Levi Benima


Levi Benima was a Dutch chess master who twice won the Dutch Championship, in 1881 in The Hague and in 1883 in Rotterdam.
In other tournaments, he took 2nd at The Hague 1878,
tied for 3rd-4th at Gouda 1880, took 3rd at The Hague 1882, took 3rd at Gouda 1884, took 3rd at The Hague 1885, shared 2nd at Utrecht 1886, took 5th at Rotterdam 1888, tied for 4-5th at Groningen 1893, tied for 3rd-4th at Rotterdam 1894, took 3rd at Groningen 1896, and took 11th at The Hague 1898.
Benima was a peddler by profession when he married Meike Engers in 1866 in Winschoten. In 1874 he joined or perhaps co-founded the local chess club "Van der Linde", one of the three oldest extant chess clubs in the Netherlands. He was the only Dutchman to have a positive record against Dirk van Foreest in the latter's heyday in the 1880s. His son Fred Benima became an international tournament player as well.

Benima Defence

A line in the Scotch Gambit named after Levi Benima that has an affinity with the Hungarian Defense.