Nikola Spiridonov ( bg, Никола Спиридонов; 28 February 1938 – 13 March 2021) was a Bulgarian chess player, who was awarded the title of
grandmaster (GM) by
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 ...
in 1979. He was the
Bulgarian national champion in 1969.
Biography
From the early 1960s to the mid-1980s Spiridonov was one of the leading Bulgarian chess players. In 1969, he won
Bulgarian Chess Championship
The Bulgarian Chess Championship is an event inaugurated in 1933 to crown the best chess player in Bulgaria. The championship has been held on a nearly annual basis since, with only a few years missed. In recent years some of the very best Bulgaria ...
. He finished second on two occasions, in 1975 and 1982. He was winner of many international chess tournaments, including shared first place with
Helmut Pfleger
Helmut Pfleger (born August 6, 1943) is a German chess grandmaster and author. He was one of the most promising chess players in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1977 until 2005, Pfleger hosted a series of chess programs on German public TV, including ' ...
in
Rubinstein Memorial
The Rubinstein Memorial is an annual chess tournament held in Polanica-Zdrój, Poland in honour of the chess legend Akiba Rubinstein
Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1 December 1880 – 14 March 1961) was a Polish chess player. He is considered to h ...
in
Polanica-Zdrój
Polanica-Zdrój (german: link=no, Altheide-Bad) is a spa town in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Kłodzko, and south-west of the regional capital, Wrocław. As at 2021, ...
(1971).
Spiridonov played for Bulgaria in the
Chess Olympiad:
* In 1964, at second reserve board in the
16th Chess Olympiad
The 16th Chess Olympiad ( he, אולימפיאדת השחמט ה-16, ''Olimpiada ha-shachmat ha-16''), organized by FIDE and comprising an openAlthough commonly referred to as the ''men's division'', this section is open to both male and female ...
in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
(+4, =3, -2).
He played for Bulgaria in the
European Team Chess Championship
The European Team Championship (often abbreviated in texts and games databases as ''ETC'') is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of European nations whose chess federations are located in zones 1.1 to 1.9. This more ...
s:
* In 1970, at eighth board in the 4th European Team Chess Championship in
Kapfenberg
Kapfenberg , with around 22,609 inhabitants, is the third largest city in Styria, Austria, near Bruck an der Mur. The town's landmark is Burg Oberkapfenberg. Its main employer is the steel manufacturer Böhler.
The town has a swimming complex, ...
(+0, =3, -2),
* In 1980, at second reserve board in the 7th European Team Chess Championship in
Skara (+3, =0, -2) and won individual bronze medal,
* In 1983, at eighth board in the 8th European Team Chess Championship in
Plovdiv
Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
(+2, =3, -1) and won individual bronze medal.
Also Nikola Spiridonov four times played for Bulgaria in the World Student Team Chess Championships (1961, 1964, 1965, 1966) and won individual gold medal (1965). He was awarded the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) in 1970 and Grandmaster (GM) in 1979.
References
External links
*
Nikola Spiridonovchess games at 365chess.com
1938 births
2021 deaths
Chess players from Pleven
Chess grandmasters
Chess Olympiad competitors
Place of death missing
{{Bulgaria-bio-stub