Haije Kramer was a Dutch chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 master and theoretician

Chess theory

The game of chess is commonly divided into three phases: the opening, middlegame, and endgame. As to each of these phases, especially the opening and endgame, there is a large body of theory as how the game should be played...

.

He began his chess career during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. He took 4th at Baarn 1940 (Quadrangular, Salo Landau

Salo Landau

Salo Landau was a Dutch chess player, who died in a Nazi concentration camp.-Early life:...

 won), took 3rd at The Hague 1940 (George Salto Fontein

George Salto Fontein

George Salto Fontein was a Dutch chess master.At the beginning of his career, he took 3rd at Leiden 1909 . Then, he tied for 2nd-4th in interrupted Mannheim 1914 chess tournament...

 won), took 4th at Leeuwarden 1940 (Nicolaas Cortlever

Nicolaas Cortlever

Nicolaas Cortlever was a Dutch chess master.He tied for 7-8th at Rotterdam 1936 ; took 2nd at Amsterdam 1938 ; won at the 2nd Hoogovens Beverwijk 1939 ; tied for 4-6th at Amsterdam I and 3rd-4th at Amsterdam II in 1939.During World War II, he tied for 2nd-3rd at...

, S. Landau and Lodewijk Prins

Lodewijk Prins

Lodewijk Prins was a Dutch chess player and referee of chess competitions.Prins was awarded the International Master title in 1950, and was made an International Arbiter in 1960. In 1982 FIDE made him an honorary Grandmaster.Prins represented the Netherlands twelve times in all Chess Olympiads...

 won), and took 5th at Baarn 1941 (Max Euwe

Max Euwe

Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...

 won). Kramer lost two matches to Euwe 3–5 in 1940 and 1–7 in 1941. He played in Dutch Chess Championship

Dutch Chess Championship

The Dutch Chess Championship was officially established in 1909, although unofficial champions stretch back to the 1870s.-Early years:-Official championships:...

 at Leeuwarden 1942.

After the war, he took 3rd in the Hoogovens tournament

Corus chess tournament

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament formerly called the Corus chess tournament takes place every year, usually in January, in a small town called Wijk aan Zee, part of the larger Beverwijk in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands...

 at Beverwijk 1946 (Alberic O'Kelly de Galway

Albéric O'Kelly de Galway

Albéric O'Kelly de Galway was a Belgian chess Grandmaster , and an International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster , most famous for being the third ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess between 1959 and 1962. He was also a chess writer...

 won), won at Leiden 1946 (C-tournament), tied for 6-8th at Zaandam 1946 (M. Euwe won), tied for 2nd-3rd with George Alan Thomas

George Alan Thomas

Sir George Alan Thomas, Bart. was a British badminton, tennis and chess player. He was twice British Chess Champion and a 21-time All-England Badminton champion. He also played in the semi-finals of the men's tennis doubles at Wimbledon in 1911...

, behind C. Vlagsma, at Baarn 1947, shared 1st at Leeuwarden 1947, took 2nd, behind L. Prins, at Nijmegen 1948, won at Vimperk 1949, tied for 3rd-4t at Beverwijk 1951 (Herman Pilnik

Herman Pilnik

Herman Pilnik was an Argentine chess Grandmaster.-Career:...

 won). He twice participated in zonal tournaments; took 11th at Bad Pyrmont 1951 (Svetozar Gligorić

Svetozar Gligoric

Svetozar Gligorić is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is considered the best player ever from Serbia...

 won) and took 8th at Munich 1954 (Wolfgang Unzicker

Wolfgang Unzicker

Wolfgang Unzicker was one of the strongest German chess Grandmasters from 1945 to about 1970.He decided against making chess his profession, choosing law instead....

 won).

Kramer seven times represented the Netherlands in Chess Olympiads (1950–1962), and won individual bronze medal at Munich 1958.

He is a co-author of Losbladige Schaakberichten and Het middenspel ("The Middle Game", The Hague 1952) with M. Euwe.

Awarded the International Master title in 1954 and the International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster

International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster

International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster is a title created by the FIDE in 1953, second only to that of world correspondence champion. Now awarded by the International Correspondence Chess Federation.-American ICCGMs:* Hans Jack Berliner, GM 1968...

title in 1984.