The great German master Diemer, founder of the (propagandist) "Deutsches Kampfschach" slogan ("German fighting chess"), explorer (with Studier, Gunderam, et al.) of the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, an improved version of one of the both Blackmar gambits (1.d4 d5 2.e4 d:e4 3.f3?? was improved to 1.d4 d5 2.e4 d:e4 3.Sc3 Sf6 4.f3!! [!?] e:f3 5.Q:f3!! [again not objectively deserving the exclamation marks, but they are for the crazy idea]). The gambit is objectively refuted (source: Studier 2004, personal talk), but very dangerous at a hobby and club player level below title ranks.
The "Prophet of Muggensturm", as he was jokingly referred to, at the end of his life, as - including me - many of his followers believe, indeed developed prophetic powers. This, however, came after falling for decades of not working esoteric beliefs, such as biorhythms (not to be confused with the medical biorhtythms). Studier told me how his book contians one big error regarding this: Indeed Diemer tried to warn Wolfgang Schäuble of the assassination. The assassination however was on 12 October 1990, two days after Diemer's death.
Was this another itch, which for once was hitting? Barely, as a German chess historian reports meeting Diemer once who said that he would know where Bogoljubov's grave is when he tries to go there. Indeed, at that day the sun shone and there was a reflection that could be seen widely... coming from the grave...
Did Diemer just assume the sun would reflect there? Did he just have intuition telling him of the Schäuble assassination? After the many failed prophetic attempts of Diemer one could attribute it to luck, to just an usual "prophetic" hit rate. On the other hand, one might be inclined to believe that the man who died on 10/10/1990 at 10:10 AM(!) at the end of his life indeed found a truth he was searching for always.
Diemer's legacy is that of an eccentric gambit that brought spectacular wins, brutal losses, a fanatic fellowship, a chess master who - depending on the viewpoint - either totally failed to promote "his" opening and became crazy, or who was more than the human shell was able to show: A soul in searching for the ultimate truth, a predecessor of the fictional Fox Mulder in his stoic believe that the truth is out there and he would eventually find it. Whatever it was, somewhere over the rainbow an old man become young again right now might smile down on us, knowingly and with a smirk.
Happy birthday, Emil Joseph Diemer!
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