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chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
in 1972;


Top players

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( Fédération Internationale des Échecs), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national c ...
top 10 by
Elo rating The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American physics professor. The Elo system was invented as an improved ch ...
– July 1972 #
Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11 ...
2785 #
Boris Spassky Boris Vasilievich Spassky ( rus, Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский, Borís Vasíl'yevich Spásskiy; born January 30, 1937) is a Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 ...
2660 #
Tigran Petrosian Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (, ; 17 June 1929 – 13 August 1984) was a Soviet-Armenian chess grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost-impenetrable defensive playing style, ...
2645 #
Lev Polugaevsky Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky ( rus, Лев Абрамович Полугаевский, p=pəlʊɡɐˈjefskʲɪj; 20 November 1934 – 30 August 1995) was a Soviet chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandmaster by FIDE in ...
2645 #
Viktor Korchnoi Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ( rus, Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, p=vʲiktər lʲvovʲɪtɕ kɐrtɕˈnoj; 23 March 1931 – 6 June 2016) was a Soviet (before 1976) and Swiss (after 1980) chess grandmaster (GM) and chess writer. He ...
2640 #
Lajos Portisch Lajos Portisch (born 4 April 1937) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik". One of the strongest non-Soviet players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s, he participated ...
2640 #
Anatoly Karpov Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov ( rus, links=no, Анато́лий Евге́ньевич Ка́рпов, p=ɐnɐˈtolʲɪj jɪvˈɡʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈkarpəf; born May 23, 1951) is a Russian and former Soviet chess grandmaster, former World Ches ...
2630 #
Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, ( – May 5, 1995) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster. The sixth World Chess Champion, he also worked as an electrical engineer and computer scientist and was a pioneer in computer chess. Botvinnik ...
2630 #
Mikhail Tal Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal; rus, Михаил Нехемьевич Таль, ''Mikhail Nekhem'yevich Tal' '', ; sometimes transliterated ''Mihails Tals'' or ''Mihail Tal'' (9 November 1936 – 28 June 1992) was a Soviet-Latvian chess player ...
2625 #
Bent Larsen Jørgen Bent Larsen (4 March 1935 – 9 September 2010) was a Danish chess grandmaster and author. Known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play, he was the second strongest non-Soviet player, behind Bobby Fischer, for much of the 196 ...
2625


Chess news in brief

*
Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11 ...
defeats
Boris Spassky Boris Vasilievich Spassky ( rus, Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский, Borís Vasíl'yevich Spásskiy; born January 30, 1937) is a Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 ...
in
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
, to become the eleventh
World Chess Champion The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who has held the title since 2013. The first event recognized as a world championship was the 1886 match ...
. There are serious doubts as to whether Fischer will even turn up. His resolve remains in question throughout the early part of the match, amidst a barrage of disputes and demands. He plays badly in the first game and loses. The prospects look bleak when he fails to appear for the second game and is defaulted. From the third game onwards however, he quickly settles to his best form and outplays the defending champion, scoring seven wins, one loss and eleven draws. Officiated by Lothar Schmid, the match is pronounced a victory for the challenger, by a score of 12½–8½. Headline writers across the world follow the unfolding drama with great interest, sensationally describing the confrontation as " The Match of the Century", "East against West", "The introvert versus the extrovert". At the very least, the encounter ends twenty-five years of Soviet supremacy. Predictably, Fischer has his own, more extravagant claim—"It will probably be the greatest sports event in history. Bigger even than the Frazier-Ali fight". After the match, Fischer gains instant celebrity status and even appears on the
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...
Show. Subsequently, the popularity of chess reaches new heights in the western world and sales of chess sets rise to record levels. *The
Chess Olympiad The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 and ...
at
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
ends in victory for the USSR, scoring 42/60, with Hungary (40½/60) taking silver and Yugoslavia (38/60), the bronze team medals. Outstanding performances on board one come from
Robert Hübner Robert Hübner (born November 6, 1948) is a German chess grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist. He was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s. Chess career At eighteen, he was joint winner of the West German Chess ...
(gold),
Vlastimil Hort Vlastimil Hort (born 12 January 1944) is a German chess Grandmaster. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the 1977–78 Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship, but never qualified f ...
(silver) and
Walter Browne Walter Shawn Browne (10 January 1949 – 24 June 2015) was an Australian-born American chess and poker player. Awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 1970, he won the U.S. Chess Championship six times. Early years Browne was born to an Ame ...
(bronze). A total of 444 players take part, representing 63 countries, although Albania withdraw after 10 rounds. For the first time, the Olympiad stages both Men's and Women's events concurrently at the same venue, although there is considerable disparity between the size of the two events—the Men's comprises teams of four bolstered by two reserves while the Women's can only support teams of two, with one reserve. The outcome of the Women's event once again favours the USSR (11½/14), ahead of Romania and Hungary (both 8/14). *
San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...
hosts the Church's fried chicken tournament (named after its sponsor) at the Hotel Hilton Palacio del Rio. Newly crowned world champion Fischer and deposed champion Spassky are invited, but decline entry. Fischer confirms that the playing conditions meet with his approval, but he is less complimentary about the prize fund. The list of entrants is nevertheless world-class and proceedings result in a three-way tie between
Tigran Petrosian Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (, ; 17 June 1929 – 13 August 1984) was a Soviet-Armenian chess grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost-impenetrable defensive playing style, ...
,
Lajos Portisch Lajos Portisch (born 4 April 1937) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik". One of the strongest non-Soviet players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s, he participated ...
and
Anatoly Karpov Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov ( rus, links=no, Анато́лий Евге́ньевич Ка́рпов, p=ɐnɐˈtolʲɪj jɪvˈɡʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈkarpəf; born May 23, 1951) is a Russian and former Soviet chess grandmaster, former World Ches ...
.(all 10½/15). *
Mikhail Tal Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal; rus, Михаил Нехемьевич Таль, ''Mikhail Nekhem'yevich Tal' '', ; sometimes transliterated ''Mihails Tals'' or ''Mihail Tal'' (9 November 1936 – 28 June 1992) was a Soviet-Latvian chess player ...
recovers well from his poor health to dominate the
Soviet Chess Championship The USSR Chess Championship was played from 1921 to 1991. Organized by the USSR Chess Federation, it was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners ...
with 15/21, ahead of
Vladimir Tukmakov Vladimir Borisovich Tukmakov (, born March 5, 1946 in Odessa) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. He gained the Grandmaster title in 1972. Career His career first blossomed when he helped and then led the USSR to consecutive wins of the World St ...
(13/21). He is also a winner at
Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...
(11/15), ahead of Vladimir Savon (10½/15) and
Mark Taimanov Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (russian: Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов; 7 February 1926 – 28 November 2016) was one of the leading Soviet and Russian chess players, among the world's top 20 players from 1946 to 1971. A prolific ch ...
(10/15), but narrowly loses out (10½/13) to promising newcomer
Mark Dvoretsky Mark Izrailevich Dvoretsky (russian: Марк Изра́илевич Дворе́цкий; December 9, 1947 – September 26, 2016) was a Russian chess trainer, writer, and International Master. Biography Dvoretsky was born in Moscow in 1947. ...
(11/13) at
Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...
. *The
IBM international chess tournament The IBM international chess tournament was a series of very strong chess tournaments held in the Amsterdam, Netherlands from 1961 to 1981, and was sponsored by IBM. The list of winners of the main group includes five world champions. Parallel ther ...
, held in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
is won by
Lev Polugaevsky Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky ( rus, Лев Абрамович Полугаевский, p=pəlʊɡɐˈjefskʲɪj; 20 November 1934 – 30 August 1995) was a Soviet chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandmaster by FIDE in ...
on 12/15, ahead of
Viktor Korchnoi Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ( rus, Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, p=vʲiktər lʲvovʲɪtɕ kɐrtɕˈnoj; 23 March 1931 – 6 June 2016) was a Soviet (before 1976) and Swiss (after 1980) chess grandmaster (GM) and chess writer. He ...
(11/15) and
Wolfgang Uhlmann Wolfgang Uhlmann (29 March 193524 August 2020) was a German chess grandmaster. He was East Germany's most successful chess player, reaching the 1971 Candidates Tournament. During his career, Uhlmann played many of the top players of the time a ...
(9½/15). It is however fourth placed László Szabó who catches the eye of the chess writers, producing some fine, tactical games. *Polugaevsky also wins at
Kislovodsk Kislovodsk (russian: Кислово́дск, lit. ''sour waters''; ; krc, Ачысуу) is a spa city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, in the North Caucasus region of Russia which is located between the Black and Caspian Seas. Population: History I ...
(11/14), ahead of
Leonid Stein Leonid Zakharovich Stein (; November 12, 1934 – July 4, 1973) was a Soviet chess Grandmaster from Ukraine. He won three USSR Chess Championships in the 1960s (1963, 1965, and 1966), and was among the world's top ten players during that era. ...
(10/14) and
Efim Geller Efim Petrovich Geller (russian: Ефим Петрович Геллер, uk, Юхим Петрович Геллер; 8 March 1925 – 17 November 1998) was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Champi ...
(9/14). *Top prize at
Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...
is shared three ways, between
Oscar Panno Oscar Roberto Panno (born 17 March 1935 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine chess Grandmaster. Panno was the first top world chess player born in South America. Panno won the 2nd World Junior Chess Championship in 1953, ahead of such future stron ...
, Jan Smejkal and Viktor Korchnoi (all 10/15). *
Bent Larsen Jørgen Bent Larsen (4 March 1935 – 9 September 2010) was a Danish chess grandmaster and author. Known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play, he was the second strongest non-Soviet player, behind Bobby Fischer, for much of the 196 ...
is the victor at
Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...
with 11/15, ahead of
Ljubomir Ljubojević Ljubomir Ljubojević (; born November 2, 1950) is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He won the Yugoslav Chess Championship in 1977 (tied) and 1982. Life and career Ljubojević was born on 2 November 1950 in Titovo Užice, Yugoslavia (now Užice, Se ...
(10/15) and Lajos Portisch (9½/15). *The
Hastings International Chess Congress The Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual chess tournament which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year. The main event is the Hastings Premier tournament, which was traditionally a 10 to 16 player round-robin t ...
(1972/73 edition) is won by Bent Larsen with 11½/15, ahead of Wolfgang Uhlmann (11/15) and
William Hartston William Roland Hartston (born 12 August 1947) is an English journalist who wrote the Beachcomber column in the '' Daily Express''. He is also a chess player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 and earned a highest Elo rating of 2485. He ...
(9½/15). *Leonid Stein is triumphant at
Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
with 9½/13, ahead of
Mato Damjanović Mato Damjanović (23 March 192712 February 2011) was a Croatian chess grandmaster who represented Yugoslavia in international team events. In 1964 he became the second Croatian grandmaster, after Mijo Udovčić. Damjanović represented Yugosla ...
,
Dražen Marović Dražen Marović (born January 14, 1938 in Split) is a Croatian chess player who was active in former Yugoslavia, later a trainer, journalist, writer and broadcaster. Biography Despite learning the game at the relatively late age of sixteen, h ...
and Vlastimil Hort (all 8/13). *Three players share the spoils at the Reykjavík International in Iceland. Home favourite Fridrik Olafsson is declared winner on tie-break from fellow grandmasters
Florin Gheorghiu Florin Gheorghiu (born 6 April 1944) is a Romanian chess player and has been a university lecturer in foreign languages. Born in Ploiești, on 6 April 1944, while the American bombers attacked the country's capital, his prodigious talent for the ...
and Vlastimil Hort (all 11/15). *
Anatoly Lein Anatoly Yakovlevich Lein (russian: Анатолий Яковлевич Лейн; March 28, 1931 – March 1, 2018) was a Soviet-born American chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster by FIDE in 1968. Chess care ...
wins the 9th
Capablanca Memorial The Capablanca Memorial is a chess tournament that has been held annually in Cuba since 1962 in honor of José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera. At the time, it was the best paid tournament in the world. Since 1974 B and C tournaments have been held ...
in
Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...
with 14/19, ahead of
Igor Platonov Igor Platonov (January 18, 1934 – November 13, 1994) was a Soviet Ukrainian chess player. He was active between 1958 and 1984, with his best years from 1967 to 1972, when he earned the title of Grandmaster of the Soviet Union (''Гросс ...
(13/19) and
Zoltán Ribli Zoltán Ribli (born September 6, 1951 in Mohács) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and International Arbiter (1995). He was twice a World Championship Candidate and three times Hungarian Champion. A career in chess As a youngster, he was twic ...
(12/19). It's a good year for Lein, who also triumphs at
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
(12/15), ahead of
Pal Benko Pál C. Benkő ( hu, Benkő Pál; July 15, 1928 – August 26, 2019) was a Hungarian-American chess player, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems. Early life Benko was born on July 15, 1928 in Amiens, France, where his ...
(11/15) and
Borislav Ivkov Borislav Ivkov (12 November 1933 – 14 February 2022) was a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was a World championship candidate in 1965, and played in four more Interzonal tournaments, in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979. Ivkov was a three-time Yugos ...
(9½/11). *
Svetozar Gligorić Svetozar Gligorić (Serbian Cyrillic: Светозар Глигорић, 2 February 1923 – 14 August 2012) was a Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster and musician. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is consider ...
wins the 2nd Statham Masters in Lone Pine. *A triple tie occurs at the U.S. Championship, held in New York City. Robert Byrne shares the honours with
Lubomir Kavalek Lubomir (Lubosh) Kavalek ( cz, Lubomír Kaválek, August 9, 1943 – January 18, 2021) was a Czech-American chess player. He was awarded both the International Master and International Grandmaster titles by FIDE in 1965.Hooper & Whyld 1992, p. 19 ...
and
Samuel Reshevsky Samuel Herman Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski; November 26, 1911 – April 4, 1992) was a Polish chess prodigy and later a leading American chess grandmaster. He was a contender for the World Chess Championship from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960 ...
(all 9/13). The tournament doubles as a zonal qualifier for the next cycle of the world championship. A play-off held nine months later confirms Byrne as the overall winner. *Six teams compete for the winners' trophy at the Clare-Benedict Team Tournament in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. The champions are West Germany (14½/20), ahead of Netherlands (13/20), Spain (10½/20), England (10/20), Switzerland (7/20) and Austria, the host nation (5/20). Robert Hübner posts the best score on board one (4½/5), while
Wolfgang Unzicker Wolfgang Unzicker (26 June 1925 – 20 April 2006) was one of the strongest German chess Grandmasters from 1945 to about 1970. He decided against making chess his profession, choosing law instead. Unzicker was at times the world's strongest amat ...
and
Jan Timman Jan Timman (born 14 December 1951) is a Dutch chess grandmaster who was one of the world's leading chess players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career, he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as ...
perform well on board two (both 4/5). *
Comins Mansfield Comins Mansfield (14 June 1896 – 27 March 1984) was a chess problem composer. He gained the title International Grandmaster for chess compositions in 1972 and 94.33 points in the FIDE Album. Mansfield was born in the village of Witheridge, n ...
, a renowned composer of chess problems is among the recipients of the first title awards for ''Grandmaster of chess composition''. He thereby becomes England's first chess player with a GM title. * Reginald Bonham (1906–1984) is awarded the first GM title for blind
correspondence chess Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, traditionally through the postal system. Today it is usually played through a correspondence chess server, a public internet chess forum, or email. Less common ...
. Bonham founded the
International Braille Chess Association The International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) is organization for blind and visually impaired chess players. The IBCA is a FIDE-affiliated chess organization as well as a part of the International Blind Sports Federation. The International ...
in 1951 and won the first six World Blind Correspondence Chess Championships. He also won English county titles in over-the-board chess. *After a period of imprisonment by the Communist authorities in Czechoslovakia, GM
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 ...
is finally allowed to leave the country. However, his exit to West Germany is made very costly, when he is forced to pay £750 ($1880) for passports for his family. He continues to protest to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
about the Czech government's breaches of Human Rights legislation. CHESS magazine – Vol 39, October 1973, p. 25


Births

*
Alexei Shirov Alexei Shirov (, lv, Aleksejs Širovs; born 4 July 1972) is a Latvian and Spanish chess player. Shirov was ranked number two in the world in 1994. He won a match against Vladimir Kramnik in 1998 to qualify to play as challenger for the classic ...
, Soviet-Spanish GM, a world championship finalist and elite circuit player – July 4 *
Loek van Wely Loek van Wely (born 7 October 1972) is a Dutch chess player and politician. He was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 1993, and was rated among the world's top ten in 2001 with a rating of 2714. In March 2019, he was elected to the Dutch ...
, Dutch GM, six times the national champion – October 7 *
Vadim Milov Vadim Milov (born 1 August 1972) is a Swiss chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM) in 1993. Early life Born in Ufa, following the collapse of the USSR, he moved to Israel in 1992, before finally settling in Switzerlan ...
, Soviet-Israeli-Swiss GM, highly rated tournament player – August 1 *
Alexei Fedorov Alexei Fedorov (russian: Алексей Дмитриевич Фёдоров, ''Aleksey Dimitriyevich Fyodorov'', be, Аляксей Фёдараў, ''Aliaksey Fyodarau''; born 27 September 1972) is a Belarusian chess player. He was awarded the ...
, Soviet-Belarusian GM, former multiple national champion – September 27 * Hannes Stefánsson, Icelandic GM, former national champion – July 18 *
Alisa Galliamova Alisa Mikhailovna Galliamova (russian: Алиса Михайловна Галлямова, tt-Cyrl, Алисә Михаил кызы Галләмова; born 18 January 1972 in Kazan) is a Russian chess player who holds the FIDE titles of Inte ...
, Russian GM, former women's world championship finalist – January 18 *
Ilya Gurevich Ilya Mark Gurevich (born February 8, 1972) is a Soviet-born American chess player. Born in Kyiv, he emigrated to the U.S. in January 1980. He was a student at Yeshiva Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1983, Gurevich won the U.S. National ...
, Soviet-American GM, former world junior champion – February 8 *
Konstantin Landa Konstantin Landa (; 22 May 1972 – October 2022) was a Russian chess grandmaster. He competed in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004 and FIDE World Cup 2007. In 2011 he was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer. Landa's best tournamen ...
, Soviet GM living in Germany, highly rated tournament player and trainer – May 22 *
Victor Mikhalevski Victor (Viktor) Mikhalevski ( he, ויקטור מיכלבסקי; born 8 July 1972) is an Israeli chess grandmaster who lives in Beersheba. his Elo rating was 2611, making him the #7 player in Israel and the 171st-highest rated player in the ...
, Soviet-Belarusian-Israeli GM, highly rated tournament player – July 8 * Pablo Zarnicki, Argentine GM, Olympiad silver medallist – November 12 * Hichem Hamdouchi, Moroccan GM and one of the leading players from Africa – October 8 *
Dimitri Reinderman Dimitri Reinderman (born 12 August 1972) is a Dutch chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is ...
, Dutch GM, runner-up in the national championship – August 12 *
Tong Yuanming Tong Yuanming (; born April 21, 1972) is a Chinese IM-titled chess player. He was National Chess Champion in 1993. Tong Yuanming plays for Bank of Qingdao chess club in the China Chess League (CCL). See also *Chess in China China is ...
, Chinese IM, former national champion – April 21 * Jesse Kraai, U.S. GM, the first American-born player to achieve the title in ten years – May 6 *
Ashot Nadanian Ashot Nadanian (sometimes transliterated as Nadanyan; hy, Աշոտ Նադանյան; born 19 September 1972) is an Armenian chess International Master (1997), chess theoretician and chess coach. His highest achievements have been in openin ...
, Armenian IM and respected trainer of top flight players – September 19


Deaths

* Victor Soultanbeieff, Russian-Belgian chess master, five times the Belgian Champion – February 9 * Georgy Lisitsin, Soviet IM, three times Leningrad Champion – March 20 *
Kazimierz Makarczyk Kazimierz Makarczyk (1 January 1901, Warsaw – 27 May 1972, Łódź) was a Polish chess master. In 1922, he took 3rd in Warsaw (Academic-ch). In 1926, he finished 10th in the 1st Polish chess championship played in Warsaw. The event was won by Da ...
, Polish chess master, former national champion – May 27 * Ado Kraemer, German chess master and problemist – June 25 * Sir George Thomas, English master, twice British Champion and an accomplished sportsman – July 23 *
Kenneth Harkness Kenneth Harkness (byname of Stanley Edgar; November 12, 1896 – October 4, 1972) was a chess organizer. He is the creator of the Harkness rating system. Life and career He was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He was Business Manager of the United Sta ...
, chess arbiter, organizer, and writer – October 4 *
Mary Bain Mary Weiser Bain (born August 8, 1904 – October 26, 1972) was an American chess master. She was born in or near Ungvár, Kárpátalja, Hungary, which is now Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia oblast, Ukraine, into an assimilated Jewish family. Under the n ...
, Hungarian-American master, former women's world championship challenger – October 26 * Jerzy Lewi, Polish chess master, former national champion – October 30 * Gedali Szapiro, Polish-Israeli chess master, played for both countries in Olympiads – December 28


Notes


References

* *The Chess Player Vol.3, 1972b (1975, ''The Chess Player Ltd., Nottingham'')
Chess History & Chronology - Bill Wall
2009-10-20)
Olimpbase - Olympiads and other Team event informationOlimpbase download of historical Elo ratings 1971-2000
{{chess 20th century in chess Chess by year