The Love for Wood (chess documentary 1979 - ENG subs)

This documentary is about well known Dutch chessplayers in 1979. It features Jan Timman, Hans Ree, Piet Hein Donner, Max Euwe and others. It's a beautifull documentation of those days and the state of chess at that time.
Directed by Jop Pannekoek. Camera: Paul van den Bos; Sound: Roel Bazen; Editing: Ot Louw; Interviews: Max Pam.
Ive found most of the games that are being discussed:
Jan Timman vs Jan Hein Donner (00:20)
www.chessgames.com/perl/chessg...
Ulf Andersson vs Karl Robatsch (16:30)
www.chessgames.com/perl/chessg...
Estrin, Yakov vs Mulder van Leens Dijkstra (28:00)
chesstempo.com/gamedb/game/225...
Gert Ligterink vs Jan Timman (40:30)
www.chessgames.com/perl/chessg...

[@mitchellhodgemeyer]

It's hilarious that Donner gives this long monologue about how you must only use a board and pieces for real games, never for analysing at home, and then the film cuts to Timman at home... Analysing with a board and pieces.

[@Ronbo710]

Sorry GM Donner. Every room in my house has a board and set ready to go. Including the bathrooms :) !

[@user-dp7eh5vp1x]

it was likely a hotel room

[@theripper7675]

I wasn't aware that Robert Plant after singing for Led Zeppelin played chess! with the alias name Jan Timman.

[@fundhund62]

What did you think why Zeppelin broke up? Always liked his Dutch accent on Whole Lotta Love..

[@milaanvigraham8664]

Robert didn't have love for wood but he did like singing about things that involve it

[@Crazeyfor67]

This is by far the best of all docs about chess. Thanks

[@f.d.3289]

Wow, this is truly amazing. Chess is such an awesome game and yet all the documentary film makers can think of is Bobby Fischer. This one just shows how fascinating it is, with real insights and thoughts be actual chess players. Really really awesome, thanks for the upload!

[@albertserrano3707]

This might have been one of Dr. Euwe's last interviews because he died two years later.

[@henkoosterink8744]

Donner, Ree, Timman, Hartogh, Euwe, Sosonko, Langeweg. Ligterink. great old days of Chess in Holland. Donner is s legend.

[@roxyknight4909]

Timman was so cool

[@Peralon]

Thank you so much for translating this documentary, the best in my view about chess on KZbin.

[@AbnerHenrique]

Aqui por causa da indicação do Supi

[@crazyim5]

Hans Ree is one of my favorite chess personalities

[@Zonnymaka]

A wondeful piece of chess history. Thanks alot!

[@pzkwiia1699]

Great documentary. Real insights in chessplayers minds instead of the usual blabla. Thank you very much for posting!

[@OnBelayClimbOn]

This is a gem! Thanks to a friend that sent this link to me! It was super cool seeing Jan Timman at such an age live and in person!

[@steviewax]

Good to see chess competition and theory with a minimum of politics and corruption.

[@buzzbain3348]

Thank you for posting this, and offering english translation. Now I am able to enjoy chess more, and work on my Dutch language studies.

[@kolaas2006]

Graag gedaan 🙂

[@judivansousa963]

Vlww pela indicação, GM Supi!

[@gustavoguimaraes9639]

Achei que a língua original fosse o inglês, mas assim não entenderei nada kkkkk

[@marcelobulhoes6180]

Pegar carona na locomotiva pode te levar longe

[@startupeco2257]

This documentary gives you a good estimate of how chess rules and regulations and chess behaviour have radically changed over the period. Here, players are free to smoke at the board, exposing their opponents to it; and they are freely talking to other players during the games.... very strange and interesting though

[@LuisGuijarro]

The Langeweg-Donner game they refer to at the end of the correspondence chess part is www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1800314

[@bowlingmaster168]

This is great subs and documentary.

[@hejohpax]

Yo Klaas, ook mooi dat chessbase een article heeft geschreven!! hopelijk zien veel mensen deze geweldige docu.

[@StopFear]

Thank you for the subtitles addition.

[@keelasever]

35:05 Donner is talking about Nicolas Rossolimo. Who made the subtitles probably was not familiar to these common names in the history of chess,so there they are to be fixed. Great upload.

[@brydon10]

This is great, thanks. It's different from the other chess documentaries, I really enjoyed it.

[@martinnoreau9767]

Love this documentary!

[@Za7a7aZ]

Jan Timman was telling some about his preparations for a tounament and stopped talking about a certain opening because of revealing too much ....he said you never know who is watching..especially the russians. In these times much is possible he said. And this in 1979...he never heared of the internet, drones, mini cameras ...ect...lol

[@nate.t1739]

Timman is such a genius. Why take notes on something you don't thoroughly understand? If you simply took the time to understand whatever it is that interests you then you will know it and in doing so, have no reason to write it down. This is the genesis of true critical thinking

[@idfx1000]

Thanks for giving us access to this!

[@nigelsouthworth808]

Thanks for uploading . It was fascinating

[@hasayin1]

Many thanks for such a great documentation.

[@Ronbo710]

WOW! Great documentary !! Thank You :)

[@tomtrompowsky8806]

Diese Schachdokumentation bietet das erhabenste Eintauchen in die Zeit vor dem Computer, als es noch um den Verstand ging, und Bücher...... und Rauchen!

[@nuwandalton]

Timman and Andersson, two members of the famous "Club 1951" Alongside Karpov, Ribli and Vaganian.

[@user-ii6xg1sj2k]

...and...Eugenio Torre...

[@nuwandalton]

@@user-ii6xg1sj2k Oh yes! I forgot him, sorry

[@jeremyjameson4672]

Excellent documentary...It brings out the essence of chess!

[@Kelvinllovejr]

Have so much respect for these older masters. All we do now is get so strong analyzing with computers. Would be much more insane to have to use your own thoughts to figure out the intricacies of a position or opening. Don't know how they managed to do that. I couldn't imagine never using a chess engine

[@JensOlofR]

The correspondence player Mulder van Leens Dijkstra is talking about Ragozin.

[@TheOriginalMoc]

wouldn't get away with that kind of title today.

[@saulo07]

40 years already? I remember Timman exactly like that. Now he, as most of us after four decades, are way too fat.

[@f.d.3289]

A similar documentary is the Canadian 1982 film "Jouer sa vie" (aka "The Great Chess Movie"), also here on KZbin. It's also got footage of and interview excerpts with many chess greats -- Karpov, Korchnoi, Timman, Ljubojevic, Hort, Fine, Najdorf...

[@nuwandalton]

"Jouer sa vie" is wasted by Arrabal's nonsense. And very "Cold War-ish". Basically anti-Karpov stuff

[@JensOlofR]

Hans Ree talks about Ljubojevic and his stare at one point.

[@nobodyreally2144]

32:53 langeweg-Donner can be found at chesstempo.com/gamedb/game/488771 (I think that's the game)

[@dr.funkenstein9790]

Someone should’ve rethought the title

[@svenpoelmans3688]

Hier geniet ik van!! Meer van dit!!!!

[@hasseSabon]

Thanks! I think Donner might referring to Jacques Mieses (not Mizes - 34:13)!?

[@guildfordchessclub1457]

Wonderful stuff!

[@vladding1377]

"You should only use a real chessboard when the battle is real." Sorry Donner. Timman and Fischer himself (and countless others, for that matter) went against that absurd rule so I'll keep doing the same in practice mode, aka homework. Funny how it cuts into 'Huiswerk' right after he trolls us all with that comment, as well haha.

[@ducopieterse7103]

Erg mooi om naar te kijken. Een tijdsbeeld van letterlijke en figuurlijke gewichtige en zware jongens.

[@ManuelLotfollahi86]

Amazing! Thanks

[@torbjornbjorklund8648]

And Viacheslav Ragozin was a world champion in correspondence chess. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viacheslav_Ragozin

[@richardhelliwell1210]

Great hair too (by Timmans of Amsterdam!)

[@paulojefferson1958]

Supi

[@robertoalexandre4250]

This was at a time when, I suppose, chess was considered a creative art form. Now that's rather difficult, or I should say, the idea has been shattered since computers can outplay an human opponent: we cannot imagine any AI writing greater music (or even anything remotely comparable) than, say, Bach, or poetry or painting or sculpture. What does that say about chess? That it's always more interesting and creative where human limitation is involved as opposed to machine perfection?

[@robdubent]

ok fischer

[@Veaseify]

It says that Chess is science rather than art, humans find beauty in pattern making on the board, computers just see winning or losing sequences of moves.

[@raginbakin1430]

@@Veaseify i don’t see why beauty and winning sequences of moves are necessarily mutually exclusive

[@Ronbo710]

The Donner coughs up a lung defense.

[@Duxelles84]

Ronbo710 lol! Ya its unreal to think about the amount of smoking done at board back in those days.

[@saulo07]

And loses😁

[@rayfincle2466]

Spectacular!

[@keelasever]

34:13. I think Jan Hein Donner is talking about the famous german master JACQUES MIESES who was born in 1865 and died in 1954. a truly Methuselah of the board.

[@FYGOKENTROSS]

Jan Hein, not Piet (in the description). And I believe the name of the 2nd questionmark is Rossolimo.

[@nuwandalton]

Isn't Timman also a Jan Hein?

[@robdubent]

GREAT documentary until the interviewer asked these amazing professionals if they thought their efforts were "sad" perhaps they should have asked him the same thing? lol

[@Gwahyyr]

Here is the 11, actually 12 move game Langeweg - Donner. (32:53) www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1800314

[@KaiserWilhelmIV]

For the love of smoking...

[@thakurv1]

Lol exactly

[@juliuspons818]

Great!

[@milosristic2909]

Never knew Robert Plant used to play chess :-)

[@adriancasillas8675]

My thought, exactly, just a moment ago!

[@lenickramone]

even more against John Bonhan, this was impressive!

[@evilasio30]

Max Euwe , um campeão improvável

[@cosmosgato]

Lit a cigarette! You know this is from the past.

[@blueromeo1974]

Did he smoked a joint. ..I miss does old school days. ..at chess. ..smoking while playing a good board

[@angkari7244]

Is clearly a roll up cigarette to me

[@CrookedNose2131]

What a stupid question.

[@robdubent]

@@CrookedNose2131 k grandmaster

[@kolaas2006]

[@GoldenB101]

what a title.. lol

[@thakurv1]

Right

[@richardhelliwell1210]

The first minute or so is a bad advertisement for smoking!

[@Ronbo710]

Gert reminds me of Emo Philips lol

[@kolaas2006]

Please let me know if you have found any of the games that are discussed or if you got other information to improve the translation. Will do an update to correct some errors/names.

[@styx85]

Thanks for uploading and translating this! I believe the game they're talking about around 32:50 is this one: chesstempo.com/gamedb/game/488771

[@T-Dogg121]

Mieses, Jacques Mieses

[@milaanvigraham8664]

No one's going to make fun of the title? Chess fans really are sophisticated...

[@1954rini]

35.04 Rossolimo pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Rossolimo

[@marcelogoncalvescdd]

Vim por conta do MATE-PAPO com GM SUPI :D

[@blaz3ofglory570]

This title hasn't aged well 😅

[@pepijnstreng4643]

Piet Hein Donner? Surely you mean Jan Hein!

[@rickresendiz1871]

How do I turn the subtitles on?

[@kolaas2006]

click the little cc-button in the bottom of the youtubeplayer.

[@eduardgregor9253]

Zlaté časy šachu bez motorov .

[@Reneduret]

I love it ( it was Mieses)

[@marcelobulhoes6180]

Vim pelo Supi

[@1954rini]

34.12 Mieses pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Mieses

[@Veaseify]

What happened to the subtitles?

[@kolaas2006]

Hi Steve, You have to turn the subtitles on. In the youtubevideoplayer you see a couple icons. The little envelopelike icon is the one to click, switch button to ON.

[@Veaseify]

El Kitch brilliant, thanks very much. A lot of these guys are legends as far as I am concerned, pity that younger chess players don't seem to care so much about the pre-computer age players.

[@muttandjeff5213]

Where are the subs?

[@kolaas2006]

Click the CC icon

[@BlackMadKing]

where the hell are the subs?

[@kolaas2006]

Turn them on in the youtubeplayer (the little envelope/letter icon), switch to ON.

[@BlackMadKing]

El Kitch thanks ;)

[@simonjuradocardenas4259]

As a gay man, I felt very disappointed when I discovered what this documentary was actually about.

[@christophertudor4727]

Very good Simon, I've just understood it lol 🖒😂. Chris (UK).

[@CSRookie]

❤let's go on a date, I'm desperate

[@robdubent]

🥸🤡

[@StopFear]

lol, guy coughing at 1:10 I wonder WHYYYY he is coughing.

[@angkari7244]

The love of what? Dirty boy

[@robdubent]

We all know what you’re attracted to now

[@botramduuze7188]

Die Donner is een clown!

[@hotwheelz3010]

Great personalities. Compare them to the the GM's of today. Magnus Carlson, Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So.... not one deep, original, creative, or philosofical thought outside of chess. Nothing to say. When they open their mouth all that comes out is chess notation... g5-h7 e6-a2# Superficial and completely uninteresting as characters.The only chess player today who is slightly interesting as a personality is Levon Aronian

[@mbotela9979]

If you ask them about a game they will speak about chess notation. If you ask them about something else they will speak about something else. You clearly haven't seen enough interviews

[@rf_carlsen]

Premiumtap I agree, Magnus is disappointing in this regard ...Kasparov and Armand were a bit better

[@jeffreys1554]

Ben Finegold!!!!!

[@Crazeyfor67]

I agree with you to a point. People won't like this, but I loved chess when is wasn't so main stream. I know this push to popularize chess is mostly money driven. I know computers have hurt the romance of chess. In short chess in the last mid century had a warmth and joy that I don't feel or see today.

[@unikat-kmnkmn2799]

they are like boring machines fake and egoist af