Zoltán von Balla (31 August 1883,

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

– 1 April 1945, Budapest) was a Hungarian

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 ...

champion. In 1904, Balla took 11th place in Coburg (14

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 Ch ...

, B tournament). In 1905, he took 10th place in Vienna. In 1906, he won the first Hungarian Championship in

Győr Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...

. He shared the title with Zsigmond Barász at Budapest in 1911. He won at Győr in 1911, took 18th place at Breslau in 1912 (18th DSB-Congress,

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 ...

and

Oldřich Duras Oldřich Duras (born Důras; 30 October 1882 – 5 January 1957) was a Czech chess master. He was among the leading chess masters of the early 20th century. Biography Duras was born on 30 October 1882 in Pchery, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. He cam ...

won), tied for 7th and 8th at Pistyan in 1912 (Rubinstein won), tied for 3rd and 4th at Temesvár in 1912, and tied for 4th and 5th at Budapest in 1913 (

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won). In 1916, he took 2nd in Budapest. In 1918, he tied for 1st and 2nd in Budapest. In 1918, he tied for 6th and 7th in Kaschau (

Richard Réti Richard Réti (28 May 1889 – 6 June 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian and later Czechoslovak chess player, chess author and composer of endgame studies. He was one of the principal proponents of hypermodernism in chess. With the exception of N ...

won). In 1921, he took 5th in Budapest. In 1922, he tied for 12th and 13th in Pistyan (

Efim Bogoljubow Efim Bogoljubow, also known as Efim Dimitrijewitsch Bogoljubow (April 14, 1889 – June 18, 1952), was a Russian-born German Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Early career Bogoljubow learned how to play chess at 15 years old, and dev ...

won). In 1924, he won in Budapest. In 1925, he took 3rd in Budapest. In 1928, he took 9th in Budapest (

José Raúl Capablanca José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (19 November 1888 – 8 March 1942) was a Cuban chess player who was the third World Chess Championship, world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. A chess prodigy, he was widely renowned for his exceptional Chess ...

won). In 1935, Balla tied for 17th and 18th in Tatatovaros ( László Szabó won). In 1939, he tied for 1st and 2nd with László Szabó in Budapest (Dori Memorial). In 1940, he tied for 4th and 5th in Budapest (Maróczy Jubilaeum,

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 Championship, World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 ...

won).Bad Elster 1940
He died in a traffic accident with a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

at the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balla, Zoltan von 1883 births 1945 deaths Road incident deaths in Hungary Hungarian chess players Chess players from Budapest Hungarian civilians killed in World War II