 1964 he was director of a large insurance company in Rotterdam. During the Second World War , his house was confiscated by German occupiers in 1944, but he was able to get his large library to safety in good time.

chess

During his school days, Niemeijer was on the same desk as Jan Hartong, who was one week older . They later worked together on chess compositions. He preferred three moves with strategic content.

In 1924, Niemeijer began collecting chess literature, which he mainly bought at auctions . Among them were 25 complete libraries by other people, including the 4,000-book collection of the Brazilian DeMotta. His professional connections abroad made it easier for him to acquire rare foreign-language works. The high proportion of Eastern European titles is worth mentioning. In 1948 he donated the collection of around 7000 books to the Royal Library in The Hague. There it was combined with the collection received from Antonius van der Linde in 1876 to form the “Bibliotheca Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana”. A counterclaim by Niemeijer, who then continued to support the library with his own funds, was met in 1955 by publishing an inventory catalog.

Another collection, started by Niemeijer in 1925, is the Dutch Problem Archives, which in 1998 contained over 50,000 chess compositions. Niemeijer, who composed more than 600 chess problems, wrote more than 30 books and brochures as well as more than 40 articles, which were listed in an anniversary publication for his 75th birthday.

Works (selection)

• Bloemlezing van Nederlandsche schaakproblemen uit de jaren 1792-1933 , Amsterdam 1934
• Schaak libraries. Een Boek over verzamelaars en verzamelingen ( Memento from September 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), self-published, Wassenaar 1948
• De Roch as a heraldic figurine , Rotterdam 1946
• Het Nederlandse Schaakverenigsleven in de 19de Eeuw , self-published, undated

See also

• Lothar Schmid

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Harald Fietz: Chess in the Royal Library of the Netherlands , December 2001
2. ↑ Calendar sheet . In: Die Schwalbe , issue 193, February 2002. ( online version )
3. ↑ Dr. Meindest Niemeijer . In: Schach-Echo , 9/1954, p. 288
4. ↑ Information on Niemeijer, “Chess & Draughts collection. Collection description ” , Royal Library website
5. ^ Lecture by Allan Savage at the Thinkers' Press Chess Festival on June 13, 1998 in Moline, Illinois . Printed in: Harrie Grondijs: No Rook Unturned . 2nd edition 2004. ISBN 90-74827-52-7 , pp. 62-63

literature

• H. Reerink: "M. Niemeijer, director of a verzekeringsmaatschappij, schaakprobleem composer 1902-1987 ”, in: Verzamelaars en verzamelingen. Koninklijke Bibliotheek 1789-1998 , Zwolle 1998, p. 168ff.
• Bonus socius. Bijdragen tot de cultuurgeschiedenis van het schaakspel en other bordspelen , Jubileumuitgave voor Meindest Niemeijer ter Lageheid van zijn 75ste verjaardag, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague 1977

Web links

• Compositions by Meindest Niemeijer on the Schwalbe's PDB server

Commons : Meindest Niemeijer  - collection of images, videos and audio files