1973 in chess
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FIDE top 10 by Elo rating - January 1973- 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...
2780 - Mikhail TalMikhail TalMikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
2660 - Anatoly KarpovAnatoly KarpovAnatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
2660 - Boris SpasskyBoris SpasskyBoris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
2655 - Viktor KorchnoiViktor KorchnoiViktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
2650 - Lajos PortischLajos PortischLajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
2650 - Tigran PetrosianTigran PetrosianTigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
2640 - 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...
2630 - Lev PolugaevskyLev PolugaevskyLev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
2625 - Bent LarsenBent LarsenJørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
2620
Chess news in brief
- For the first time, the InterzonalInterzonalInterzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
phase of the new world championshipWorld Chess ChampionshipThe World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
cycle is expanded to fill two tournaments, as FIDE are determined to make more places available to zonal qualifiers. Viktor KorchnoiViktor KorchnoiViktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
and Anatoly KarpovAnatoly KarpovAnatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
dominate the LeningradLeningradLeningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
Interzonal, each scoring 13½/17, ahead of Robert Byrne on 12½/17. Surprisingly, Brazilian newcomer Henrique MeckingHenrique MeckingHenrique Mecking was a leading Brazilian chess Grandmaster in the 1970s. He was a very strong player at an early age , drawing comparisons to Bobby Fischer, although he did not achieve the International Grandmaster title until 1971...
steals the show at the PetropolisPetrópolisPetrópolis , also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro....
Interzonal, with 12/17, ahead of such luminaries as Efim GellerEfim GellerEfim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions...
, Lev PolugaevskyLev PolugaevskyLev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
and Lajos PortischLajos PortischLajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
(all 11½/17). A play-off is held in PortorožPortorož- External links :**...
to determine the Petropolis second and third qualifying places and Geller is eliminated. - The final stage of the European Team ChampionshipEuropean Team ChampionshipThe European Team Championship 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...
is held at City Hall, Bath. Seven of the twenty-four teams that contested the preliminaries join the reigning champions (the USSR) in the final. Tragically, grandmaster Leonid SteinLeonid SteinLeonid Zakharovich Stein was a Soviet chess Grandmaster from Ukraine. He won three USSR Chess Championships in the 1960s , and was among the world's top ten players during that era.- Early life :...
dies suddenly of a heart attack the evening before the Soviet team sets off. Nevertheless, the USSR go on to take the gold medal with 40½/56. Yugoslavia narrowly capture the silver medals with 34/56, ahead of Hungary (33/56). Efim Geller scores 90% to be the best individual performer. Despite being one of the world's top 20 grandmasters, he is playing on board seven and for the most part, faces relatively weak opposition. Seven of the Soviet ten-man squad take home individual gold medals, such is their dominance of the event. Most countries send their best players, with the exception of West Germany, who are missing Robert HubnerRobert HübnerRobert Hübner is a respected German chess Grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist . At eighteen, he was joint winner of the West German Chess Championship...
and Klaus DargaKlaus DargaKlaus Viktor Darga is a German Grandmaster chess player.In 1951 Darga became German Junior Champion after winning the national under-20 championship. He also proved his strength as a young chessplayer by sharing first place in the World Junior Championship of 1953, with Oscar Panno of Argentina...
. - Former world champion Mikhail TalMikhail TalMikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
is the winner of several important tournaments. At SochiSochiSochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
, with 11/15, he outperforms recently deposed world champion Boris SpasskyBoris SpasskyBoris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
, (10/15) and Jan SmejkalJan SmejkalJan Smejkal is a Czech chess player and, since 1972, an International Grandmaster. In the 1970s, he was among the world chess elite...
(9/15). At Wijk aan ZeeWijk aan ZeeWijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament formerly Corus chess tournament and before that called Hoogovens tournament takes place there every year.Due...
, he wins with 10½/15, ahead of Yuri BalashovYuri Balashov-Chess career:He was awarded the grandmaster title in 1973. Balashov was Moscow Champion in 1970 and 2nd to Anatoly Karpov in the 1976 USSR Chess Championship. In 1977 he won Lithuanian Chess Championship. He finished 1st= at Lone Pine 1977 and 1st= at Wijk aan Zee 1982.Balashov represented the...
(10/15) and at DubnaDubnaDubna is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of naukograd , being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research centre and one of the largest scientific foundations in the country. It is also home to MKB Raduga, a defence aerospace company...
, shares the honours with Ratmir KholmovRatmir KholmovRatmir Dmitrievich Kholmov was a Russian chess Grandmaster. He won many international tournaments in Eastern Europe during his career, and tied for the Soviet Championship title in 1963, but lost the playoff...
(both 11/15). With further successes at 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...
and 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...
(1973/74 edition), he may be in the best form of his career. Between July 1972 and April 1973 he plays 86 games without defeat, winning 47 and drawing 39. - Boris Spassky comes back from his disappointment of 1972, to win the 41st Soviet Championship, a full point ahead of the USSR's other leading players. In an effort to re-establish the USSR's supremacy at the top of world chess, their federation officials, led by Viktor Baturinsky, decide to get 'tough' on the players. Those wishing to play abroad next year are ordered to take part in the national championship. Short draws are outlawed and the players encouraged to be more ruthless and serious in their future endeavours. In the context of a previous disagreement between Spassky and Baturinsky, insiders interpret the new doctrine as an ill-fated attempt to expose Spassky as the weakness in the camp.
- A strong double round robin tournament is sponsored by AVROAVRO (broadcaster)AVRO is a Dutch public broadcasting association operating within the framework of the Nederlandse Publieke Omroep system.-Television programmes:* Andermans veren...
and held at HilversumHilversumis a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
. 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...
and Efim Geller share first place with 9½/14, ahead of Ljubomir LjubojevicLjubomir LjubojevicLjubomir Ljubojević is a Grandmaster of chess. He was born on November 2, 1950, in Titovo Užice, Yugoslavia . Ljubojević was awarded the International Master title in 1970 and the GM title in 1971. He was Yugoslav champion in 1977 and 1982. He won the 1974 Canadian Open Chess Championship...
on 8½/14. - Anatoly Karpov continues his rapid rise in the rankings, winning a Category 12 event at 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...
with 11/15, ahead of Vladimir TukmakovVladimir TukmakovVladimir Borisovich Tukmakov is a Jewish-Ukrainian chess grandmaster. He gained the Grandmaster title in 1972.His career first blossomed when he helped and then led the USSR to consecutive wins of the World Student Team Championship from 1966 to 1972, bagging nine gold medals along the way.In the...
(10½/15) and Semyon FurmanSemyon FurmanSemyon Abramovich Furman was a Soviet chess International Grandmaster and trainer. He is best known for developing Anatoly Karpov into a World Chess Champion, but was a formidable player himself, as well as a successful coach for several other world-class players...
(10/15). - At Las Palmas, Tigran PetrosianTigran PetrosianTigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
and Leonid Stein share victory with 9½/15. Petrosian also succeeds at AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, this time shared with Albin PlanincAlbin PlanincAlbin Planinc, also spelled Planinec was a Slovenian chess Grandmaster.He was born in a working-class family in Briše near Zagorje in the Central Sava Valley, in German-occupied Slovenia....
(both 10/15), ahead of Lubomir Kavalek (9½/15). - Efim Geller wins a strong tournament in BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
with 10½/15, ahead of Anatoly Karpov (9½/15). - Alexander BeliavskyAlexander Beliavsky-External links:...
(8½/11) fights off the twin challenge of Tony MilesTony MilesAnthony John Miles was an English chess Grandmaster.- Early achievements in chess :Miles was born in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
(8/11) and Michael SteanMichael SteanMichael Francis Stean is an English chess grandmaster and author.-Junior career:He learned to play chess before the age of five, developing a promising talent that led to junior honours, including the London under-14 and British under-16 titles.There was more progress in 1971, when he placed third...
(7½/11), to win the World Junior ChampionshipWorld Junior Chess ChampionshipThe World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
in TeessideTeessideTeesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
. Beliavsky loses both individual games to the Englishmen, but deals more ruthlessly with the tournament tail-enders. - At the Hungarian ChampionshipHungarian Chess ChampionshipThe 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 failed to establish itself properly until 1923...
, held in Budapest, there is a three-way tie for first place between Andras AdorjanAndras AdorjanAndrás Adorján is a Hungarian author and Grandmaster of chess , born in Budapest. He adopted his mother's surname Adorján in 1968....
, István CsomIstván CsomIstván Csom is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster and International Arbiter. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1967 and the Grandmaster title in 1973. He was Hungarian Champion in 1972 and 1973...
and Zoltán RibliZoltan RibliZoltán Ribli is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and International Arbiter . He was twice a World Championship Candidate and three times Hungarian Champion.-A career in chess:...
(all 10/15). - The first World Open chess tournamentWorld Open chess tournamentThe World Open chess tournament is an annual open chess tournament played in most editions in Philadelphia and some editions in New York. The inaugural event was a huge success played in New York in 1973 with 732 participants, and was won by Walter Browne....
is held in New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on June 30 - July 4, and is won by Walter Browne with a 9-1 score. 725 players participate in the event, which has a $15,000 prize fund. - Having missed out on their bid to host the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match, organisers in DortmundDortmundDortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
remain upbeat and arrange a tournament at Westfalenpark. It results in a three-way tie for first place, between Hans-Joachim HechtHans-Joachim HechtHans-Joachim Hecht is a German chess player and twice the national champion. His first name is often abbreviated to Hajo....
, Ulf AnderssonUlf AnderssonUlf Andersson is a leading Swedish chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1970 and the Grandmaster title in 1972 .-Career:...
and Boris Spassky. The event doubles as the second Open German Championship and becomes the catalyst for a new series of annual events, known as the Dortmunder Schachtage. - Bent LarsenBent LarsenJørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
wins the ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
tournament with 12½/15, from Ljubomir Ljubojevic (11½/15) and Lubomir Kavalek (10½/15). - At TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, IM Roman DzindzichashviliRoman DzindzichashviliRoman Yakovlevich Dzindzichashvili is a chess Grandmaster .-Life and career:Born in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR into a family of Georgian Jews, he won the Junior Championship of the Soviet Union in 1962 and the University Championships in 1966 and 1968. In 1970, he earned the title of International...
shows he is comfortable in grandmaster company, sharing victory with Rafael VaganianRafael VaganianRafael Artemovich Vaganian, also transliterated Vahanyan is an Armenian chess grandmaster known for his sharp tactical style of play...
(both 11½/17), ahead of Evgeny Vasiukov (10½/17), Semyon Furman, 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...
, Eduard GufeldEduard GufeldEduard Yefimovich Gufeld was a Soviet International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess author.By the late 1950s he established himself as one of the strongest players in the world...
and other established masters. - London plays host to the Guardian Royal ExchangeGuardian Royal Exchange AssuranceGuardian Royal Exchange Assurance plc was a large British insurance company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
(GRE) tournament. In the Masters section, Jan TimmanJan TimmanJan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"...
takes first (7/9) from Raymond KeeneRaymond KeeneRaymond Dennis Keene OBE is an English chess Grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author.p196 He won the British Chess Championship in 1971, and was the first player from England to earn a Grandmaster norm, in 1974. In 1976 he became the second...
(5½/9), Samuel ReshevskySamuel ReshevskySamuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
and Hans-Joachim Hecht (both 5/9). In the Masters Reserves section, John NunnJohn NunnJohn Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
wins with 7/9. - Georgy Tringov and Bruno ParmaBruno ParmaBruno Parma is a Slovene chess player and Grandmaster.Parma was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia . He first played in the World Junior Chess Championship in 1959, sharing second place...
(both 9/14) fight off the challenge of fellow grandmasters Hans-Joachim Hecht, Ivan RadulovIvan RadulovIvan Radulov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster.As a chess player, he was most prominent during the 1970s, winning the Bulgarian Championship in 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980. He just missed out at the 1976 event, finishing 2nd...
and Dragoljub VelimirovicDragoljub VelimirovicDragoljub Velimirović is a Serbian and former Yugoslav chess grandmaster, born in Valjevo.-Biography:...
(all 8½/14) at the annual tournament in VršacVršacVršac is a town and municipality located in Serbia. In 2002 the town's total population was 36,623, while Vršac municipality had 54,369 inhabitants. Vršac is located in the Banat region, in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. It is part of the South Banat District.-Name:The name Vršac is of Serbian...
. Pre-tournament favourite, Wolfgang UhlmannWolfgang UhlmannWolfgang Uhlmann is a prominent German International Grandmaster of chess. Despite being a dedicated professional chess player, and undoubtedly the GDR's most successful ever, he has also had a career in accountancy.-Chess career:...
finishes mid-table. - Bent Larsen wins the Scandinavian Championship, held in Grenaa, Denmark, with 9/11. The 13,000 D Kr. prize fund attracts 111 entries. Larsen's share of the prize money amounts to 6,000 D. Kr. (about £420).
- Following William HartstonWilliam HartstonWilliam Roland Hartston is an English chess player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 with a highest Elo rating of 2515...
's 4½-1½ play-off win against Michael BasmanMichael BasmanMichael John Basman is an English chess player, chess author and International Master. He was awarded the International Master title in 1980...
in the British Championship, he and Jana HartstonJana BellinJana Bellin , chess player, was awarded her WIM of chess title in 1969, and WGM title in 1982....
become the first husband and wife pair to simultaneously hold men's and women's national championship titles.
Births
- Joël LautierJoel LautierJoël Lautier is a French chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer .Born in Canada, of French father and Japanese mother, Lautier is one of the strongest grandmasters from France. He won the 1988 World Junior Chess Championship on tiebreak at Adelaide, and the French Chess Championships in 2004...
, a leading French GM, once a regular player on the elite tournament circuit - April 12 - Vladislav TkachievVladislav Tkachiev-Biography:In 1982, he moved to Kazakhstan with his parents and learnt to play chess a year later. A winner of the Kazakhstani Youth Championship in 1985, he went on to represent Kazakhstan at the 1992 Chess Olympiad in Manila and was twice the national champion....
, Soviet-French GM, former European Individual Champion - November 9 - Sergei TiviakovSergei TiviakovSergei Tiviakov is a naturalised Dutch chess Grandmaster.Tiviakov won the Dutch Chess Championship in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, in Plovdiv, he won the European Individual Chess Championship with 8.5/11....
, Soviet-Dutch GM, former Dutch Champion - February 14 - Peter Heine NielsenPeter Heine NielsenPeter Heine Nielsen is a Danish chess Grandmaster.-Chess career:Nielsen became an International Grandmaster in 1994. He won the Danish Chess Championship five times: in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2008. He played for Denmark in seven Chess Olympiads, three times on top board, with an overall...
, Danish GM, former highest rated Nordic player - May 24 - Aleksej AleksandrovAleksej AleksandrovAleksej Aleksandrov is a chess grandmaster .-Selected tournament results:* 1991: Victory at the USSR Junior Chess Championship* 1992: Victory at the European Junior Chess Championship...
, Belarusian GM, former national and European junior champion - May 11 - Peng XiaominPeng XiaominPeng Xiaomin is a Chinese chess grandmaster. In 1997, he became China's 6th Grandmaster. Peng Xiaomin is married to WGM Qin Kanying.-Career:Peng has been a grandmaster since 1997...
, Chinese GM, former national champion - April 8 - Jacob AagaardJacob AagaardJacob Aagaard is a Danish-born Scottish Grandmaster of chess who won the 94th British Championship in 2007. He is Scotland's second highest ranked player as of January 2010, with an Elo rating of 2538. In 2004, he took second place in the Scottish Chess Championship. In 2005, he took first place...
, Danish-Scottish GM, former British champion - July 31 - José González GarcíaJosé González GarcíaJosé González García is a FIDE chess grandmaster from Mexico. In the May 2010 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2514....
, Mexican GM - August 12 - Stanislav KriventsovStanislav KriventsovStanislav Kriventsov is a chess International Master and a chess coach who currently resides in Canada after spending ten years in the United States between 1997 and 2007...
, Soviet-Canadian IM, a chess coach and world series poker player - November 2 - Frode ElsnessFrode ElsnessFrode Elsness is a Norwegian chess player who holds the title of International Master, as well as the 2008 Norwegian Chess Championship. Elsness plays for the chess club in Moss. He has represented Norway three times in the Chess Olympiad, 1996 , 2000 and 2004...
, Norwegian IM, 2008 Norwegian Champion - June 15
Deaths
- Leonid SteinLeonid SteinLeonid Zakharovich Stein was a Soviet chess Grandmaster from Ukraine. He won three USSR Chess Championships in the 1960s , and was among the world's top ten players during that era.- Early life :...
, a leading Soviet GM and former world championship candidate - July 4 - Vasily PanovVasily PanovVasily Nikolayevich Panov was a Soviet chess player, author, and journalist. Winner of the Moscow City Championship in 1929, he also played in five USSR Chess Championships from 1935 to 1948. His greatest tournament victory was Kiev, 1938...
, Soviet IM, renowned as a theoretician, writer and journalist - January 13 - Hans KmochHans KmochJohann "Hans" Joseph Kmoch was an Austrian-Dutch-American chess International Master , International Arbiter , and a chess journalist and author, for which he is best known....
, Austrian IM, chess writer and occasional second to Alekhine - February 13 - Folke RogardFolke RogardBror Axel Folke Per Rogard was a Swedish lawyer and chess official.He was born in Stockholm. He was Vice-President of the international chess governing body, FIDE, from 1947 to 1949 and then succeeded Alexander Rueb as President. He held the post until succeeded by Max Euwe in 1970.-External links:...
, Swedish lawyer and former President of FIDE - June 11 - Braslav RabarBraslav RabarBraslav Rabar was a Croatian chess International Master and chess writer. He was Yugoslav champion in 1951, and in 1953 again tied for the tournament lead, but lost a playoff match. He played for Yugoslavia in three chess Olympiads , winning a total of five medals...
, Croatian IM, former national champion, writer and theoretician - December 6 - Al Horowitz, American IM, renowned writer and chess columnist - January 18
- Manuel Golmayo TorrienteManuel Golmayo TorrienteManuel Golmayo y de la Torriente was a Cuban-Spanish chess master.Born into a 'chess family' , he was Spanish Champion on numerous occasions and Sub-Champion in 1929/30 Manuel Golmayo y de la Torriente (12 June 1883, Havana, Cuba – 7 March 1973, Madrid) was a Cuban-Spanish chess master.Born into...
, Cuban-Spanish master and International Arbiter - March 7 - Alexandru TyrolerAlexandru TyrolerAlexandru Tyroler was a Hungarian-Romanian chess master....
, Hungarian-Romanian master, winner of first Romanian Championship - February 3 - Markas LuckisMarkas LuckisMarkas Luckis was a Lithuanian–Argentine chess master.-Biography:Luckis was born in Lithuania. He twice won the Kaunas City Chess Championship in 1927 and 1928...
, Lithuanian-Argentine master, Olympiad medal winner - February 9