This is an attempt to describe Danish chess history from its beginnings around 1830 until the first Danish championship 1923. I will include Niemzowitsch and also Jens Enevoldsens first Danish championship 1940.
Lt. S. A. Sørensen wrote in the May 1877 issue of the Danish chess magazine, Nordisk Skaktidende, a very influential article on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) – see "Bashi-Bazouk Attack" – and later played an interesting game against a little-known defense in the 6.d4 variation (Sørensen - Anonymous, Denmark 1887)Møller tells us:
Søren Anton Sørensen (January 31, 1840 - February 11, 1896)
Søren Anton Sørensen was taught chess at the age 11 (1851) by H.Møller, when he was a regular visitor at Sulsted præste-gård (vacarage) - (H.Møller was former chairman in the first Copenhagen chess club/Københavns skak forening 1844-1846).
When Søren Anton Sørensen was 18 the following episode occured : One day S.A.S. came into a café in Aalborg where he saw two amateurs playing chess, when one of the players made a blunder, S.A.S. could not help but notice it. The two men got angry beeing corrected by a boy and challenged him to play for money, S.A.S. said he would be delighted but he would then play both men blindfold ! Needless to say S.A.S. won convincingly.
Around 1860 S.A.S. came to Copenhagen and soon got involved in the Copenhagen Chess scene.I hope to learn more about chess history in Denmark from Martin, and maybe even discover one or two more early Jerome Gambits!
