Springer, Benedict

Benedict Springer was born on June 19, 1897 in Amsterdam in the family of a businessman. At 11, his father introduced Springer to a checker game, and little Benedict began to independently study the books of J. de Haas and go to one of the Amsterdam checker clubs. At 16 years old Springer won the title of champion of this club. Another childhood friend of Benedict was Hermann de Jong , later a famous grandmaster. Together, Springer and de Jong devote a lot of time to analytical work. In 1915, Springer's first analyzes appeared in Het Damspel. In 1917, Springer took fourth place in the championship of Amsterdam, and in the next 1918 he won the city title. At the end of 1918, Springer won the master's tournament in Amsterdam and received the title of master. In 1919, Springer took 4th place in the championship of the Netherlands , and in 1920 in a similar championship shared 3-5 places. At the end of 1920, the former world champion Isidor Weiss visited Holland. On this occasion, a two-round tournament was organized with the participation of Weiss and three players from the Netherlands: the champion of the country in 1920 L. Preuss , Arnold Damme and Benedict Springer. Springer finished second after Weiss, having played both games with Weiss in a draw. After that, Springer played with Weiss a match of three games, which also ended in a draw with a score of + 1-1 = 1. Weiss praised the game of the young master. By this time, Springer had graduated from a higher educational institution, and he faced the question of choosing a future life path. The father insisted that the son, following his example, go into business, but Benedict decided to choose the path of a professional game of checkers. In 1921, Springer, together with de Jong, published in three volumes a collection of checker studies and analyzes. The fee for each volume amounted to 150 guilders, which at that time amounted to a decent amount. Then Springer's mother died, and he decides to move to France, famous for its players, in order, according to him, to "fight with the lion in his den." In the next two years, Springer takes the 2nd place in the qualifying tournament of the French championship and wins matches against Giro (+ 5-2 = 1), Garuta (+ 3-0 = 4), Bonnard (+ 3-0 = 3) and Riku (+ 1-0 = 4). In December 1922 - January 1923, Springer took first place in the tournament in Amsterdam (Holland Grand Prix) ahead of many leading Dutch masters, including Dutch champion Johan Vos , and immediately after the tournament in January 1923 he won with a score of + 2-0 = 7 match at the champion of France Marius Fabre . In the same year, in a draw with a score of + 2-2 = 6, Springer's match with Hermann de Jong ended. Official titles were not played in these competitions, but when Springer traveled to Montreal in October 1923, the La Patrie and La Presse newspapers organized an unusual match for the world title between him as the “European Champion”, and the champion of America in Canadian drafts by the American master William Beauregard . The match consisted of ten games, five of which were played on a 144-cell board according to the rules of Canadian drafts, and five - on a 100-cell board according to the rules of international drafts. The hundred-cell part of the match ended in a draw (+ 1-1 = 3), and Bearegar won in the Canadian part (+ 3 = 2). The European Drafts Federations did not recognize the championship status of the match, and on the American continent they began to count off the competitions for the world championship in Canadian drafts. In May 1924, an attempt was made to hold the world championship in international drafts in Marseille. The tournament brought together only six participants, of which only Isidore Weiss and Benedict Springer were considered recognized contenders for the world championship. Springer won the tournament and was announced by the organizers as "European Champion". (It was decided to lower the status of the tournament a little.) But this title, of course, was not recognized by the drafts federations. Springer was considered as one of the main favorites of the 1925 World Cup in Paris , where he was invited, but could not take part in it. Springer confirmed the validity of his claims by another victory in a friendly match against the now world champion Marius Fabre (+ 2-0 = 6). A relative failure (4th place) ended for Springer in a four-round match-tournament of 1927 in Paris , in which, in addition to Springer, four more outstanding drafts players met ( S. Bizo , I. Weiss, M. Fabre and G. de Jong). In April 1928, Springer shared with Bonnard the first place in the tournament in Marseille ahead of Fabre. Springer's triumph ended in the 1928 World Cup in Amsterdam . Not having suffered a single defeat, he took 1st place in the tournament and was proclaimed the fifth world champion. The division of second place at the 1928 World Cup between the representatives of France and the Netherlands led to a debate about which country has the right to nominate a contender for the match with the world champion. No agreement was reached, and as a result, in 1931, the next World Cup in Paris was held without the Dutch. In the Netherlands, where Springer returned in 1931, the results of the French world championships were not recognized and continued to be considered world champion Benedict Springer. By 1934, the drafts federations of France and Holland agreed that the world title should be played in a match between recognized world champion Maurice Reichenbach and Dutch champion Rainier Cornelis Keller . In order to overcome the split, Benedict Springer refused the world title in favor of the winner of this match , but was offended and moved away from the game of drafts for several years. In 1936, Springer returned to the fight for the world title. By agreement between the French and Dutch Drafts Federations, the Dutch champion (and in 1936 he was Rainier Keller) had the right to challenge the world champion. Keller, by agreement with the Netherlands Drafts Federation (KNDB), agreed to put his right to call the match between him and the winner of the match between Springer and Belgian champion Leon Wessen . As a result, two challenger matches of ten games each were played. Springer consecutively won the matches of Wessen (+7 −0 = 3) and Keller (+1 −0 = 9) and won the right to match with world champion Maurice Reichenbach. The match between the two champions was held from May 28 to July 5, 1937 and was played out of 25 (a record number!) Games. The match was held in different cities, and its participants covered many kilometers along the roads of Holland. The opponents were worthy of each other, but Reichenbach won in a tough fight (+5 −4 = 16). During World War II, Springer had to leave Holland occupied by the Germans. In the fall of 1945, returning to his homeland, he lost the match to young Pete Roosenburg with a score of + 1-2 = 7. The outcome of a tense match was decided only in the last game won by Roosenburg. Due to the severe form of hypertension, Springer rarely participated in competitions in the last years of his life, but he often visited them, was involved in their organization, he analyzed a lot and willingly. From the recent Springer competitions, it is worth highlighting the division of 5-6 places at the international tournament of 1956 in Moscow and 1 place at the international tournament of 1960 in Eimeiden, where Springer was ahead of Baba Si . In the same 1960, Springer was gone. He died in Paris, where he came to see the checkers championship of the French capital.

Springer's name was assigned to the combination (combination mechanism) of Springer's blow .

Springer gave many blind-play sessions at the same time, and he was even called the game champion without looking at the board.

• Philip de Schaap Ben Springer: een dammer van wereldnaam // Het Joodsche Weekblad, vol. 1 (1942), nr. 44, p. 6 (nid.)
• V. Gorodetsky Memoirs of an outstanding grandmaster // Drafts. - No. 2 - 1961 - S. 31-33
• R. Keller Ben Springer // 64. Weekly supplement to the newspaper "Soviet Sport". - No. 29 (368) - July 18-24, 1975 - S. 12

• Bénédictus Springer - on the site of the checker club "Damier Lyonnais"
• Ben Springer profile on KNDB website