Newly uncovered World Jewish Relief (WJR) records have revealed that a Jewish chess player who fled Nazi Germany became Britain’s first grandmaster, decades before the achievement was officially recognised.
Jacques Mieses, a celebrated German chess player and writer, was awarded the grandmaster title in 1950, 26 years before Tony Miles became the first British-born player to achieve it.
WJR’s archives show Mieses’ journey from Nazi Germany to Britain, revealing his place in chess history and life after persecution.
Born in Leipzig in 1865, Mieses had established himself as one of Germany’s leading chess figures, enjoying success as a professional player, author and chess columnist.
His great-great-nephew Johannes Geppert told The Telegraph: “He was quite successful as a writer of chess books and chess columns. He wrote the most popular chess-learning book, which was sold 100,000 times and every good household in Germany had a copy.”
Due to the rise of the Nazis, Mieses was driven out of the chess and publishing worlds, and his name was removed from later editions of his books.
A bus accident in 1937, which left him with serious mobility problems and made it difficult for him to walk.
Following Kristallnacht in 1938, the 73-year-old sought refuge in Britain, accepting an invitation to participate in the Hastings International Chess Congress.
He arrived at Harwich on 20 December 1938 on a three-month visa, before receiving permission to remain in the country, eventually becoming a British citizen in June 1947.
The documents were discovered after Geppert, an Amazon software-development manager living in Leipzig, contacted WJR as part of years of research into his relative’s life. He is preparing a book about Mieses, due to be published next year.
WJR, which grew out of the Central British Fund for German Jewry, supported Mieses as he established himself in Britain. Its archive holds records of thousands of Jewish refugees helped to escape Nazi persecution and rebuild their lives in the UK.
Sharon Adler, the WJR volunteer who handled Geppert’s enquiry, said: “It’s a privilege to be able to share such records with family members, especially those who have passed away.
“Each archive is able to share something different and paint a fuller picture and add to their own personal stories.”
The archives reveal that Mieses received modest financial assistance from WJR and the Nathan and Adolphe Haendler charity, helping to cover food, clothing and medical expenses.
Among the items provided during his final months were several cardigans, orthopaedic shoes and a new coat.
Mieses continued to work as a chess player, teacher and writer. His professional fortunes began to improve in 1945, according to letters he sent to relatives.
In one letter, he wrote: “My name is very well known in English chess circles. On the 15th of this month, there is to be a formal event held here in my honour.
“I’m actually kept fairly busy – I give exhibitions in London and the provinces, give chess lessons, and am active as a writer. The latter will, I hope, be the case to a far greater extent after the war.”
Writing to his cousin Léonie in 1947, he described the hardships of post-war Britain.
“You’ll already know from the press that life in England right now – and, in all likelihood, for a long time to come – is thoroughly unpleasant. The struggle for existence has become quite hard for me here too.”
In his letters, he also described “London’s catastrophic housing shortage” and the difficulties of living on post-war rations.
Mieses died in February 1954, four days before his 89th birthday.
For Geppert, the discovery of the WJR documents has provided a deeply personal connection to a relative whose achievements were not fully recognised.
He described the newly discovered file as “quietly moving”, adding that “it was the small, human details that stayed with me.
“The orthopaedic shoes he needed after his accident ... the worn clothes he had carried from Leipzig and was hoping to replace. And the fact that the charity was still caring for him in his final weeks.
“I grew up knowing Jacques mostly through family memory, and meeting him again in these plain administrative notes, each one a small act of dignity, made him real to me in a way I hadn’t expected.”
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