1945 in chess
Encyclopedia
Chess events in brief
- After 8 May 1945 – a lot of chess masters from Baltic republics (Romanas ArlauskasRomanas ArlauskasRomanas Arlauskas was a Lithuanian-born Australian chess master.Arlauskas played at sixth board in an unofficial Chess Olympiad at Munich 1936...
, Leonids DreibergsLeonids DreibergsLeonids Dreibergs was a Latvian–American chess master.He took 6th at Riga 1930 , took 9th at Kemeri 1939 , and took 5th at Riga 1941 .At the end of World War II, joining the westward exodus in 1944/45, he — along with many other Baltic players, e.g...
, Lucijs EndzelinsLucijs EndzelinsLūcijs Endzelīns was a Latvian-Australian chess master....
, Miervaldis JursevskisMiervaldis JursevskisMiervaldis Jursevskis is a Latvian-Canadian chess master.He left Riga in 1945, just just prior to the Soviet forces arriving. As a displaced person after World War II, he took place in several chess events in Germany, including Blomberg and Lübeck , Meerbeck , and Hanau...
, Leho LaurineLeho LaurineLeho Laurine was an Estonian chess master.He was Estonian Champion in 1932 , and took 3rd in 1935, behind Paul Keres, and Gunnar Friedemann ....
, Edmar MednisEdmar MednisEdmar John Mednis was an American International Grandmaster of chess born in Riga, Latvia. He was also a popular and respected chess writer.-Biography:...
, Karlis OzolsKarlis OzolsKārlis Ozols was a Latvian-Australian chess player.Ozols represented Latvia on eighth board in the unofficial Chess Olympiad, at Munich 1936, where he won the individual bronze medal. He also played on fourth board in the 7th Olympiad at Stockholm 1937.In 1937, he tied for 17-18th in Kemeri...
, Victor PalciauskasVictor PalciauskasDr Victor Palciauskas is an American grandmaster of correspondence chess, most famous for being the tenth ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess between 1978 and 1984....
, Ortvin SarapuOrtvin SarapuOrtvin Sarapu MBE , sometimes known as "Mr Chess", was a New Zealand chess International Master who won or co-won the New Zealand Chess Championship 20 times between 1952 and 1990.-Early life:Born Ortvin Sarapuu in Estonia, he won the Estonian Junior Championship in 1940, then defected to Finland...
, Povilas TautvaišasPovilas TautvaišasPovilas Tautvaišas was a Lithuanian-American chess master.-Biography:He played twice for the Lithuanian team in the Chess Olympiads, at eighth board at Munich 1936 , and at fourth board in the 8th Olympiad at Buenos Aires 1939, during which World War II broke out...
, Povilas VaitonisPovilas VaitonisPovilas Vaitonis was a Lithuanian–Canadian International Master of chess. He was a five-time Lithuanian champion, and was twice Canadian champion...
, Elmārs ZemgalisElmars ZemgalisElmārs Zemgalis , is a Latvian-American chess master and mathematics professor. He was awarded an Honorary Grandmaster title in 2003.- Biography :...
, etc.) and Ukraine (Fedor BogatyrchukFedor BogatyrchukFedir Parfenovych Bohatyrchuk was a Ukrainian-Canadian International Master of chess, and an...
, Stepan PopelStepan PopelStepan Popel was a multiple chess champion of Lviv, Paris and eventually, of the Ukrainians in North America .-Biography:Stepan Popel was the nephew of an early master, Ignatz von Popiel , and took...
, Myroslav TurianskyMyroslav TurianskyMyroslav Turiansky was a Ukrainian chess master.He won the championship of the Shakhovyi Konyk Club in Lviv in 1928, and tied for 1st-2nd with Stepan Popel in the Championship of Western Ukraine at Lviv 1943.Joining the westward exodus in 1944, Turiansky wound up in Vienna, where in the years...
, etc.) fled to the West and most of them had become Displaced Persons in western zones in Germany. At the end of World War II, joining the westward exodus in 1944/45, they escaped to the West, just before the advancing the Soviet forces arrived, to avoid deportation to Siberia and Far East, or any other persecutions the Soviet occupation (e.g., those of Vladimirs PetrovsVladimirs PetrovsVladimirs Petrovs or Vladimir Petrov was a Latvian chess master.He was born in Riga, Latvia. Though he learned the game of chess relatively late, at age thirteen, Petrovs made rapid progress. By 1926, at age 19, he won the Riga Championship and finish third in the national championship...
). Later, almost all of them left Europe for the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
- 1–4 September 1945 - USA vs. USSR radio matchUSA vs. USSR radio chess match 1945The USA vs. USSR radio chess match 1945 was a chess match between the USA and the USSR that was conducted over the radio from September 1 to September 4, 1945. The ten leading masters of the United States played the ten leading masters of the Soviet Union for chess supremacy. The match was played...
. The 10 leading masters of the United States played the 10 leading masters of the Soviet Union (except for Paul KeresPaul KeresPaul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
) for chess supremacy. The match was played by radio and was a two-game head-to-head match. The USSR team won the match 15½ - 4½.
- In 1945, Alan TuringAlan TuringAlan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
(1912–1954), an English mathematician, logician, cryptographer, and computer pioneer, used chess-playing as an example of what a computer could do.
Tournaments
- Mar del PlataMar del PlataMar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
(the 8th itMar del Plata chess tournamentMar del Plata has a rich history of chess tournaments, most notably their international chess tournament and open tournament.There is also an annual city tournament, which had its first edition in 1946, and reached its 62nd edition in 2007....
), won by Miguel NajdorfMiguel NajdorfMiguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation....
followed by Herman PilnikHerman PilnikHerman Pilnik was an Argentine chess Grandmaster.-Career:...
, Gideon StåhlbergGideon StåhlbergAnders Gideon Tom Ståhlberg was a Swedish chess grandmaster.He won the Swedish Chess Championship of 1927, became Nordic champion in 1929, and held it until 1939....
, Paul Michel, etc. - Quilmes won by Ståhlberg ahead of Heinrich ReinhardtHeinrich ReinhardtHeinrich Reinhardt a German–Argentine chess master.In 1932, he tied for 3rd-5th in Hamburg–Altona . In 1935, he won a match against Herbert Taube in Hamburg . In 1937, he tied for 3rd-4th in Berlin...
, Karel SkaličkaKarel SkalickaKarel Skalička was a Czech–Argentine chess master.In 1924, he won a team gold medal for Czechoslovakia in the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad in Paris. He took 3rd in group eliminations , and tied for 21-31st in the major tournament...
, René LetelierRené LetelierRené Letelier Martner was a Chilean chess player with the title of International Master.-Biography:...
and Moshe CzerniakMoshe Czerniak-Biography:In 1930 Moshe Czerniak took ninth at Warsaw in an event won by Paulino Frydman. In 1934 Czerniak emigrated from Poland to Palestine . In April 1935, he tied for 7th–8th in Tel Aviv . He was Palestinian Champion in 1936 and 1938. In April 1939, he played in the First Lasker Chess Club...
. - Viña del MarViña del MarViña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
won by Carlos GuimardCarlos GuimardCarlos Enrique Guimard was an Argentine chess Grandmaster. He was born in Santiago del Estero.-Biography:Guimard was thrice Argentine Champion. In 1936, he won the ARG-ch 15 Mayor, and in 1937 a match for the title against Roberto Grau . In 1937/38, he won a match against Luis Piazzini...
ahead of Najdorf and Mariano CastilloMariano CastilloMariano Castillo Larenas was a Chilean chess master.He won nine times Chilean Chess Championship ....
. - Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(Grau Memorial), won by Najdorf followed by Ståhlberg, Guimard, Michel and Julio BolbochánJulio BolbochanJulio Bolbochán was the Argentine chess champion in 1946 and 1948.Born in Buenos Aires, he represented Argentina in seven Chess Olympiads from 1950 to 1970....
, etc. - Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
won by Erich EliskasesErich EliskasesErich Gottlieb Eliskases was a chess Grandmaster of the 1930s and 1940s, who represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition....
and João de Souza MendesJoão de Souza MendesJoão de Souza Mendes was a seven-time Brazilian chess champion.Born in Portugal, Souza Mendes played in the Brazilian Chess Championship 29 times, winning in 1925 , 1928, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1954, and 1958...
. - SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(the Australian Chess ChampionshipAustralian Chess ChampionshipThe Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is usually restricted to Australian chess players, although exceptions have been made on occasion. The winner of the tournament holds the title of Australian Chess...
), won by Lajos SteinerLajos SteinerLajos Steiner was a Hungarian–born Australian chess master.Steiner was one of four children of Bernat Steiner, a mathematics teacher, and his wife Cecilia,, and a younger brother of Endre Steiner...
. - MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
won by Alexander AlekhineAlexander AlekhineAlexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
, March 1945. - VisbyVisby-See also:* Battle of Visby* Gotland University College* List of governors of Gotland County-External links:* - Visby*...
(the Swedish Chess ChampionshipSwedish Chess ChampionshipThe first Swedish Champion was Gustaf Nyholm who won two matches against winners of national tournaments: Berndtsson in Göteborg and Löwenborg in Stockholm in 1917. Until 1931 Swedish Chess Championships decided by match play. In the 1930s, Gideon Ståhlberg held the title in spite of results of the...
), won by Erik LundinErik LundinErik Lundin a Swedish chess master.In 1928, he won in Oslo, took 5th in Helsingborg, tied for 2nd-3rd in Stockholm . In 1929, he took 2nd in Göteborg , and took 3rd in Västerås...
. - TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
(the Estonian Chess ChampionshipEstonian Chess ChampionshipThe first unofficial Estonian Chess Championship was held in 1903, organized by a chess club formed in Reval in 1903 and named for the famous Russian master Mikhail Chigorin. After the World War I, when Estonia became an independent country, official Estonian championships started...
), won by Paul KeresPaul KeresPaul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
ahead of Alexander KotovAlexander KotovAlexander Alexandrovich Kotov was a Soviet chess grandmaster and author. He was a Soviet champion, a two-time world title Candidate, and a prolific chess author. Kotov served in high posts in the Soviet Chess Federation and most of his books were written during the period of Cold War between the...
. - RigaRigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
(the Latvian Chess ChampionshipLatvian Chess Championship-History:Professional level Latvian chess players have already appeared in the nineteenth century. They participated in chess tournaments and union congresses, organized by the Riga Chess Association. After the World War I, when Latvia became an independent country, official Latvian chess...
), won by Vladimir AlatortsevVladimir AlatortsevVladimir Alexeyevich Alatortsev , was a Russian chess grandmaster, organizer, teacher, author, and administrator. During his career, he became champion of both Leningrad and Moscow, and played nine times in the Soviet Chess Championship finals, with his best competitive results in the 1930s...
ahead of Alexander KoblencsAlexander KoblencsAlexander Koblents was a Latvian chess International Master, trainer, and writer.In 1935, he took 4th place in Rosas . In 1936, he took 5th in Reus . In 1937, he won, ahead of Lajos Steiner, in Brno with 9/11. In 1938, he took 5th in Milan...
. - Moscow (Championship of the CityMoscow City Chess Championship-References: ****** from chessbase.com...
), won by Vasily SmyslovVasily SmyslovVasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
ahead of Viacheslav RagozinViacheslav RagozinViacheslav Vasilyevich Ragozin was a Soviet chess Grandmaster, an International Arbiter of chess, and a World Correspondence Chess Champion. He was also a chess writer and editor.- Biography :...
. - Moscow (the 14th USSR Chess ChampionshipUSSR Chess ChampionshipThis is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
), won by Mikhail BotvinnikMikhail BotvinnikMikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
ahead of Isaac BoleslavskyIsaac BoleslavskyIsaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky was a Soviet–Jewish chess Grandmaster.-Early career:Boleslavsky taught himself chess at age 9...
and David BronsteinDavid BronsteinDavid Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
, June - July 1945. - KaunasKaunasKaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
(the Lithuanian Chess ChampionshipLithuanian Chess ChampionshipFirst unofficial Lithuanian championship was held in Kaunas in 1921. The Champion's title was granted after victorious or drawn match between previous champion and challenger, mostly a winner of Championship of Kaunas in the period from 1922 to World War II. The first official Lithuanian...
), won by Vladas MikėnasVladas MikenasVladas Mikėnas was a Lithuanian International Master of chess, an Honorary Grandmaster, and a journalist.- Early life :Vladas Mikėnas played for Lithuania at first board in five official and one unofficial Chess Olympiads....
ahead of Alexander TolushAlexander TolushAlexander Kazimirovich Tolush was a Soviet Russian chess grandmaster. He was one of Boris Spassky's mentors. Tolush was born and died in Saint Petersburg...
, 16–31 July 1945. - Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, IllinoisPeoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
(the 46th U.S. OpenU.S. Open Chess ChampionshipThe U.S. Open Championship is an open national chess championship that has been held in the United States annually since 1900.-History:Through 1938, the tournaments were organized by the Western Chess Association and its successor, the American Chess Federation .The United States Chess Federation ...
), won by Anthony SantasiereAnthony SantasiereAnthony Edward Santasiere was an American chess master. Santasiere was a high school mathematics teacher by profession. His hobbies included creative writing and oil painting.-Chess career:...
, July 1945. - GijónGijónGijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history...
won by Antonio RicoAntonio RicoAntonio Rico González was a Spanish chess master.He was eight times Asturian Champion .In 1934, he tied for 5-6th in Madrid...
ahead of Alekhine and Antonio MedinaAntonio MedinaJose Antonio Colon Medina was a Spanish chess master.He was seven times Spanish Champion , and trice Catalan Champion . He also thrice won Venezuelan Chess Championship in 1955, 1956 and 1958...
, July 1945. - Hollywood (the 1st Pan American Chess ChampionshipPan American Chess ChampionshipThe first Pan-American Championship was held in Hollywood, 28 July - 12 August 1945. The line-up was as follows: 1. Samuel Reshevsky 10.5, 2. Reuben Fine 9, 3. Herman Pilnik 8.5, 4. Israel Horowitz 8, 5. Isaac Kashdan 7, 6. Hector Rossetto 6.5, 7-8. Weaver Adams , Herman Steiner 5.5, 9-10....
), won by Samuel ReshevskySamuel ReshevskySamuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
followed by Reuben FineReuben FineReuben Fine was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the early 1930s through the 1940s, an International Grandmaster, psychologist, university professor, and author of many books on both chess and psychology.Fine won five medals in three chess Olympiads. Fine won the U.S...
, Pilnik, Israel Albert Horowitz, Isaac KashdanIsaac KashdanIsaac Kashdan was an American chess grandmaster and chess writer. Kashdan was one of the world's best players in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was twice U.S. Open champion...
, Héctor RossettoHéctor RossettoHéctor Decio Rossetto was one of the best chess players in Argentine history.He earned the title of International Master in 1950 and the Grandmaster title in 1960....
, etc., 28 July - 12 August 1945. - SabadellSabadellSabadell is the second largest city in the comarca of the Vallès Occidental in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the comarca, on the River Ripoll, 20 km north-west of Barcelona...
won by Alekhine, August 1945. - AlmeriaAlmeríaAlmería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
won by Alekhine and F. López Núñez, August 1945. - MelillaMelillaMelilla is a autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco. Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa...
won by Alekhine, September 1945. - CáceresCáceres, SpainCáceres is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. , its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the largest in geographical extension in Spain....
won by Francisco LupiFrancisco LupiFrancisco Lupi was a Portuguese chess master.In January 1940, he lost a game to Alexander Alekhine in Estoril . In February 1940, he drew a game with Alekhine in Estoril .Lupi was a noted Portuguese player during World War II...
ahead of Alekhine, Autumn 1945. - RigaRigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
(the Baltic Chess ChampionshipBaltic Chess ChampionshipThe first Baltic Chess Congress took place in Riga, Latvia , in 1899. The winner was Robert Behting, the elder brother of Karl Behting, who won a play-off game with Karl Wilhelm Rosenkrantz. The second Baltic Chess Congress was played in Dorpat, Estonia , in 1901...
), won by Mikenas ahead of Tolush, Koblencs and Isakas VistaneckisIsakas VistaneckisIsakas Vistaneckis , a Jewish chess master from Lithuania.-Biography:...
, 26 October - 20 November 1945. - KecskemétKecskemétKecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
won by Gedeon BarczaGedeon BarczaGedeon Barcza was a Hungarian chess master.In 1940, Barcza took third place, behind Max Euwe and Milan Vidmar, 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...
ahead of László SzabóLászló Szabó (chess player)László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...
. - ZlínZlínZlín , from 1949 to 1989 Gottwaldov , is a city in the Zlín Region, southeastern Moravia, Czech Republic, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes company...
won by Petar TrifunovićPetar TrifunovicDr. Petar Trifunović was an International Grandmaster and Serbian Champion of chess...
ahead of Luděk PachmanLudek PachmanLuděk Pachman was a Czechoslovak-German chess grandmaster, chess writer, and political activist. In 1972, after being imprisoned and tortured almost to death by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, he was allowed to emigrate to West Germany...
. - LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
won by Svetozar GligorićSvetozar GligoricSvetozar Gligorić is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is considered the best player ever from Serbia...
ahead of Milan VidmarMilan VidmarMilan Vidmar was a Slovene electrical engineer, chess player, chess theorist, philosopher, and writer. He was a specialist in power transformers and transmission of electric current.- Biography :...
and Milan Vidmar, Jr.Milan Vidmar, Jr.Milan Vidmar, Junior was a Slovenian chess master.He was a son of Milan Vidmar, a leading Slovenian chess grandmaster....
, December 1945 - January 1946. - HastingsHastings International Chess CongressThe Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year. The main event is the Hastings Premier tournament, which was traditionally a 10 to 16 player round-robin tournament. In 2004/05 the tournament was played in the...
won by Savielly TartakowerSavielly TartakowerKsawery Tartakower was a leading Polish and French chess Grandmaster. He was also a leading chess journalist of the 1920s and 30s...
followed by Folke EkströmFolke EkströmFolke Ekström was a Swedish International Master of chess and of Correspondence chess .- Biography :...
, Max EuweMax EuweMachgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...
, Herman SteinerHerman SteinerHerman Steiner was a United States chess player, organizer, and columnist.He won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1948 and became International Master in 1950....
and Arnold DenkerArnold DenkerArnold Sheldon Denker was an American chess player, Grandmaster, and chess author. He was U.S. Chess Champion in 1945 and 1946....
, December 1945 - January 1946.
Team matches
- 17–18 July, Sofia: SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
vs. BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
7-9 - 1–4 September, radio match: Soviet Union vs. United States 15½-4½ (8-2, 7½-2½)
(Botvinnik 11 Denker; Smyslov 11 Reshevsky; Boleslavsky ½1 Fine; Flohr 10 Horowitz; Kotov 11 Kashdan; Bondarevsky 0½ H.Steiner; Lilienthal ½½ Pinkus; Ragozin 11 Seidman; Makogonov 1½ Kupchik; Bronstein 11 Santasiere)
Births
- 6 February – Mišo CebaloMišo CebaloMišo Cebalo is a Croatian chess Grandmaster. He won the 19th World Senior Chess Championship at Condino 2009....
, Yugoslavian/Croatian GM - 9 February – Nino Kirov, Bulgarian GM
- 18 February – Ján PlachetkaJán PlachetkaJán Plachetka is a chess Grandmaster from Slovakia.He was awarded the GM title in 1978. He shared the 1st place at Polanica Zdrój 1975, was 1st at Sofia 1979, 1st at Trnava 1979 and shared the 1st place at Strasbourg 1985. He was also member of the Czechoslovak Chess Olympiad teams from 1980 to...
, Slovakian GM - 14 March – David LevyDavid Levy (chess player)David Neil Laurence Levy , is a Scottish International Master of chess, a businessman noted for his involvement with computer chess and artificial intelligence, and the founder of the Computer Olympiads and the Mind Sports Olympiads. He has written more than 40 books on chess and computers.- Life...
in London, Scottish IM involved in computer chess - 31 March – Jorge RubinettiJorge RubinettiJorge Alberto Rubinetti is an Argentine chess master.He won four times Argentine Chess Championship and played eight times for Argentina in Chess Olympiads ....
, Argentine IM and four time Argentine ChampionArgentine Chess ChampionshipThe first Argentine Chess Championship was held in 1921. The Champion's title was granted after victorious or drawn match between previous champion and challenger, a winner of Torneo Mayor... - 15 June – Jim BerryJim Berry (chess player)Jim Berry is a chess expert and President of the United States Chess Federation. He took office on August 9, 2009...
in OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, American chess official - 25 July – Slobodan Martinovic, Yugoslavian/Serbian GM
- 21 August – Lev AlburtLev AlburtLev Osipovich Alburt is a chess Grandmaster and a well-respected chess writer. He was three-time Ukrainian Champion, and after defecting to the United States in 1979, became three-time U.S. Champion.-Career:...
in OrenburgOrenburgOrenburg is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 546,987 ; 549,361 ; Highest point: 154.4 m...
, Russian/American GM, US Champion in 1984 and 1985 - 26 September – Lev GutmanLev GutmanLev Gutman is a Latvian, Israeli, and German chess grandmaster.At the beginning of his career, Gutman tied for 11-12th at Riga 1967 , which was the first of many appearances in the Latvian championship; he tied for 5-7th place in 1969, tied for 4-5th in 1971, won in 1972, tied for 7-8th in 1973,...
in RigaRigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvian-German-Israeli GM - 10 October – Yuri RazuvayevYuri RazuvayevYuri Razuvaev is a Russian chess player and trainer.-Chess career:He became International Master in 1973, Grandmaster in 1976 and Honoured Coach of Russia in 1977...
, Soviet GM - 14 October – Boris BaczynskyBoris BaczynskyBoris Baczynsky was a Ukrainian–American chess master.Joining the westward exodus in 1944 - because of the Red Army's approach - the Baczynsky family from Ukraine wound up in Vienna. Then they emigrated to the United States. He was an editor of the Chess World Magazine.-External links:...
in ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Ukrainian/American FM - 6 December – Dan HarringtonDan HarringtonDan Harrington is a professional poker player, best known for winning the main event world championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tournament cashes in his poker career...
in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, American chess and professional poker player - 21 December – Duncan SuttlesDuncan SuttlesDuncan Suttles is an International Grandmaster of chess who was the strongest Canadian player between the eras of Abe Yanofsky and Kevin Spraggett. He is one of the few over-the-board grandmasters who also holds the title of Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess. Suttles has been inactive in...
in San Francisco, Canadian GM - Frederic FriedelFrederic FriedelFrederic Alois Friedel, born in 1945, studied Philosophy and Linguistics at the University of Hamburg and in Oxford, graduating with a thesis on speech act theory and moral language...
, co-founder of the computer chess database company ChessBaseChessBaseChessBase GmbH is a German company that markets chess software, maintains a chess news site, and operates a server for online chess. Set up in 1998, it maintains and sells massive databases, containing most historic games, that permit analysis that had not been possible prior to computing...
and chess journalist - Miyoko WataiMiyoko Wataiis a Japanese women's chess champion, and the general secretary of the Japan Chess Association. She is a Woman International Master. She lives in the old Kamata ward, which is now part of Ōta, Tokyo....
, Japanese Women's champion, companion to Bobby FischerBobby FischerRobert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
Deaths
- 1945 - Arthur WijnansArthur WijnansArthur J. Wijnans was a Dutch chess player and study composer.He took 3rd in Dutch Chess Championship in 1939, took 4th at Beverwijk 1940 , won at Beverwijk 1941 , and shared 2nd, after Arnold van den Hoek, at Beverwijk 1943...
, Dutch master, possibly killed in an Allied bombardment in Germany. - January 1945 - Wolfgang WeilWolfgang WeilWolfgang Weil was an Austrian chess master.Dr. Weil played for Austria at eighths board in 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad at Munich 1936, and won individual gold medal....
, Austrian master, died in combat in Croatia. - 14 January 1945 - Arnold van den HoekArnold van den HoekArnold Johannes van den Hoek was a Dutch chess master....
, Dutch master, killed in an Allied bombardment in a labor camp at Watenstedt, suburb of Brunswick, Germany. - 15 January 1945 - Kornél HavasiKornél HavasiKornél Havasi was a Hungarian chess master.He won at Budapest 1911; took 9th at Temesvár 1912 ; tied for 4-5th at Budapest 1917 ; took 4th at Budapest 1918 ; tied for 9-11th at Kaschau 1918 ; tied for 1st-2nd with Szávay at Budapest 1920; took 6th at Gyula...
died in Budapest, Hungary. - 1 April 1945 - Zoltán von BallaZoltán von BallaZoltán von Balla was a Hungarian chess champion.In 1904, he took 11th in Coburg . In 1905, he took 10th in Vienna. In 1906, he won 1st Hungarian Championship in Györ. He shared the title with Zsigmond Barász at Budapest 1911...
died in a traffic accident with a Soviet tank in Budapest, Hungary. - 17 April 1945 - Klaus JungeKlaus JungeKlaus Junge was one of the youngest German chess masters.-Biography:...
, a lieutenant of the 12th SS Battalion, refusing to surrender, died in combat against Allied troops in the battle of Welle on the Lüneburger Heide, close to Hamburg. - ca. May 1945 - Heinz NowarraHeinz NowarraHeinz Nowarra was a German chess master.He tied for 4-6th in Berlin City Chess Championship in 1938 , shared 1st with Berthold Koch and Paul Mross at Berlin 1938 , tied for 15-16th at Bad Oeynhausen 1938 , tied for 9-10th at Berlin 1939 , and took 10th at Berlin 1940 Heinz Nowarra (born 1897 –...
possibly killed in an Allied bombardment in Berlin, Germany. - 25 June 1945 - Lazar ZalkindLazar ZalkindLazar Borisovich Zalkind was a Ukrainian economist and chess problemist.In 1927, he became chairman of the All-Union Association of Chess Problem and Study Lovers. He was arrested in 1930 for his part in a supposed plot to infiltrate the Bolshevik government positions with pro-Mensheviks. Nikolai...
, Ukrainian chess problemist, died of heart attack in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Krai, located in the Russian Far East. - 14 October 1945 - Győző ExnerGyozo ExnerGyőző R. Exner was a Hungarian chess master.Born in Beregszász , Carpathian Ruthenia , he moved to Budapest...
, Hungarian master, died in Hungary. - 20 October 1945 – Julius DimerJulius DimerJulius Dimer was a German chess master.At the beginning of his career, he played in several mini tournaments in Germany; at Altona 1897, Elmshorn 1898, Munich 1900, Kiel 1901, Hamburg 1903, Hamburg 1905, and Bremen 1906...
, German master, died in Germany.