World Chess Championship 1954
The 1954 World Chess Championship was played between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov in Moscow from March 16 to May 13, 1954. Botvinnik had been World Champion since 1948 and had successfully defended the title in 1951, while Smyslov earned the right to challenge by winning the 1953 Candidates tournament. The match was drawn 12–12, meaning Botvinnik retained the world title. 1952 Interzonal tournament An interzonal tournament was held at Saltsjöbaden in Stockholm, Sweden, in September and October 1952. The top eight finishers qualified for the Candidates tournament. : Only the top five were supposed to have qualified for a 12-player Candidates Tournament, but four players were tied for fifth place, and since the Sonneborn-Berger tie-break margins were so small, all four were included.1952 Saltsjobaden Interz ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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László Szabó (chess Player)
László Szabó ( March 19, 1917 – August 8, 1998) was a Hungarian chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandmaster in 1950, when it was instituted by FIDE. Born in Budapest, Szabó burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the age of 18, winning the first of Hungarian Championships, an international tournament in Tatatóváros, and was selected to represent his country at the Warsaw Chess Olympiad. It is thought that the young Szabó studied under Géza Maróczy, then a patriarchal figure in Hungarian chess who had previously trained future world champions, Max Euwe and Vera Menchik. Prior to World War II, there were other successes, including outright victory at Hastings 1938/39 (a tournament he was to hold a long association with). He began a career as a banker, dealing in foreign exchange. At the outbreak of war, Szabó was attached to a Forced Labour Unit and was later captured by Russian troops who held him as a prisoner of war. Aft ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Harry Golombek
Harry Golombek OBE (1 March 1911 – 7 January 1995) was a British chess player, chess author, and wartime codebreaker. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He was born in Lambeth to Polish-Jewish parents. He was the chess correspondent of the newspaper ''The Times'' from 1945 to 1985, after Stuart Milner-Barry. He was a FIDE official, and served as arbiter for several important events, including the Candidates' Tournament of 1959 in Yugoslavia, and the 1963 World Chess Championship match between Mikhail Botvinnik and Tigran Petrosian. He also edited the game collections of José Raúl Capablanca's and Réti, and was a respected author. He was editor of ''British Chess Magazine'' from 1938 to 1940, and its overseas editor in the 1960s and 1970s. Golombek also translated several chess books from Russian into English. On the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Golombek was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, competing ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Povilas Vaitonis
Povilas (Paul) Vaitonis (15 August 1911 in Užpaliai, Kovno Governorate – 23 April 1983 in Hamilton, Canada) was a Lithuanian–Canadian International Master of chess. He was a five-time Lithuanian champion, and was twice Canadian champion. Vaitonis was inducted into the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame on July 9, 2011 in Toronto. Biography Povilas Vaitonis played for Lithuania in four official and one unofficial Chess Olympiads. * In July 1933, he played at second board at 5th Chess Olympiad in Folkestone (+5 –5 =2). * In August 1935, he played at fourth board at 6th Chess Olympiad in Warsaw (+5 –5 =3). * In August/September 1936, he played at third board at 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad in Munich (+12 –6 =2). * In July/August 1937, he played at second board at 7th Chess Olympiad in Stockholm (+8 –5 =5). * In August/September 1939, he played at second board at 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires (+6 –8 =6). His total for Lithuania in Olympiads was (+36 -29 =18). V ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Wade (chess Player)
Robert Graham Wade (10 April 1921 – 29 November 2008) was a New Zealand and English chess player, writer, arbiter, coach, and promoter. He was New Zealand champion three times, British champion twice, and played in seven Chess Olympiads and one Interzonal tournament. Wade held the titles of International Master and International Arbiter. Early career in New Zealand Wade grew up on a farm in Dunedin, New Zealand, far from the world's chess centres, and lacked strong competition early in his career. He developed his chess skills from materials in his local library, such as the ''British Chess Magazine'' and works by Australian champion Cecil Purdy. After winning the New Zealand Chess Championship in 1944, 1945 and 1948, he travelled to Europe to further his chess career. International chess was starting up again after a six-year hiatus caused by World War II. For most Masters, it was a matter of dusting off their skills, but Wade had little if any high-class experience to d ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Luis Augusto Sánchez
Luis Augusto Sánchez (20 July 1917 – 1981) was a Colombian chess master. He won the Colombian Chess Championship six times (1938, 1947, 1948, 1954, 1958, and 1962). He broke out on the international stage in 1938 by winning the chess tournament at the first Bolivarian Games in Bogotá. In 1951, he won in Caracas (zonal). In 1952, he took 17th in Stockholm (interzonal; Alexander Kotov won). In 1957, he took 3rd in Caracas (zonal; Boris de Greiff won). In 1958, he took 8th in Bogotá (1st Torneo de las Americas; Oscar Panno won). In 1959, he tied for 4-6th with Raúl Sanguineti and Bobby Fischer in Santiago de Chile. The event was won by Borislav Ivkov and Luděk Pachman. In 1969, he tied for 4-5th in Quito (zonal; Eleazar Jiménez and Olavo Yépez won). Sánchez played for Colombia in four Chess Olympiads. * In 1954, at third board in the 11th Chess Olympiad The 11th Chess Olympiad ( nl, De 11e Schaakolympiade), organized by the FIDE and comprising an openAlthough commonly ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gösta Stoltz
Gösta Stoltz (May 9, 1904 – July 25, 1963) was a Swedish chess grandmaster. Biography Stoltz played a few matches with strong chess masters. In 1926, he lost to Mikhail Botvinnik (+0 –1 =1) at a team match Stockholm – Leningrad in Stockholm. In 1927, he drew with Allan Nilsson (+2 –2 =1) in Göteborg (Swedish Chess Championship). In 1930, he won against Isaac Kashdan (+3 –2 =1) in Stockholm. In 1930, he lost to Rudolf Spielmann (+2–3=1) in Stockholm. In 1931, he won against Salo Flohr (+4 –3 =1) in Göteborg. In 1931, he lost to Flohr (+1 –4 =3) in Prague. In 1931, he drew with Gideon Ståhlberg (+2 –2 =2) in Göteborg. In 1934, he lost to Aron Nimzowitsch (+1 –2 =3) in Stockholm. In September 1935, he played at a match Sweden vs Germany (Scheveningen system), and took 2nd individual result, behind Ståhlberg, in Zoppot (Sopot). Stoltz played for Sweden in nine Chess Olympiads (1927–1937, 1952,1954) and in 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad at Munich 1936 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gedeon Barcza
Gedeon (Gideon) Barcza (August 21, 1911, in Kisújszállás – February 27, 1986, in Budapest) was a Hungarian chess grandmaster. He was eight-time chess champion of Hungary. Chess career In 1940, Barcza took third place, behind Max Euwe and Milan Vidmar, at Maróczy Jubiläum in Budapest. In September 1942, he took sixth place at the first European Championship in Munich; the event was won by Alexander Alekhine. In 1948, he took second place in Karlovy Vary; the event was won by Jan Foltys. In 1948, he tied for second/third place in Venice; the event was won by Miguel Najdorf. In 1950, he tied for second/fourth place in Salzbrunn (Szczawno Zdrój); the event was won by Paul Keres. In 1952, he took fifteenth place in Saltsjöbaden (interzonal). In 1957, he won in San Benedetto del Tronto. In 1961, he took third place in Vienna. In 1962, he tied for third/sixth place in Moscow. In 1962, he tied for fourteenth/fifteenth place in Stockholm (interzonal). Barcza won the Hungaria ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aleksandar Matanović
Aleksandar Matanović (born May 23, 1930) is a Serbian chess grandmaster. Following the death of Yuri Averbakh at the age of 100 on May 7, 2022, Matanović became the oldest living grandmaster. Chess career Awarded the GM title in 1955, Matanović was junior champion of Yugoslavia in 1948 and Yugoslav national champion in 1962 (joint with Minić), 1969 and 1978 (he took second place in 1951, 1956, 1959 and 1967). His main tournament results include second place at the Vrnjacka Banja zonal tournament 1967, first place at Opatija 1953, second at Belgrade 1954, first at Hamburg 1955, first at Beverwijk 1957, tied for first at Buenos Aires 1961, first at Zevenaar 1961 and second at Jerusalem 1964. He has an Elo rating of 2490, and is one of just a few living players in the world with Morphy Number 3. Matanović is the author of leading chess encyclopedias and Editor-in-Chief of ''Chess Informant''. Other Matanović has also been a radio announcer and producer. Books * ''Encyc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Herman Steiner
Herman Steiner (April 15, 1905 – November 25, 1955) was an American chess player, organizer, and columnist. He won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1948 and became International Master in 1950. Even more important than his playing career were his efforts promoting chess in the U.S., particularly on the West Coast. An exemplar of the Romantic School of chess, Steiner was a successor to the American chess tradition of Paul Morphy, Harry Nelson Pillsbury, and Frank Marshall. Biography Born in Dunaszerdahely, Austria-Hungary (now Dunajská Streda, Slovakia), Steiner came to New York City at a young age. For a time, he was active as a boxer. At age 16 he was a member of the Hungarian Chess Club and the Stuyvesant Chess Club. With the experience he gained in the active New York City chess scene, Steiner rapidly developed his chess skill and in 1929 he tied for first place (with Jacob Bernstein) in the New York State championship tournament at Buffalo. The same year he was first in the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Luděk Pachman
Luděk Pachman (German: Ludek Pachmann, May 11, 1924 – March 6, 2003) was a Czechoslovak-German chess grandmaster, chess writer, and political activist. In 1972, after being imprisoned and tortured almost to death by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, he was allowed to emigrate to West Germany. He lived the remainder of his life there, and resumed his chess career with considerable success, including playing in the Interzonal in 1976 and winning the West German Championship in 1978. Career Pachman's first chess championship came in 1940, when he became champion of the nearby village of Cista (population 900). The first break in his chess career came in 1943, when he was invited to an international tournament in Prague. World Champion Alexander Alekhine dominated the event, with Paul Keres taking second place. Pachman finished ninth in the nineteen-player tournament. Alekhine paid him a compliment in an article in the ''Frankfurter Zeitung'' and from the fifth round on, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hermann Pilnik
Hermann Pilnik (8 January 1914, Stuttgart, Germany – 12 November 1981, Caracas, Venezuela) was a German Argentine chess Grandmaster. Career In 1929, he won the championship of Stuttgart. Pilnik emigrated from Germany to Argentina in 1930. He won the Argentine Championships in 1942, 1945 and 1958. Pilnik began his international career in 1942, when he tied for 10-11th in New York, and tied for 2nd-3rd in Mar del Plata. In 1944, he tied for 1st with Miguel Najdorf in Mar del Plata. In July/August 1945, he took 3rd at the Hollywood Pan-American Tournament in Los Angeles. The event was won by Samuel Reshevsky. In 1951, he came third in Gijón international tournament (Euwe was the winner), and he won in Beverwijk. In 1951/52, in Vienna, In 1952, he won in Belgrade. In 1954, he won in Stuttgart. He played for Argentina in five Chess Olympiads. In 1950, he won individual gold medal playing at first reserve board (+6 −1 =3) and team silver medal at the 9th Chess Olympiad in Dubr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |