Braslav Rabar
Encyclopedia
Braslav Rabar was a Croatian
chess
International Master (1950) 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 Olympiad
s (1950, 1952, 1954), winning a total of five medals. At his peak in the early 1950s, Rabar played at Grandmaster strength. Rabar was a co-inventor of the classification systems for the Chess Informant
publications.
); the event was won by Jan Foltys
. In September 1941, he tied for 9-10th in Munich
(Europaturnier, Gösta Stoltz
won). In December 1941, he played at second board against Ludovit Potuček
(1.5 : 0.5) in a match Croatia – Slovakia in Zagreb
. In September 1942, he took 12th in Munich
(Europameisterschaft, 1st European Individual Chess Championship, Alexander Alekhine
won).
He represented the Independent State of Croatia
there.
; the event was won by Svetozar Gligorić
. In 1949/50, he tied for 2nd-3rd, in Lucerne
. In 1950, he won, ahead of Mladen Šubarić
, in Zagreb
(CRO-ch). In 1951, he won the 10th Yugoslav Championship
in Sarajevo
.
Although chess ratings were not formally introduced by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, until 1970, it is nevertheless possible to retrospectively rank historical chess performances from before this time using modern algorithms. The site chessmetrics
.com specializes in this form of ranking. It places Rabar's peak rating at 2635 in January 1952, good for 35th in the world. This is clear Grandmaster territory, although Rabar was not awarded that higher title.
In 1953, he took 3rd in Opatija
. In 1953, he tied for 1st with Vasja Pirc
in Zagreb
(12th YUG-ch), and afterwards lost a play-off match for the title. In 1954, he tied for 2nd-3rd with Jan Hein Donner
, behind Wolfgang Unzicker
, in Munich
(zonal). In 1955, he tied for 14-15th in Göteborg (Interzonal
); the event was won by David Bronstein
.
in 1946. Yugoslavia won, ahead of Romania
, Bulgaria
, and Albania
. He won silver medal at 8th board. Rabar played in three Chess Olympiads. In August/September 1950, he won two gold medals: individual at fourth board (+8 –0 =2), and team, along with Gligorić, Pirc, Petar Trifunović
, Milan Vidmar jr, and Stojan Puc, at the 9th Chess Olympiad
in Dubrovnik
. In August 1952, he played at second board at the 10th Chess Olympiad
in Helsinki
(+5 –1 =6). Rabar won two bronze medals (individual and team). In September 1954, he played at fourth board at the 11th Chess Olympiad
in Amsterdam
(+1 –3 =4). Yugoslavia won bronze medal. In the three Olympiads, Rabar won five medals, and in 30 games scored (+14 -4 =12), for 66.7 per cent.
series of publications, which are the best-selling and most popular chess books of all time.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
International Master (1950) and chess writer. He was Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
champion in 1951, and in 1953 again tied for the tournament lead, but lost a playoff match. He played for Yugoslavia in three chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
s (1950, 1952, 1954), winning a total of five medals. At his peak in the early 1950s, Rabar played at Grandmaster strength. Rabar was a co-inventor of the classification systems for the Chess Informant
Chess Informant
Chess Informant is a publishing company from Belgrade that periodically produces a book of the same name, as well as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings, Opening Monographs, other print publications, and software Chess Informant (Šahovski Informator) is a...
publications.
Early years
In 1941, he tied for 8-9th in Trentschin-Teplitz (Trencianske TepliceTrencianske Teplice
Trenčianske Teplice is a health resort and small spa town in western Slovakia, in the valley of the river Teplička, at the foothills of the Strážovské vrchy mountains.-Characteristics:...
); the event was won by Jan Foltys
Jan Foltys
Jan Foltys , was a Czech chess International Master.-Biography:...
. In September 1941, he tied for 9-10th in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(Europaturnier, Gösta Stoltz
Gösta Stoltz
-Biography:Stoltz played a few matches with strong chess masters. In 1926, he lost to Mikhail Botvinnik at a team match Stockholm – Leningrad in Stockholm. In 1927, he drew with Allan Nilsson in Göteborg . In 1930, he won against Isaac Kashdan in Stockholm. In 1930, he lost to Rudolf Spielmann ...
won). In December 1941, he played at second board against Ludovit Potuček
Ludovit Potucek
Ľudovít Potúček was a Slovak chess master.In 1941, he tied for 2nd-3rd with József Szily, behind Jan Foltys, in Trenčianske Teplice , and played at second board against Braslav Rabar in a match Croatia–Slovakia at Zagreb 1941.After World War II, he tied for 10-12th at Zlín 1945...
(1.5 : 0.5) in a match Croatia – Slovakia in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. In September 1942, he took 12th in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(Europameisterschaft, 1st European Individual Chess Championship, Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander 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...
won).
He represented the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
there.
Yugoslav champion, peak form
In 1945/46, he took 4th in LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana 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...
; the event was won by Svetozar Gligorić
Svetozar Gligoric
Svetozar 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...
. In 1949/50, he tied for 2nd-3rd, in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
. In 1950, he won, ahead of Mladen Šubarić
Mladen Šubaric
Mladen Šubarić is a Croatian chess master.In 1939 he tied for 3rd-4th in Zagreb . In December 1941, he played at fourth board against dr Pazman in a match Croatia – Slovakia in Zagreb...
, in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
(CRO-ch). In 1951, he won the 10th Yugoslav Championship
Yugoslav Chess Championship
The Yugoslav Chess Championship is a tournament with great tradition, held to determine the national champion. It was a very strong event especially in the period 1945–1991, when it represented players from six federal republics, today independent countries....
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
.
Although chess ratings were not formally introduced by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, until 1970, it is nevertheless possible to retrospectively rank historical chess performances from before this time using modern algorithms. The site chessmetrics
Chessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
.com specializes in this form of ranking. It places Rabar's peak rating at 2635 in January 1952, good for 35th in the world. This is clear Grandmaster territory, although Rabar was not awarded that higher title.
In 1953, he took 3rd in Opatija
Opatija
Opatija is a town in western Croatia, just southwest of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast. , the town proper had a population of 7,850, with the municipality having a total 12,719 inhabitants.-Geography:...
. In 1953, he tied for 1st with Vasja Pirc
Vasja Pirc
Vasja Pirc was a leading Slovenian chess player. His name is most familiar to contemporary players as the originator of the hypermodern Pirc Defense...
in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
(12th YUG-ch), and afterwards lost a play-off match for the title. In 1954, he tied for 2nd-3rd with Jan Hein Donner
Jan Hein Donner
Johannes Hendrikus Donner was a Dutch chess grandmaster and writer. Donner was born in The Hague and won the Dutch Championship in 1954, 1957, and 1958. FIDE, the World Chess Federation, awarded him the GM title in 1959. He played 11 times for the Netherlands in the Chess Olympiads...
, behind Wolfgang Unzicker
Wolfgang Unzicker
Wolfgang Unzicker was one of the strongest German chess Grandmasters from 1945 to about 1970.He decided against making chess his profession, choosing law instead....
, in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(zonal). In 1955, he tied for 14-15th in Göteborg (Interzonal
Interzonal
Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
); the event was won by David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David 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...
.
Excels in team competitions
Rabar participated at the 1st Balkaniad in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade 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...
in 1946. Yugoslavia won, ahead of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. He won silver medal at 8th board. Rabar played in three Chess Olympiads. In August/September 1950, he won two gold medals: individual at fourth board (+8 –0 =2), and team, along with Gligorić, Pirc, Petar Trifunović
Petar Trifunovic
Dr. Petar Trifunović was an International Grandmaster and Serbian Champion of chess...
, Milan Vidmar jr, and Stojan Puc, at the 9th Chess Olympiad
9th Chess Olympiad
The 9th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between August 20 and September 11, 1950, in Dubrovnik, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia .The final results were as follows:-Final :The...
in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
. In August 1952, he played at second board at the 10th Chess Olympiad
10th Chess Olympiad
The 10th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between August 9 and August 31, 1952, in Helsinki, Finland.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
(+5 –1 =6). Rabar won two bronze medals (individual and team). In September 1954, he played at fourth board at the 11th Chess Olympiad
11th Chess Olympiad
The 11th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between September 4 and September 25, 1954, in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam 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...
(+1 –3 =4). Yugoslavia won bronze medal. In the three Olympiads, Rabar won five medals, and in 30 games scored (+14 -4 =12), for 66.7 per cent.
Legacy
Rabar was awarded the International Master (IM) title in 1950. He coedited the monthly chess magazine Šahovski Glasnik. He is best remembered for designing the Opening Classification System that was used in the Chess InformantChess Informant
Chess Informant is a publishing company from Belgrade that periodically produces a book of the same name, as well as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings, Opening Monographs, other print publications, and software Chess Informant (Šahovski Informator) is a...
series of publications, which are the best-selling and most popular chess books of all time.