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Max Harmonist
M Harmonist 
 

Number of games in database: 62
Years covered: 1885 to 1898
Overall record: +21 -29 =12 (43.5%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games.

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Most played openings
C67 Ruy Lopez (6 games)
C45 Scotch Game (5 games)
C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense (5 games)
C77 Ruy Lopez (4 games)
C25 Vienna (3 games)
D50 Queen's Gambit Declined (2 games)
D02 Queen's Pawn Game (2 games)
C14 French, Classical (2 games)
C50 Giuoco Piano (2 games)
C01 French, Exchange (2 games)


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MAX HARMONIST
(born Feb-10-1864, died Oct-16-1907, 43 years old) Germany
[what is this?]
Max Harmonist was a professional ballet dancer. His tournament results were humble with his best result being 4th= with Louis Paulsen at Nuremberg 1888, but he won the brilliancy prize at Frankfurt 1887 for his game with Isidor Gunsberg.

Wikipedia article: Max Harmonist


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 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 62  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. M Harmonist vs A Flad  0-1371885Hamburg IIC02 French, Advance
2. M Harmonist vs F Riemann  0-1341885Casual gameC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
3. G Richter vs M Harmonist  0-13718854th DSB-Kong. Hauptturnier-CC51 Evans Gambit
4. C Beck vs M Harmonist  0-13218854th DSB-Kong. Hauptturnier-CC77 Ruy Lopez
5. W Bauer vs M Harmonist  1-04518854th DSB-Kong. SiegergruppeC45 Scotch Game
6. Mendelson vs M Harmonist  0-13818854th DSB-Kong. SiegergruppeC78 Ruy Lopez
7. F Gutmayer vs M Harmonist  0-13818854th DSB-Kong. SiegergruppeC77 Ruy Lopez
8. H Zimmermann vs M Harmonist  0-12018854th DSB-Kong. SiegergruppeC58 Two Knights
9. M Harmonist vs H Neustadtl  1-04518854th DSB-Kongress non-master finalistC77 Ruy Lopez
10. E Schallopp vs M Harmonist 0-12818875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC69 Ruy Lopez, Exchange, Gligoric Variation
11. M Harmonist vs Mackenzie 0-14018875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC45 Scotch Game
12. Alapin vs M Harmonist 1-02318875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC44 King's Pawn Game
13. Paulsen vs M Harmonist 1-02818875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC49 Four Knights
14. M Harmonist vs J Berger 0-15018875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
15. M Harmonist vs Englisch 0-11518875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC47 Four Knights
16. von Bardeleben vs M Harmonist 1-03118875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtD50 Queen's Gambit Declined
17. M Harmonist vs Blackburne 1-03618875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtB30 Sicilian
18. Gunsberg vs M Harmonist 0-12618875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC50 Giuoco Piano
19. M Harmonist vs A Fritz ½-½2818875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC41 Philidor Defense
20. Schiffers vs M Harmonist 1-02818875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC54 Giuoco Piano
21. M Harmonist vs J Metger ½-½2518875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
22. M Weiss vs M Harmonist 1-04118875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC77 Ruy Lopez
23. M Harmonist vs Burn 0-11818875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC14 French, Classical
24. Taubenhaus vs M Harmonist 0-15018875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC25 Vienna
25. M Harmonist vs von Gottschall 0-12218875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtC45 Scotch Game
 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 62  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Harmonist wins | Harmonist loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Dec-08-02  pawntificator: Max was a ballet dancer by profession!!
Dec-18-02
Premium Chessgames Member		  Honza Cervenka: Chessgames.com, I have submitted some games of Max Harmonist missing in the database.
Dec-17-03  MoonlitKnight: There seemed to be more harmony in the play of his opponents!
Aug-07-04  percyblakeney: Max Harmonist (1864-1907) was a Royal Ballet Dancer who beat both Blackburne and Gunsberg in Frankfurt 1887. There is a photo of Harmonist at http://www.maxeuwe.nl/quiz/vorigevr...
Feb-10-06  BIDMONFA: Max Harmonist

HARMONIST, Max
http://www.bidmonfa.com/harmonist_m...
_

Feb-10-06  McCool: <pawntificator: Max was a ballet dancer by profession!! > Really? I would have thought he was a harmonist.(someone who creates harmonies)
Sep-12-06  guitar2001: McCool: <pawntificator: Max was a ballet dancer by profession!! > Really? I would have thought he was a harmonist.(someone who creates harmonies)

You're a McLoser.

Feb-10-08  brankat: Mr.Harmonist had a talent for the game, but never saw it as a profession.

He did beat Gunsberg, Blackburne, Tarrasch, Mieses, Paulsen, drew a game against A.Burn.

No small feat for an amateur.

Feb-10-09  whiteshark: Player of the Day

Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Ha...
http://www.berlinerschachverband.de... !

The game:Gunsberg vs Harmonist, 1887

Feb-10-09  brankat: Thanks Sharky. A beautiful game indeed.
Feb-10-09  ILikeFruits: players wanna play...
ballers wanna ball...
rollers wanna roll...
Feb-10-09  brankat: Fruits are good for all of them!
Feb-10-09  ILikeFruits: indeed...
brankat...
Feb-10-09  whiteshark: I have been looking for a second picture from M. Harmonist but so far no success. The photograph above was published on page 356 of Kagans Neueste Schachnachrichten, 1926

--> CN 3885

Feb-10-09  WhiteRook48: let's have him play music
Apr-13-09  Dredge Rivers: Ballet? Fooey!
Feb-10-12
Premium Chessgames Member		  Penguincw: Happy Birthday!
Feb-10-12  Llawdogg: Cool name!
Feb-10-12
Premium Chessgames Member		  Chessical: From the Berlinerschachverband item, it appears that although he was a professional ballet dancer at the Royal Opera, "he suffered from the lingering illness of Cerebal Palsy"
Sep-16-12  Karpova: He won the Jubilee Tournament of the Berlin Chess Society which began on August 15, 1887. The other participants were Caro, Cordel, Kirdorf, Dr. Lasker (Berthold or Emanuel?), Rothländer, Schallopp and von Scheve. 2nd place went to von Scheve (200 Mark) and 3rd to Schallopp (150 Mark). Max received 300 Mark.

From page 16 of the September 1887 'Wiener Schachzeitung'

Sep-16-12
Premium Chessgames Member		  alexmagnus: <From the Berlinerschachverband item, it appears that although he was a professional ballet dancer at the Royal Opera, "he suffered from the lingering illness of Cerebal Palsy">

I wonder which symptoms of CP he showed if he could professionally dance. I know there are some "mild" forms of CP, but mild enough to dance?!

Jun-02-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  WannaBe: Really too bad that Harmonist wasn't a musician or conductor.
Jun-02-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  offramp: He is mentioned in Fischer's 60MG.
Feb-10-16  TheFocus: Happy birthday, Max Harmonist.
May-03-16  zanzibar: From the intro...

<...but he won the brilliancy prize at Frankfurt 1887 for his game with Isidor Gunsberg.>

I think this statement is wrong.

Although his game with Gunsberg may have been brilliant, I don't think it won the Brilliancy Prize. Does anybody have a ref that it did?

<whiteshark> posted a link to a German writeup on Harmonist, which does mention the game, but it only offers this:

<One of his finest games was brought on the occasion of its centenary the chess friends in memory. It was played in 1887 in Frankfurt Master Tournament.>

The original link is stale, here's an archived version:

https://web.archive.org/web/2007100...

* * * * *

The game which did win the Brilliancy Prize did indeed involve Harmonist, but on the losing side of the board:

<Schiffers--Harmonist (1887)>

See Reinfeld's <Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the Chess Masters>, p17

Also, several mentions in BCM, e.g. v25 (1905) p57-8:

https://books.google.com/books?id=V...

where it says:

<The Deutsche Schachzeitung, from which the notes to this game are taken, remarks: "For this game, which the 'Chess Monthly' calls the pearl of the tourney, Herr Schiffers received the special brilliancy prize of 100 marks, given by Mr. Lewis, of London.>

Batgirl mentions the Schiffers--Harmonist game as well, citing an earlier BCM ref which got the tournaments confused:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

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