Efim Bogoljubow ( or ), also known as Ewfim Dimitrijewitsch Bogoljubow, ( (); also Romanized ''Bogoljubov'', ''Bogolyubov''; uk, Юхим Дмитрович Боголюбов, Yukhym Dmytrovych Boholiubov; April 14, 1889 – June 18, 1952) was a
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
-born German
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 dist ...
player who played two matches against
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine, ''Aleksándr Aleksándrovich Alékhin''; (March 24, 1946) was a Russian and French chess player and the fourth World Chess Champion, a title he held for two reigns.
By the age of 22, Alekhine was already a ...
for the world championship. He was granted the title of
grandmaster by
FIDE in 1951.
Early career
Bogoljubow learned how to play chess at 15 years old, and developed a serious interest at the age of 18.
[ His father was a priest, and he originally wanted to become one and studied theology in Kiev,][ but he decided otherwise and enrolled in the Polytechnical Institute to study agriculture.][Efim Bogoljubov]
Chess Federation of Russia He did not finish his studies and instead focused on chess.[
In 1911, Bogoljubow tied for first place in the Kiev championships, and finished 9–10th in the Saint Petersburg (All-Russian Amateur) Tournament, won by ]Stepan Levitsky
Stepan (Stefan) Levitsky (Levitski, Lewitzki) (25 April 1876, in Serpukhov – 21 March 1924, in Glubokaya) was a Russian chess Grandmaster and Russian chess champion.
In 1899 he took third place in Moscow (All Russian Masters’ Tournament, f ...
. In 1912, he took second place, behind Karel Hromádka
Karel Hromádka (23 April 1887 in Großweikersdorf, Austria – 16 July 1956) was a Czech chess player, two-time Czech champion, 1913 and 1921 (jointly).
Hromádka played in the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad, Paris 1924, and scored 6.5/ ...
, in Vilna (Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
) (''Hauptturnier''). In 1913/14, Bogoljubow finished eighth in Saint Petersburg (All Russian Masters' Tournament – eighth Russian championship; Alekhine and Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch ( lv, Ārons Nimcovičs, russian: Аро́н Иса́евич Нимцо́вич, ''Aron Isayevich Nimtsovich''; 7 November 1886 – 16 March 1935) was a Latvian-born Danish chess player and writer. In the late 1920s, Nimz ...
came joint first).
World War I: Interned in Germany
In July/August 1914, Bogoljubow played in the Mannheim tournament (the 19th DSB Congress The ''Deutscher Schachbund'' (DSB) was founded in Leipzig on 18 July, 1877. When the next meeting took place in the Schützenhaus on 15 July 1879, sixty-two clubs had become member of the chess federation. Hofrat Rudolf von Gottschall became Chairm ...
), and tied for 8–9th in that event, which was interrupted by World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. After the declaration of war against Russia, eleven "Russian players" (Alekhine, Bogoljubow, Fedor Bogatyrchuk
Fedir Parfenovych Bohatyrchuk (also ''Bogatirchuk'', ''Bohatirchuk'', ''Bogatyrtschuk'') ( uk, Федір Парфенович Богатирчук; , ''Fyodor Parfenyevich Bogatyrchuk''; 27 November 1892 – 4 September 1984) was a Ukrainian-Can ...
, Alexander Flamberg
Alexander Flamberg (1880, Warsaw – 24 January 1926, Warsaw) was a Polish chess master.
Biography
Alexander Davidovich Flamberg born in Warsaw (then Russian Empire), spent his early years in England, where he learned to play chess. After retu ...
, N. Koppelman N. Kopelman (Koppelman) (1881 ? – 1944, Moscow?) was a Russian chess player.
He participated in the Mannheim 1914 chess tournament. After the declaration of war against Russia, eleven "Russian" players (Alexander Alekhine, Bogoljubov, Bogatyrc ...
, Boris Maliutin
Boris Evgenievich Maliutin (Maljutin, Malyutin, Malutin) (1883–1920) was a chess master.
Chess career
He played many tournaments in Saint Petersburg. He took 4th in 1902, 8th in 1903, 13th, 5th, 2nd and 3rd in 1904, tied for 3-4th, tied for 4- ...
, Ilya Rabinovich
Ilya Leontievich Rabinovich (russian: Илья Леонтьевич Рабинович; 11 May 1891 – 23 April 1942) was a Russian and later Soviet chess player, among the best ones in his country for three decades, from 1910 to 1940. His best ...
, Peter Romanovsky
Peter Arsenievich Romanovsky (russian: Пётр Арсеньевич Романо́вский; 29 July 1892 – 1 March 1964) was a Russian chess player and author. He won the Soviet Championship in 1923 and, jointly, 1927.
Biography
At the begi ...
, Peter Petrovich Saburov
Peter Petrovich Saburov (Sabouroff) (, Saint Petersburg, Russia – 26 March 1932, Geneva, Switzerland) was a Russian diplomat, chess master and organizer, and musical composer.
He was a son of Peter Alexandrovich Saburov, a diplomat and chess o ...
, Alexey Selezniev
Alexey (Alex) Sergeyevich Selezniev (russian: Алексе́й Серге́евич Селезнёв, alternative transliterations: Selesniev, Selesniew, Selesnev, Selesnieff; pronounced "selezNYOFF"; 1888June 1967) was a chess master and chess co ...
, Samuil Weinstein
Samuil Osipovich Vainshtein (Weinstein, Wainstein, Vainstein, Wajnsztejn) (1894–1942) was a Russian chess master, organizer, publisher and editor.
In July/August 1914, he was playing in Mannheim at (the 19th DSB Congress, when it was interrupted ...
) from the Mannheim tournament were interned by Germany. In September 1914, four of the internees (Alekhine, Bogatyrchuk, Saburov, and Koppelman) were allowed to return home via Switzerland. The remaining Russian internees played eight tournaments, the first held in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the Rhine, the border with Fra ...
(1914) and all the others in Triberg im Schwarzwald
Triberg im Schwarzwald is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in the Black Forest. In 2020, it had a population of 4,656. Triberg lies in the middle of the Black Forest between 500 and 1038 metres above ...
(1914–1917). Bogoljubow took second place, behind Alexander Flamberg
Alexander Flamberg (1880, Warsaw – 24 January 1926, Warsaw) was a Polish chess master.
Biography
Alexander Davidovich Flamberg born in Warsaw (then Russian Empire), spent his early years in England, where he learned to play chess. After retu ...
, in Baden-Baden, and won five times in Triberg
Triberg im Schwarzwald is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in the Black Forest. In 2020, it had a population of 4,656. Triberg lies in the middle of the Black Forest between 500 and 1038 metres above ...
(1914–1916). During this time he met Frieda Kaltenbach, daughter of a schoolteacher. They married in 1920 and had two daughters. Bogoljubow spent most of the rest of his life in Germany.
Successes and world championship matches
After the war, Bogoljubow won many international tournaments; at Berlin 1919, Stockholm 1919, Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
1921, and Pistyan (Pieštany) 1922. He tied for 1st–3rd at Karlsbad ( Karlovy Vary) 1923. He sent his winnings from Pistyan to Triberg, where his wife used them to buy a house. The Bogoljubows made an income by renting rooms to tourists and visitors.[
In 1924, Bogoljubow briefly returned to Russia, which had since become the Soviet Union, and won consecutive Soviet championships in 1924 and 1925. He also won at Breslau (]Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
) 1925, and in Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
, ahead of a field which included Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker (; December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years, from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign of any officially recognised World Chess Cham ...
and José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (19 November 1888 – 8 March 1942) was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. A chess prodigy, he is widely renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play.
Capabl ...
. This made him the only player to ever become both German and Soviet champion in the same year.[
In the Soviet Union, Bogoljubow was not allowed to play tournaments without permission from ]Nikolai Krylenko
Nikolai Vasilyevich Krylenko ( rus, Никола́й Васи́льевич Крыле́нко, p=krɨˈlʲenkə; May 2, 1885 – July 29, 1938) was an Old Bolshevik and Soviet politician. Krylenko served in a variety of posts in the Soviet ...
.[ Thus in 1926, Bogoljubow emigrated to Germany, and thereafter became a "non-person" in the Soviet Union: mention of his name was forbidden.][ He won ahead of ]Akiba Rubinstein
Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1 December 1880 – 14 March 1961) was a Polish chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest players never to have become World Chess Champion. Rubinstein was granted the title International Grandma ...
that year at Berlin. At Kissingen
Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which be ...
1928, Bogoljubow triumphed (+6−1=4) over a field which included Capablanca, Nimzowitsch and Savielly Tartakower
Savielly Tartakower (also known as ''Xavier'' or ''Ksawery'' ''Tartakower'', less often ''Tartacover'' or ''Tartakover''; 21 February 1887 – 4 February 1956) was a Polish and French chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandm ...
, et al. Bogoljubow won two matches against Max Euwe
Machgielis "Max" Euwe (; May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. He served as ...
(both 5½–4½) in 1928 and 1928/29 in the Netherlands. He played matches for the World Chess Championship
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 ...
twice against Alekhine, losing 15½–9½ in 1929, and 15½–10½ in 1934.
Bogoljubow represented Germany at first board in the 4th Chess Olympiad
The 4th Chess Olympiad ( cz, 4. Šachová olympiáda), organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and comprising an openAlthough commonly referred to as the ''men's division'', this section is open to both male and female playe ...
at Prague 1931, winning the individual silver medal (+9−1=7).[OlimpBase :: the encyclopaedia of team chess](_blank)
/ref>
In 1930, Bogoljubow twice tied for 2nd–3rd with Nimzowitsch, after Alekhine, in Sanremo
Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...
; then with 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 S ...
, behind Isaac Kashdan
Isaac Kashdan (November 19, 1905 in New York City – February 20, 1985 in Los Angeles) was an American chess grandmaster and chess writer. He was twice U.S. Open champion (1938, 1947). He played five times for the United States in chess Olymp ...
, in Stockholm. In 1931, he tied for 1st–2nd in Swinemünde (27th DSB Congress). In 1933, Bogoljubow won in Bad Pyrmont (1st GER-ch). In 1935, he won at Bad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany.
As of 2020, Bad Nauheim has a population of 32,493. The town is approximately north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a wor ...
, and Bad Saarow
Bad Saarow ( dsb, Zarow; 1950–2002: Bad Saarow-Pieskow) is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Oder-Spree district, in Brandenburg, Germany.
The place is known for its hot springs and for its mineral-rich mud. Their healing proper ...
. Bogoljubow tied for 1st–2nd at Berlin 1935, Bad Elster
Bad Elster () is a spa town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany. It lies on the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic in the Elster gebirge hills. It is situated on the river White Elster, and is protected from extremes of t ...
1936, Bad Elster 1937. Bogoljubow won at Bremen 1937, Bad Elster 1938, and Stuttgart 1939 (the 1st ''Europaturnier'').
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Bogoljubow was no longer allowed to play for the German national team or in German championships.[ His situation was not helped even after he joined the Nazi party][ in 1938, so that his daughters would be allowed to study at university.][ Nonetheless, he coached the German national team for the 1936 (unofficial) and 1939 Chess Olympiads.][
Accounts of Bogoljubow's opinion of the Nazis differ between sources. Hans Kmoch claims that he insisted to play with the swastika flag at Zandvoort 1936, but ]Fedor Bogatyrchuk
Fedir Parfenovych Bohatyrchuk (also ''Bogatirchuk'', ''Bohatirchuk'', ''Bogatyrtschuk'') ( uk, Федір Парфенович Богатирчук; , ''Fyodor Parfenyevich Bogatyrchuk''; 27 November 1892 – 4 September 1984) was a Ukrainian-Can ...
claimed that he did not like to wear it, and that Bogoljubow was "only formally" a member of the Nazi party. Bogatyrchuk is quoted by Bogoljubow's biographer, Sergei Soloviov, as saying: "It was not a secret at all that E.D. ogoljubowdid not like the Bolsheviks, but I think only a few people knew that he was treating Hitler's wild ideas with at least equal revulsion and contempt."[
]
World War II and after
Hans Frank
Hans Michael Frank (23 May 1900 – 16 October 1946) was a German politician and lawyer who served as head of the General Government in Nazi-occupied Poland during the Second World War.
Frank was an early member of the German Workers' Party ...
, who enjoyed meeting top players and playing consultation games against them, invited Bogoljubow to move to Krakow to work as a chess player and translator.[ During World War II, Bogoljubow lost a match to Euwe (+2−5=3) at ]Krefeld
Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...
1941, and drew a mini-match with Alekhine (+2−2=0) at Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
1943. He also played in numerous tournaments held in Germany and the General Government throughout the war. In 1940, Bogoljubow won in Berlin, and tied for 1st–2nd with Anton Kohler
Anton Kohler (c. 1907 – 7 September 1961) was a German chess player from Munich.
In 1937 he shared 3rd in Stadtprozelten / Main, and took 12th in Bad Oeynhausen (4th GER-ch, Georg Kieninger won). In 1938 he won in Heilbronn, and tied for 8–9 ...
in Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
/ Krynica/ Warsaw (the 1st GG-ch). In 1941, he took fourth in Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
(the second ''Europaturnier''; Stoltz won), and finished third, behind Alekhine and Paul Felix Schmidt, in Kraków/Warsaw (the 2nd GG-ch). In 1942, Bogoljubow finished fifth in Salzburg Grandmasters' tournament (Alekhine won), tied for third–fifth in Munich (1st European Championship – ''Europameisterschaft''; Alekhine won), took third in Warsaw / Lublin/ Kraków (the 3rd GG-ch; Alekhine won). In 1943, he took fourth in Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
(Paul Keres
Paul Keres (; 7 January 1916 – 5 June 1975) was an Estonian chess grandmaster and chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, and narrowly missed a chance at a World Chess Championship match on five ...
and Alekhine won), and tied for second–third in Krynica (the 4th GG-ch; Josef Lokvenc
Josef Lokvenc (1 May 1899, Vienna – 2 April 1974, Sankt Pölten) was an Austrian chess master.
In 1925, he was awarded the Chess Master title in Braunau. In 1926, he took 3rd in Vienna. In 1936, he tied for 6-7th in Vienna (19th Trebitsch-Tu ...
won). In 1944, Bogoljubow won, ahead of Fedor Bogatyrchuk
Fedir Parfenovych Bohatyrchuk (also ''Bogatirchuk'', ''Bohatirchuk'', ''Bogatyrtschuk'') ( uk, Федір Парфенович Богатирчук; , ''Fyodor Parfenyevich Bogatyrchuk''; 27 November 1892 – 4 September 1984) was a Ukrainian-Can ...
, in Radom
Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975 ...
(the 5th GG-ch). Bogoljubow trained Klaus Junge, 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 Klaus Darga
Klaus Viktor Darga (born 24 February 1934) is a German chess grandmaster.
Chess career
In 1951, Darga became German Junior Champion after winning the national under-20 championship. He also proved his strength as a young chess player by sharing ...
.[
After the war, Bogoljubow lived in West Germany, and was once again allowed to play in German championships.][ While his level of play had declined significantly by this time, nevertheless, in 1947, he won in ]Lüneburg
Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...
, and Kassel. In 1949, Bogoljubow won in Bad Pyrmont (third West GER-ch), and tied for first–second with Elmārs Zemgalis in Oldenburg. In 1951, he won in Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...
, and Saarbrücken.
The World Chess Federation (FIDE) did not award Bogoljubow the title International Grandmaster in 1950, as he was then considered politically compromised:[ pressure from the Soviet chess federation played a part in this decision.][ FIDE however awarded him the title in 1951 after outrage from the West.][
Bogoljubow died in his sleep in 1952, aged 63.][ He was posthumously rehabilitated in the Soviet Union after the beginning of perestroika.][
]
Legacy
The opening known as the Bogo-Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+) is named after Bogoljubow.
Quotations
* "When I am White I win because I am White. When I am Black I win because I am Bogoljubow." (The Russian name "Bogoljubow" means "beloved by God".)
* "To have a knight planted in your game at K6 (e3/e6) is worse than a rusty nail in your knee."Bogoljubov quotation
References
External links
*
by Dany Sénéchaud o
Mieux jouer aux échecs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogoljubow, Efim
Chess grandmasters
Chess Olympiad competitors
Chess theoreticians
Ukrainian chess players
Soviet chess players
German chess players
Soviet defectors
Ukrainian refugees
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany
Naturalized citizens of Germany
1889 births
1952 deaths
Chess players from the Russian Empire
People from Kyiv Oblast
People from Kiev Governorate