Gedeon (Gideon) Barcza (August 21, 1911, in

Kisújszállás Kisújszállás is a town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 12,869 people (2002). Politics The current mayor of Kisújszállás is ...

– February 27, 1986, in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

) was a Hungarian

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 ...

grandmaster. He was eight-time chess champion of Hungary.

Chess career

In 1940, Barcza took third place, behind

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 ...

and

Milan Vidmar Milan Vidmar (22 June 1885 – 9 October 1962) was a Slovenian electrical engineer, chess player, Chess theory, chess theorist, and writer. He was among the top dozen chess players in the world from 1910 to 1930 and in 1950, was among the inaugu ...

, 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 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 ...

. In 1948, he took second place in

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...

; the event was won by

Jan Foltys Jan Foltys (13 October 1908, Svinov – 11 March 1952, Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian Region in the Czech Republic) was a Czech chess International Master. Biography In 1933, he tied for 8-12th in Mnichovo Hradiště (13th Czech championships). In ...

. In 1948, he tied for second/third place in Venice; the event was won by

Miguel Najdorf Miguel Najdorf (born Mojsze Mendel Najdorf) (15 April 1910 – 4 July 1997) was a Polish–Argentinian chess grandmaster. Originally from Poland, he was in Argentina when World War II began in 1939, and he stayed and settled there. He was a ...

. In 1950, he tied for second/fourth place in Salzbrunn (Szczawno Zdrój); the event was won by

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 ...

. 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 Keres Oberhausen 1961-06-24

Barcza won the

Hungarian Chess Championship The inaugural Hungarian Chess Championship was held in the city of Győr in 1906. Initially, there was no governing body responsible for its organisation, until the formation of the Hungarian Chess Federation. The HCF first appeared in 1911, but fai ...

eight times (1942, 1943, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1957, and 1966). He played for the Hungarian team in seven

Chess Olympiads 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 ...

(1952, 1954, 1956,1958, 1960, 1962, and 1968). Barcza was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1954.

Legacy

Barcza is remembered for the opening 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3, known as the

Barcza System The King's Indian Attack (or KIA), also known as the Barcza System (after Gedeon Barcza) is a chess opening for White, characterized by several moves. The center pawns are developed to e4 and d3, the knights are developed to d2 and f3, the kin ...

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 t ...

once said of Barcza, "He is a most versatile player in the openings. He plays g2–g3 sometimes on the first, sometimes on the second, sometimes on the third, and sometimes not until the fourth move."

Notable games

*Gedeon Barcza vs. Harry Golombek, Sweden izt (18) 1952,

Queen's Indian Defense The Queen's Indian Defense (QID) is a chess opening defined by the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 e6 :3. Nf3 b6 The opening is a solid defense to the Queen's Pawn Game. 3...b6 increases Black's control over the central light squares e4 and d5 ...

: Spassky System (E14), . *Gedeon Barcza vs. Lodewijk Prins, Sweden izt (14) 1952,

Zukertort Opening The Zukertort Opening is a chess opening named after Johannes Zukertort that begins with the move: :1. Nf3 Sometimes the name "Réti Opening" is used for the opening move 1.Nf3, although most sources define the Réti more narrowly as the se ...

: Queen Pawn Defense (A06), . *Gedeon Barcza vs. Robert James Fischer, Zurich 1959, Formation:

King's Indian Attack The King's Indian Attack (or KIA), also known as the Barcza System (after Gedeon Barcza) is a chess opening for White, characterized by several moves. The center pawns are developed to e4 and d3, the knights are developed to d2 and f3, the king ...

(A07), ½–½.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barcza, Gideon 1911 births 1986 deaths People from Kisújszállás Hungarian chess players Chess grandmasters Chess Olympiad competitors 20th-century chess players

Chess career

Legacy

Notable games

See also

References

External links