Gerald Abrahams (England, 15.04.1907 - 15.03.1980)

Gerald Abrahams was born in Liverpool on April 15, 1907 in England. He was an English lawyer (barrister), political theorist, philosopher, and strong amateur chess player.

He is best known for the “Abrahams Defense” of the Semi-Slav. This is also known as the Noteboom variation, after the Dutch player Daniel Noteboom (1910-1932). The opening moves are 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e3 b5 6.a4 Bb4 7.Bd2 a5. He first played this line in a university game for Oxford vs. London (Allcock-Abrahams, England 1925). Abrahams later used this variation to defeat V. Ragozin in the USSR-Britain radio match of 1946. Abrahams later played his variation against Gligoric at Hastings 1951/2 but lost. Daniel Noteboom later played this variation at the Hamburg Olympiad in 1930 and won.

Abrahams is quoted as saying, “The tactician knows what to do when there is something to do; whereas the strategian knows what to do when there is nothing to do.” Other quotes of his are “Chess is a good mistress but a bad master,” and “In chess there is a world of intellectual values,” and “Good positions don’t win games, good moves do.” He also wrote “Why some persons are good at chess, and others bad at it, is more mysterious than anything on chess board.”

Source: arves.org