Koltanowski Simuls and Match -v- O’Hanlon 1937

On the 21st January 1937, after playing in the famous Hastings Christmas Congress and then an international tournament in Birmingham, George Koltanowski embarked on a lengthy exhibition tour of Britain and Ireland, but when he arrived in Dublin, it seemed that some serious match-play chess might also be on the menu. On Saturday 6th March 1937 the Irish Independent reported:

Monsieur Georges Koltanowski, the famous Belgian Chess Master, is due to arrive in Dublin on Monday next for a week’s engagement. He has been booked by the Dublin C.C. up to Wednesday. It is hoped to arrange a 3-game match against the Irish champion, Mr. J.J. O’Hanlon.

On Monday (8.0 p.m.) he will lecture at 20 Lincoln Place, and on Tuesday he will give a simultaneous display against 30 boards at 7 p.m. at Regent House, T.C.D., and on Wednesday play blindfold against a selected team of ten players, also at T.C.D., 7 p.m.

The hoped-for match against O’Hanlon did come to fruition, starting on the Monday.

The moves for the first two Match games were given in the Irish Independent in the following day’s editions. The final few moves of each game were frustratingly omitted apparently because the win was clear, but fortunately the full game scores have been located in the Evening News, a London newspaper.

George Koltanowski – John James O’Hanlon
Match, Dublin (Round 1) 8th March 1937
[Annotations from the Irish Independent, 9th March 1937, page 17]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.a3 Be7 7.Qc2 0-0 8.Rd1 Re8 9.Nf3 a6 10.Bd3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Nd5 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.0-0 Nxc3 14.Qxc3 c5 15.d5 exd5 16.Rxd5 b5 17.Rg5 g6 18.Bd5 Ra7 19.Bc6 Rc7 20.Bxd7 Bxd7 21.h4 Bf5 22.e4 Qxe4 23.Re1 Qa8 24.Rxe8+ Qxe8 25.Qf6 Bc8 26.Re5 Be6 27.h5 Qf8 28.Ng5 Qe7 29.Nxh7 Kxh7 30.hxg6+ fxg6 31.Qxe6 Qxe6 32.Rxe6

32…c4
“This is an unfortunate blunder. 32…a5 draws for Black.”
33.Rxa6 c3 34.bxc3 Rxc3 35.g3 Kh6 36.Kg2 Rb3 37.f4 Kg7 38.Kh3 Rc3 39.Kh4 Rd3 40.g4 Rd4 41.Kg5 Rd5+ 42.f5 gxf5 43.gxf5
“and wins easily.”

[This is where the game score ended in the Irish Independent and the following moves are taken from the 24th March 1937 Evening News chess column.]
43…Rc5 44.Ra7+ Kf8 45.Kg6 Rc3 46.Ra8+ Ke7 47.f6+ Ke6 48.Re8+ Kd7 49.f7 Rg3+ 50.Kh5 1-0

[Click here to replay the game]

John James O’Hanlon – George Koltanowski
Match, Dublin (Round 2) 9th March 1937
[Annotations from the Irish Independent, 10th March 1937, page 14]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 Bd7 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Re1 Be7 8.d4 0-0 9.d5 Nb8 10.Bc2 Ne8 11.c4 c5 12.Nc3 b5 13.Qe2 Nc7 14.b3 b4 15.Nd1 f5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Bxf5 Rxf5 18.Ne3 Rf7 19.Bb2 a5?
“A positional error. 19…g6 now while White’s Bishop is on b2 is correct and would save two moves, giving Black time to being his Knights over to the kingside.”
20.Rad1 Bf6 21.Nd2 g6
“It is too late now. White has a fine attacking position.”
22.Ne4 Bg7 23.Ng4 Ne8 24.Bc1 Rf5 25.Rd3 Nd7 26.Rh3 a4 27.Qc2?
“This is bad and quite unnecessary. 27.Nh6+ forcing 27…Bxh6 would have given White a smashing advantage. White’s play hereabouts poor.”
27…axb3 28.axb3 Ra1

29.Rhe3??
“This, of course, is a blunder. It loses his two Knights for the Rook and enables Koltanowski to win easily.”
29…h5 30.Ng3 Rg5 31.h3 hxg4 32.h4 Rh5 33.Nxh5 gxh5 34.Qg6 Nef6 35.R3e2 Qe8 36.Qf5 Qf7 37.Qc2 Nf8 38.g3 Qg6 39.Qb2 Qb1 40.Kg2 Ng6 41.Qxb1 Rxb1 42.Rb2 Ra1 43.Bd2 Ra3 44.Bc1 Ne7
“and White resigned in a few moves.”

[Again the Irish Independent had left the game before the final whistle but the 30th March chess column in Evening News provided the denouement.]
45.Rb1 Ra2 46.Rb2 Ra1 47.Bd2 Ra3 48.Bc1 Nf5 49.Rb1 Ra2 50.Rb2 Ra1 51.Bd2 Ra3 52.Be3 Ne4 53.Kf1 Nc3 54.Kg2 Nxe3+ 55.fxe3 e4 56.Kf1 Be5 0-1

[Click here to replay the game]

The first two games have not appeared in print elsewhere after their appearances in the Irish Independent and Evening News – though considering Koltanowski’s prodigious journalistic activities, one cannot be definitive about this. They seem to be absent from all modern databases (at least until now).

The third game, which only the Irish Independent published contemporaneously, has however appeared in various places since, probably due to its importance to the theory of the Colle System and its attractive finish.

It is game 813 in Irving Chernev’s The 1000 Best Short Games of Chess, first published in 1955. Nowadays, it can be found in online databases (e.g. from the major internet presence lichess to the boutique historical archive Belgian Chess History) and it should also be possible to find videos presenting the game on the web.

It has been extensively analysed by Dr. Stefan Ottow in his article Meister des Läuferopfers Edgard Colle und sein System for Kassibier magazine – excerpt below.

George Koltanowski – John James O’Hanlon
Match, Dublin (Round 3) 11th March 1937
[Annotations from the Irish Independent, 11th March 1937, page 16]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 c5
“This is quite playable, but foreign to O’Hanlon’s style. 3…Bf5 as recommended by many experts gives Black a freer game.”
[There are two points we should mention here:
1. We are following the game score as it appears in the Irish Independent, but Ottow’s Kassibier article – as seen in the image above – instead goes 3…e6 4.Bd3 c5 5. c3. This is also the move order given in Chernev’s book.
2. Previously in the very well-known game Colle – O’Hanlon, Nice 1930, (also extensively analysed by Ottow in his Kassibier article) after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 O’Hanlon had already played 3…c5. The game continued 4.c3 e6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.Nbd2 Nbd7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 Re8 9.e4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Bxe4 cxd4 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13.Ng5+ Kg6 14.h4 Rh8 15.Rxe6+ Nf6 16.h5+ Kh6 17.Rxd6 Qa5 18.Nxf7+ Kh7 19.Ng5+ Kg8 20.Qb3+ 1-0.]
4.c3 e6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.e4 Qc7 10.Qe2 Re8 11.e5 Nd7 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Bf4 f6?
“Black’s game is cramped, but 13…f5 here is much better.”
14.Rae1

14…Ndxe5?
“This gives Koltanowski a chance to start a winning combination at once. 14… f5 even now would leave him with some, if poor, fighting chances.”
[Again this is the Irish Independent move order, but Ottow and Chernev both give the other Knight capturing first on e5: 14…Ncxe5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5. ]
15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Bxh7+
[Ottow here comments, “Der arme John J. O’Hanlon wird ein weiteres Mal mit diesem Läuferopfer konfrontieret, nach dem er 1930 spektakulär gegen Colle verloren hatte.” (Poor John J. O’Hanlon is confronted with this bishop sacrifice once again, after losing spectacularly to Colle in 1930.)]
Kf8 17.Bg6 Rd8 18.Qh5 Ke7 19.Nd4 Bd7 20.Rxe5 fxe5 21.Bxe5 1-0

“Resigns. As, if he moves his Queen anywhere, White mates in three thus:- 22, Qh4+ Kf8 23,Qh8+ Ke7 24.Qxg7 mate.”

[Click here to replay the game]

Turning now to the staple diet of Koltanowski’s tour, on the 10th March the Irish Independent provided this report on the 30 board simultaneous exhibition:

Belgian Master’s Fine Display
Loses Only One Match in Mass Challenge

Mons. Koltanowski gave a wonderful display of fast, and at the same time, accurate chess, when at Regent House, T.C.D., last night he took on 30 players simultaneously. After a little less than four hours’ play he had finished all the games – a remarkable feat in a display of this kind, leaving no work for the adjudicators!

W. Reeves (Rathmines) was the only to win against him – the master sportingly resigning when he lost a piece through an oversight.

George Koltanowski – W. Reeves
30 board Simultaneous, Dublin, 9th March 1937

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 Be7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.h3 d6 8.Be3 Be6 9.Bb3 Qc8 10.Nh2 Nd4 11.f4 Nxb3 12.axb3 exf4 13.Bxf4 Nh7 14.Be3 b6 15.Qh5 Bf6 16.Rf3 Qd8 17.Raf1 Bg5

18.Bd4?? g6 19.Rxf7 Bxf7 20.Qg4 c5 21.Bf2 Nf6 22.Qe2 Nd7 0-1

[Click here to replay the game]

Mons. Koltanowski conceded a courtesy draw to little Jackie Vard (aged 9), who played remarkably well. The following eight also drew: G. O’Nolan, M.J. O’Sullivan, and O.A. Quigley (Blackrock), H.A. Hartford and Major Griffith (Rathmines), W. Hassell (Dublin), G.H. Jacobs (Sackville) and F. Cotter (Colmcille).

The following 20 lost: J. Casey (Rathmines), T.A. Vard (Dublin), R. Clarke (Sackville), J. McNeill (Colmcille), J.J. Doyle (Dublin), C. MacFhionnlaoich (Colmcille), R.T. Varian (Blackrock), S.A, French, H. McIlwaine, J.A. Bonner, Major Cotter and J.T. Gerrard (Dublin), Mrs. M. Dwyer (Sackville), H.T. Twomey (Dublin), Isaac Baker (Jewish), G. Kerlin (Sackville), A. Mac Guill, F. Mac Guill and M.A. Rudaigh (Ard Chroabh), and B. O’Sullivan (Rathmines).

The next evening’s entertainment was the blindfold simultaneous exhibition and the 11th March report in the Independent again praised the skill of Koltanowski, though he was disappointed at the need for adjudications.

Playing Chess Blindfolded
Belgian Master’s Fine Display

Monsieur Georges Koltanowski, the famous Belgian master, gave a marvellous display of simultaneous blindfold against ten of the strongest Dublin players at Regent House, T.C.D., last night.

Mons. Koltanowski won four and drew the other six games, but he stated that he would much preferred to have actually finished all the games as he hates adjudications! The reason for his inability to actually finish was the brevity of the time allowed for the display in comparison to the strength of the opposing team.

The board numbers (though the players do not seem to have been placed in order of playing strength) and results were as follows:

1.  W. Pattison     (Rathmines) lost
2.  T. Cox          (Dublin)    drew
3.  C. Fhionnlaoich (Colmcille) drew
4.  T.A. Vard       (Dublin)    lost (adjudicated)
5.  H.T. Twomey     (Dublin)    drew (adjudicated)
6.  B. Spain        (Jewish)    lost (adjudicated)
7.  H.N. Bowesman   (Sackville) drew (adjudicated)
8.  J.T. Gerrard    (Dublin)    drew (adjudicated)
9.  R.T. Varian     (Blackrock) lost (adjudicated)
10. J.J. Doyle      (Dublin)    drew (adjudicated)

George Koltanowski – Thomas Cox
10 board Blindfold Simultaneous, Dublin, 10th March 1937

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Bf5 4.c4 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 Qc7 7.Ne5 e6 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9.f4 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ne4 11.Nxd7 Qxd7 12.Nd2 f5 13.Nf3 Be7 14.Bd2 Bf6 15.b4 0-0 16.0-0 h6 17.Rab1 g5 18.a4 a6 19.Be1 Qc7 Draw agreed

[Click here to replay the game]

Appended 23 August 2025

The Irish Times report of 11 March on the Simultaneous Exhibition went into more detail about Koltanowski’s annoyance that so many games had to be adjudicated.

At one time there seemed a doubt as to whether a game could be continued to a conclusion, Mr. Koltanowski called: “What time do you chuck us out here?”

The games were taking place in the Regent House, Trinity College, and Professor W.E. Thrift T.D., Vice-Provost, answered: “We are supposed to leave at 11 o’clock.” (It was then 10.40 p.m.)

“Very well. Carry on, ” said Koltanowski. “I am not afraid. I will make no mistake.”

WINS AND DRAWS

Shortly before 11 o’clock the Belgian master won his first game, beating W. Pattinson (Rathmines). Previously he had drawn with T. Cox (Dublin) and C. Mac Fhionnlaoich (Colmcille).

At 11 o’clock seven games were unfinished, and it was decided that Mr. Koltanowski, with Mr. J.J. O’Hanlon and Mr. J.J. Doyle, should adjudicate upon those games, the Belgian master, still “blindfolded,” explaining what moves he could have made to win. In one case, the game with Mr. J.T. Gerrard (Dublin). Mr. Koltanowski could not agree that he had not won, and the judges could not agree that he had, so this game was continued until 11.20 p.m.. when it was agreed that the game should be left as a draw.

“We should have started earlier, or had an adjournment,” said Mr. Koltanowski. “I am working for certain advantages, and now I am unable to win the games owing to there being no time..”

Mr. Koltanowski won the games with T.A. Vard (Dublin), B. Spain (Jewish) and R.T. Varian (Dublin), and drew those with H.T. Twomey (Dublin), J.J. Doyle (Dublin) and H.N. Bowesman (Sackville).