Guðmundur Pálmason (11 June 1928 – 11 March 2004) was an

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

player and geologist. He is the author of Palmason Model.

Biography

In 1949, Guðmundur Pálmason graduated from

Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR; official name in English: Reykjavik College) is collegein Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík. The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt, and it remains one of the oldest ...

. In 1955, he graduated as a physics engineer from the

Royal Institute of Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Since 2018, KTH consist ...

in Stockholm. Pálmason became its director in 1964 and held that position until the end of 1996. In parallel with his work, he served

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

consultative work in the Philippines, Mali, El Salvador, Taiwan and North Korea. From 1973 to 1974, Guðmundur Pálmason was a visiting professor at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York. In 1971, he defended his doctoral dissertation at the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

about the construction of Iceland's crust based on wave refraction measurements. There Guðmundur Pálmason explained the first human outline in the construction of Iceland's crust. A few years later, he developed a computational Palmason Model that explained the main features of the geology of Iceland. Guðmundur Pálmason received various awards for his work. He received the dr. phil. Ólafur Daníelsson and Sigurður Guðmundsson, the Ása Guðmundsdóttir Wright honorary award and the Icelandic Society of Engineers' badge of honor. He was elected a member of the

Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (, IVA), founded on 24 October 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the royal academies in Sweden. The academy is an independent organisation, which promotes contact and exchange between business, ...

and an honorary member of the Icelandic Geothermal Association. From the mid-1950s to the end of the 1960s Guðmundur Pálmason was also one of the leading Icelandic chess players. In 1954, he participated in World Chess Championship Zonal Tournament in

Mariánské Lázně Mariánské Lázně (; ) is a spa town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. Most of the town's buildings come from its Golden Era in the second half of the 19th century, when many c ...

. Guðmundur Pálmason regularly participated in

Icelandic Chess Championship The Icelandic Chess Championship is usually held in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. It is organised by the Icelandic Chess Federation (ICF), the body responsible for holding national chess events and for representing Icelandic chess at the World ...

s and

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

International Chess tournaments (1964, 1966). Guðmundur Pálmason played for Iceland in 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 FIDE Onli ...

s: * In 1954, at third board in the

11th Chess Olympiad The 11th Chess Olympiad (), organized by the FIDE and comprising an openAlthough commonly referred to as the ''men's division'', this section is open to both male and female players. team tournament, as well as several other events designed to pro ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

(+2, =4, -3), * In 1958, at second board in the

13th Chess Olympiad The 13th Chess Olympiad (), organized by 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 players. team tournament, as well as ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

(+3, =12, -1), * In 1966, at third board in the

17th Chess Olympiad The 17th Chess Olympiad (), organized by FIDE and comprising an openAlthough commonly referred to as the ''men's division'', this section is open to both male and female players. team tournament, as well as several other events designed to promote ...

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

(+4, =2, -3), * In 1955, at first board in the 2nd World Student Team Chess Championship in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

(+4, =7, -1), * In 1956, at second board in the 3rd World Student Team Chess Championship in

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

(+6, =2, -1) and won individual gold medal, * In 1957, at second board in the 4th World Student Team Chess Championship in

(+2, =10, -1).

References

External links

*
Guðmundur Pálmason
chess games at 365chess.com 1928 births 2004 deaths Chess Olympiad competitors 20th-century Icelandic chess players Gudmundur Palmason {{Iceland-scientist-stub