We proudly present our new columnist: Jacques Jambon is not only a chessplayer but also erstwhile reporter for the Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (a northern newspaper), anarchistic enemy of the state, goal- and, barkeeper, poet,-fashion icon, (the list goes on). He neither denies nor confirms (at very possible opportunity) being responsible for the smoke bomb on 10th of March 1966, thrown to the golden coach at the wedding of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus. As Jaciommo Prociutto he is a photographer of chessplayers and beautiful girls. And what he does under his nickname Jack Spam, nobody knows.

Jambon will produce an image column on a daily basis during the Chess Festival, where text and pictures will give you a surprising vision of the chess world, in his own words and through the eyes of a person who has seen it all (and may make you feel the same). He does not sit on the fence, run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. What he will do is talk endlessly about the past, like smoking when it was allowed, even at the chessboard… And things to come, such as why tournament director Koen Lambrechts will quit. Icons like Karpov, Tal, Korchnoi and many others will be reviewed. He manages to combine a romantic style with an eye for the painful truth about that twilight world, where grandmasters and patzers meet.

Important to know: the reflections of Jambon are not automatically shared by the tournament organization. The organizers tried their very best to contact the photographers and ask permission for using their pictures. If necessary, please contact us.

Everyday we present a column of Jambon in Dutch and English, 11.30 AM on this website. 

The organisation of the Chess Festival Groningen