There are of course two historic players who changed their names for Russified presentation, firstly Tal whose Latvian name and pronunciation was Tahls, then there was the complexity of Alekhine, to which the subject changed his western spelling to in France, and to sound French, but in Russia to avoid and distance himself to a certain semitic reference — and as we grew up reading his name we all said "Alec-Keen" didn't we? — still in Russia it was, it is, more like "Al-io-kin" with that diphthong and extra syllable.

Max Euwe's name is pronounced according to our local Dutch landscaper, "Yovay".

Keres is subject to Scandinavian and northern Russian expression as with a soft 'K', Cher— and then a sibilance 'ish' thus Paul Cherish. Swedish renders the common first name Kirsten as Shastain, eg, as is remembered by my daughter in law's grandparents, with as I hear it, more "ain" than "ine or "in."

There may be other and much understandable clenches not as name changes [like my friend Andras Adorjan, which is an adopted name] that which we pronounce otherwise... do you have other examples? ....

And lawny, lawdy, it is not Roy Lopez is it? But Ree Lopeth? or do you say "Lopaiz?"

Phil Innes

On Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 4:31:24 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
> There are of course two historic players who changed their names for Russified presentation, firstly Tal whose Latvian name and pronunciation was Tahls, then there was the complexity of Alekhine, to which the subject changed his western spelling to in France, and to sound French, but in Russia to avoid and distance himself to a certain semitic reference — and as we grew up reading his name we all said "Alec-Keen" didn't we? — still in Russia it was, it is, more like "Al-io-kin" with that diphthong and extra syllable.
>
> Max Euwe's name is pronounced according to our local Dutch landscaper, "Yovay".

When I was in the Hague I learned how to pronounce "Sheveningen", after many repeated attempts. I doubt that I can pronounce it
correctly now, but at least I get closer than I once did.

James Mason, of course, was not born under that name. IIRC someone has gone to considerable effort to find out just
who he was, with what success I do not know.

Nimzowitch's name was changed by a passport official, who forgot a syllable from his original name as detailed, IIRC in Winter's
"chess Notes". It was a short syllable and Nimzowitch was so happy to get the passport that he didn't complain. The original name
meant "person from Germany" so the opening was from the Russian word for German.

Reshevsky's name was greatly shortened in America. I can barely spell it as it is, and won't attempt the complete
version, which IIRC is longer than the one given in Wikipedia.

When I first stared attending the chess club there was an elderly player, Peter Avery, Toronto Champion 1942, who was
born Petr Avarovich, and was one of Kerensky's followers in 1918. I wish I'd spoken to him about those times.

And then of course there's Kasparov.

William Hyde

On Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 4:54:19 PM UTC-5, William Hyde wrote:
> On Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 4:31:24 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
> > There are of course two historic players who changed their names for Russified presentation, firstly Tal whose Latvian name and pronunciation was Tahls, then there was the complexity of Alekhine, to which the subject changed his western spelling to in France, and to sound French, but in Russia to avoid and distance himself to a certain semitic reference — and as we grew up reading his name we all said "Alec-Keen" didn't we? — still in Russia it was, it is, more like "Al-io-kin" with that diphthong and extra syllable.
> >
> > Max Euwe's name is pronounced according to our local Dutch landscaper, "Yovay".
> When I was in the Hague I learned how to pronounce "Sheveningen", after many repeated attempts. I doubt that I can pronounce it
> correctly now, but at least I get closer than I once did.

Maybe like Shavan-YING-er

> James Mason, of course, was not born under that name. IIRC someone has gone to considerable effort to find out just
> who he was, with what success I do not know.

I looked that up, and neither did his researchers know, though he was once thought #1 in the world. Irish, though. And was that a disguise from that?
>
> Nimzowitch's name

(Latvian: Ārons Nimcovičs, Russian: Аро́н Иса́евич Нимцо́вич, Aron Isayevich Nimtsovich;—

Mother's name: Esphir Nohumovna Nimzowitsch (born Rabinovich, 1865) and, perhaps explaining a name change "During the 1917 Russian Revolution, Nimzowitsch was in the Baltic war zone. He escaped being drafted into one of the armies by feigning madness, insisting that a fly was on his head. He then escaped to Berlin, and gave his first name as Arnold, possibly to avoid anti-Semitic persecution."

and everyone should love "'Gegen diesen Idioten muss ich verlieren!' ('That I should lose to this idiot!')" About Samisch, no less.

Probably Ray Keene would know better of his name and psychological condition, but we are not currently in touch.

> was changed by a passport official, who forgot a syllable

That is possibly the "m"

> from his original name as detailed, IIRC in Winter's
> "chess Notes". It was a short syllable and Nimzowitch was so happy to get the passport that he didn't complain. The original name
> meant "person from Germany" so the opening was from the Russian word for German.
>
> Reshevsky's name was greatly shortened in America. I can barely spell it as it is, and won't attempt the complete
> version, which IIRC is longer than the one given in Wikipedia.
>
> When I first stared attending the chess club there was an elderly player, Peter Avery, Toronto Champion 1942, who was
> born Petr Avarovich, and was one of Kerensky's followers in 1918. I wish I'd spoken to him about those times.
>
> And then of course there's Kasparov.

Petersburg, guttural, Moscow, like many capitals moderated but heavy on the consonants, but in Baku, soft — so we might expect another Shaskorrrrov

Cordially, Phil Inez
as they say on the phone
including today when I called Texas
and while she concluded that it was
"extremely cold here" being 65 degrees
the sun was just setting here over the hill at 40 degrees
and I assume it was even lesser where you are
the sun setting earlier
because of your northerly situation

>
> William Hyde

On Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 3:32:36 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
> On Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 4:54:19 PM UTC-5, William Hyde wrote:
> > On Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 4:31:24 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
> > > There are of course two historic players who changed their names for Russified presentation, firstly Tal whose Latvian name and pronunciation was Tahls, then there was the complexity of Alekhine, to which the subject changed his western spelling to in France, and to sound French, but in Russia to avoid and distance himself to a certain semitic reference — and as we grew up reading his name we all said "Alec-Keen" didn't we? — still in Russia it was, it is, more like "Al-io-kin" with that diphthong and extra syllable.
> > >
> > > Max Euwe's name is pronounced according to our local Dutch landscaper, "Yovay".
> > When I was in the Hague I learned how to pronounce "Sheveningen", after many repeated attempts. I doubt that I can pronounce it
> > correctly now, but at least I get closer than I once did.
> Maybe like Shavan-YING-er

I found two youtube videos on this, and guess what, they disagree!

One pronounces the final "n" while the other "shaveininga" is more or less what I was taught (I have tried to write that
phonetically, but no guarantees. The final "a" is very soft, could almost be an "uh").

> Cordially, Phil Inez
> as they say on the phone
> including today when I called Texas
> and while she concluded that it was
> "extremely cold here" being 65 degrees
> the sun was just setting here over the hill at 40 degrees
> and I assume it was even lesser where you are
> the sun setting earlier
> because of your northerly situation

Many years ago I was participating in a weather briefing in Halifax, NS, when the forecast
was 77F the next day. Or, as a native Haligonian said:

"Another scorcher".

Toronto is on the same latitude, more or less, as Halifax, but having a continental climate
we don't regard a day as a scorcher until it reaches the level of "balmy" in South Texas.

Another scientist I knew in Halifax treasured a headline from his days in the UK

"Forecast 73, no relief in sight".

While another Nova Scotian physicist treasured the headline in a local paper:

"Mysterious Fish Dealer Bankrupt".

William Hyde