One in four workers were unemployed, a staggering number! Over 15,000,000 Americans were looking for work and could not find a job. In the United States, the Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 and then spread worldwide. The lowest came in 1931–1933, and recovery came in 1940
President Roosevelt's New Deal was unveiled shortly after his inauguration. It was "a series of programs and projects instituted that were aimed to restore prosperity to Americans.
To add to the woes, on November 11, a very strong dust storm stripped topsoil from desiccated South Dakota farmlands in one of a series of severe dust storms that year. Two days later dust from the storm had reached Albany, New York, which is 1,500 miles from where the storm had originated. Also in 1933, Prohibition ended which was good mews for many.
Former President Calvin Coolidge, who served from 1923 to 1929, died suddenly at his home in Northampton, Massachusetts from coronary thrombosis. On the international scene in 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed as Germany's chancellor and everybody knows what followed.
In the 1933 chess world players lost were Johann Berger (1845-1933) the winner of the first major tournament in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The man who popularized the Englund Gambit
(1.d4 e5), the Swedish Master Fritz Englund (1871-1933). Hermann von Gottschall (1862-1933),a German lawyer, author and editor. Australian and New Zealand champion William Viner (1871-1933) American problemist and problem editor Henry Barry (1878-1933). Another problemist, William A. Shinkman (1847-1933), who was known as the Wizard of Grand Rapids (Michigan). Leading Dutch Master Adolf Olland (1867-1933) died in The Hague
According to Chess metrics the leading players in the world were Alexander Alekhine, Isaac Kashdan, José Capablanca, Salo Flohr, Max Euwe, Aron Nimzovich, Mir Sultan Khan, Efim Bogoljubow, Saviely Tartakower and Milan Vidmar (Senior).
Unfortunately at the end of 1933, Mir Sultan Khan returned to India with his master and his chess career was over. There is an excellent biography of Khan on Chess.com HERE.
Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995) was beginning to become a force: he won the championship of Russia, the 8th USSR championship and drew a match with Salo Flohr.
The Jewish Emanual Lasker, the grandson of a rabbi, was driven out of Germany because he was a Jew. In July 1933, all Jews were banned from the Greater German Chess Association.
On the American scene in January 1933, Isaac Kashdan published the first monthly edition of Chess Review magazine. In November 1969, it merged with Chess Life to become Chess Life & Review.
Reuben Fine won the Marshall Chess Club championship. Robert Willman won the Manhattan Chess Club championship. Fred Reinfeld won the New York State Championship. Reuben Fine defeated Arthur Dake in a match in New York. Reuben Fine won the Western Open (US Open) that was held in Detroit.
The Chess Olympiad was held in Folkestone, England and it was won by the United States (Isaac Kashdan, Frank Marshall, Reuben Fine, Arthur Dake and Albert Simonson.
Today’s game was played in a 1933 Metropolitan Chess League team match. The event was won by the Marshall CC followed by the Empire City CC and the Manhattan CC. Horowitz ripped his opponent apart, but the game was flawed by a colossal double blunder. Nevertheless the finish is nice!
[Event "Metropolitan Chess League, New York"]
[Site "New York, NY"]
[Date "1933.03.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Charles Bourbeau (Int'l CC)"]
[Black "Israel A. Horowitz (Manhattan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A52"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 17"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1933.??.??"]
{A52: Budapest Gambit} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 {This defense made its debut in 1896,
but it wasn't until Dr. Milan Vidmar used it to defeat Akiba Rubinstein in
1918 that it started receiving attention. Today it's not highly tjhough of,
but Horowiyz commented that it has enough interesting features to warrant its
occasional use.} 3. dxe5 {The only move that offers any chance of gaining an
advantage.} Ng4 {It's interesting to note that the Fajarowicz Variation (3...
Ne5) is theoretically inferior, but in practical play it yields better results!
} 4. e4 {Besides this white has two main options; (a) defend the P with 4.Bf4
or (b) defend it with 4.Nf3. With the text move he returns the P and hopes to
obtain rapid development and work up a K-side attack.} Nxe5 5. Nf3 (5. f4 {
leads to dynamic play that should favor white after} Nec6 6. Nc3 Bc5 7. Qg4)
5... Nbc6 6. Nc3 Bc5 7. Be2 d6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nd5 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 f5 {A bold
move, but neither side can claim any advantage here/} (10... Ne5 11. b4 Nxf3+
12. gxf3 Bb6 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Kh1 Be6 15. Bb2 f6 16. Qe2 {½-½ Efinowicz,M
(2083)-Zdanowicz,P (2050) Poznan POL 2008}) 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. Ne3 {This is a
rather odd move that only wastes time. 12.Be3 completing his development was
preferable.} Bd7 13. Qd5+ {The object of this check is not apparent. Besides,
the Q is not well placed here. There is not much going on so he cou;d have
safely returned the N to d5 or even fianchetto the c1B.} Kh8 14. b3 Nd4 15. Bd1
Nf5 (15... Bc6 {Horowitz write that he was tempted to play this, but didn't
see that it lead anywhere.} 16. Qh5 Be4 17. Bb2 Bd3 18. Re1 {and black has not
really improved his position.}) (15... Qf6 {keeps a significant advantage
though. White's best bet is to complicate with} 16. b4 Bxb4 17. Qxb7 {but here,
too, black's positional advantage should prove decisive.}) 16. Bc2 c6 {Not the
most precise.} (16... Nxe3 {This involves the exchange of too many pieces to
ensure victory.} 17. Bxe3 Bxe3 18. fxe3 {etc.}) (16... Nd4 {was a good option.}
17. Ba3 Bxa3 18. Qxd4 c6 {Black can only lay claim to a slight advantage, but
at the same time he has all the play and so has reason to be optimistic.}) 17.
Qd3 Qh4 18. Bb2 Rae8 19. Rae1 Nxe3 20. fxe3 Rf5 {By bringing the R to the
g-file black's attack gains strength, but with care white should have adequate
defensive resources.} 21. Qc3 Rg5 22. Rf3 {A very interesting position! With
the modest 22...d5 black could have maintained a small edge. Instead he makes
a colosslol blunder...one which he missed in his annotations when the game
appeared in print months later!} Bd4 {[%mdl 8192] ...and loses...but only id
white finds the refutation.} 23. Qxd4 {[%mdl 8192] ...and loses...white failed
to find the refutation!} (23. Ref1 {Threatening mate with 24.Rf8#} Bf6 24. Rxf6
{Renews the threat so...} Rxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Bh3+ 26. Kh1 gxf6 27. Qxf6+ Qxf6 28.
Rxf6 {with a easy win.}) 23... Qxe1+ {Back on track. Black is clearly winning
now.} 24. Rf1 Rxg2+ {[%mdl 512] The line may have been badly flawed, but thi
is the point of black's 22nd move.} 25. Kxg2 {The remaining oves were made
from inertia.} Bh3+ {[%mdl 512]} 26. Kxh3 Qxf1+ 27. Kg3 Qg1+ 28. Kf3 Rf8+ 29.
Ke2 Qf1+ 30. Kd2 Rf2+ 31. Kc3 Qe1+ 32. Kd3 Qd2+ 33. Ke4 Qxc2+ 34. Qd3 Qxd3+ {
White resigned.} 0-1