The championship of Belgium was for players of Belgian nationality, whereas non-Belgians could win the championship of the federation. A championship for women was established in 1938.
In 1970 the Federation Belge des Echecs was renamed the Federation Royale Belge des Echecs and from then on there is only one title, the Champion of Belgium.
In 1936 there were three Belgian championships because some players did not agree with the way things were organized and they decided to hold their own championship events, one where only Belgian players were allowed and one “international” Belgian championship.
The winner of the 1951 championship was Alberic O'Kelly de Galway and the women’s title was won by Simone Bussers
This event was for the championship of the federation and so foreign players (van Seters and Soultanbeieff) were allowed to play. O’Kelly was the main favorite, of course, and he did win by scoring victory after victory although he did suffer one defeat at the hands of van Seters.
Theorists generally frown on the idea of holding on to a gambit Pawn and often contemptuously dismissed as pointless greed that deserves punishment and that is often exactly what happens. But, this game is different as the tables are turned. The way that O’Kelly does it here is imaginative and surprising.
O’Kelly’s opponent was Georges Pierre Joseph Thibaut (November 25. 1920 - November 10, 2018) was one of Belgium's leading players form the end of 1940s to the early 1960s.
He participated in all the Belgian Championships from 1948 up to 1961, finishing third three time, in 1951, 1952 and 1953. In 1961. After a traffic accident in 1961 he stopped participating in tournaments.
Alberic Joseph Rodolphe Marie Robert Ghislain O'Kelly de Galway (May 17, 1911 - October 3, 1980, was a chess writer, GM in both otb and correspondence chess. He won the third ICCF World Champion (1959–1962). As a youth, he took lessons from the legendary Akiba Rubinstein.
[Event "Belgian Championship, Vervires"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "A. Thibaut"]
[Black "A. O'Kelly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A00"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1951.??.??"]
{D30: Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 Bb4+ 5. Nbd2
{Strangely enough, after this move black can capture the gambit Pawn and hold
onto it...something he cannot do after 5.Nc3.} dxc4 $1 6. Qa4+ Nc6 $15 7. Ne5 {
This is a waste of time.} (7. e3 Qd5 8. Bxf6 b5 9. Qc2 gxf6 10. a3 {and black
has only a nominal advantage.}) 7... Qd5 (7... Bd7 {aiming for ...Bxd2+ is
slightly more accurate.} 8. Nxc6 (8. Nxc6 {[%eval -85,26] [%wdl 0,626,374]
[%emt 0:00:06]}) 8... Bxd2+ 9. Bxd2 Bxc6 10. Qxc4 Ne4 {Black is slightly
better.}) 8. Nxc6 Bxd2+ 9. Bxd2 Bd7 {This is the point...black does not want
to be a P ahead if he has triple, isolated c-Pawns.} (9... Qxc6 10. Qxc6+ bxc6
11. e3 {and it's white who enjoys a slight advantage.}) 10. Rc1 b5 {This
interpolation holds the Pawn.} 11. Qc2 (11. Qa5 Qxc6 12. b3 O-O 13. bxc4 bxc4
14. e3 Rfb8 {Slightly better was 14...Ne4} 15. f3 Rb5 16. Qc3 Qd6 (16... Nd5 {
was better. Then after} 17. Qxc4 Qd6 18. e4 Re8 {the chances are about equal
because white cannot play...} 19. exd5 exd5+ 20. Qe2 Rb2 {and wins}) 17. Bxc4
Rh5 18. g3 {½-½ Movsziszian,K (2528)-Suba,M (2503) Albacete 2004}) 11... Bxc6
12. b3 {It looks like white is going to recover his Pawn.} cxb3 {O'Kelly is
playing sharp, tactical chess...interesting stuff!} (12... Qxd4 {This is
actually more accurate as after} 13. bxc4 Ne4 14. Be3 Qxc4 15. Qxc4 bxc4 16.
Rxc4 Kd7 {Black is slightly better.}) 13. axb3 Bd7 14. Bb4 {Played in order to
prevent black from castling, but it's an inaccuracy that results in black
getting a much better position.} (14. Qb2 {keeps white in the game. After} Ne4
15. Bf4 b4 $1 {It's best to return the P.} 16. Rxc7 g5 17. Bg3 Ke7 18. e3 Nxg3
19. hxg3 Rhc8 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 {Theoretically the game is equal, but black's
position is the more active.}) 14... a5 {Well played because it gains a tempo
which, as we shall see, is important later on.} (14... Qxd4 {is less active
because after} 15. Bc5 Qe4 16. Qb2 {It's amazing that even though white is two
Ps down his position is preferable.} b4 17. f3 Qb7 18. Kf2 Bb5 19. e4 Bxf1 20.
Rhxf1 a5 21. Rfd1 {Even though black is two Ps up, his K is caught in the
center and his R on h8 is out of play. As a result his position is difficult.})
15. Bc5 {Watch white's position completely fall apart.} Ne4 16. Qb1 (16. Ba3 {
keeps fighting.} a4 17. b4 Nd6 (17... Qxd4 {is also playable, but the text is
even better} 18. e3 Qd5 19. Be2 (19. Qxc7 Qd2#) 19... f5 20. f3 Nf6 21. Bb2 O-O
{and white is still in the game.})) 16... Nxc5 17. Rxc5 Qb7 (17... Qxd4 $19 {
has better winning chances.} 18. Qc1 a4 19. bxa4 Rxa4 {Threatening ...Ra1} 20.
e3 Qb4+ 21. Qc3 Ra1+ 22. Kd2 Qb1 {and black is winning.}) 18. Qc2 {A critical
moment has arisen, but white was not up to the challenge.} (18. e3 {keeps
black's advantage at a minimum. For example...} a4 19. bxa4 Rxa4 20. Bxb5 Bxb5
21. Qxb5+ Qxb5 22. Rxb5 Ra1+ 23. Ke2 Rxh1 24. Rb8+ Kd7 25. Rxh8 Rxh2 26. Kf3 {
White should be able to draw.}) 18... O-O {O'Kelly returns the Pawn for an
enduring initiative, but now white should have been able to get right back in
the game.} (18... a4 {should prove decisive as after} 19. f3 a3 20. Qa2 b4 21.
Kf2 Qb6 22. e3 Ra5 {and black should be able to squeeze out the win.}) 19. Rxc7
{[%mdl 8192] Natural...and bad.} (19. e3 {Surprisingly, this equalizes.} a4 20.
Bd3 h6 21. b4 Rfc8 22. Bh7+ Kh8 23. Be4 c6 24. O-O {and even though he has an
extra P black will have a hard time making progress because of his bad B.})
19... Qd5 {Black has a lead in development that results in an attack against
whites' King which is still in the center.} 20. Qc5 {Of course black cannot
take the b-Pawn...or can he?} (20. e4 {was a better defense, but even so, after
} Qxd4 21. Be2 Rfc8 22. O-O Qd6 23. Rc3 Qb4 {Black still has a decisive
advantage.}) 20... Qxb3 {Yes, he can!} 21. Rxd7 a4 {[%mdl 32] White's pieces
are either undeveloped or misplaced...he has little in the way of defensive
resources. Black is clearly winning.} 22. e3 a3 23. Kd2 Rac8 24. Rc7 Qb2+ 25.
Qc2 Rxc7 26. Qxb2 axb2 27. Bxb5 Rfc8 {White resigned.} (27... Rfc8 28. Bd3 Rc1
29. Rd1 R8c3 30. Ke2 Rxd3 {wins easily.}) 0-1
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