Charles Kalme
Encyclopedia
Charles Ivars Kalme was an American
International Master of chess
recognized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and a mathematician
.
Kalme was born in Riga
, Latvia
on November 15, 1939. At the conclusion of World War II
, Kalme and what was left of his family fled Latvia, lived for years in a Displaced persons camp
in Germany
and finally arrived in Philadelphia in the United States
in 1951.
Kalme won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1955 with a 9-1 score. In 1960, he played on the U.S. Team in the World Student Team Championship in Leningrad
, USSR. The U.S. team won the World Championship, the only time the U.S. has ever won that event. Kalme won two gold medals, one for the team and the other for his individual result on board two. Kalme also represented the United States twice more in team play at this level: Helsinki
1961 and Cracow 1964. He played twice in the United States Chess Championship: 1958-1959 and 1960-1961.
Kalme also became a master of contract bridge
. He sometimes played as a partner of Michael Lawrence
, who was a member of the world champion bridge team, the Dallas Aces
. Later, he also tutored the fledgling Bobby Fischer in Philadelphia.
Kalme received a Ph.D.
degree in mathematics
from New York University
in 1967, and became a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley
.
When the Republic of Latvia
got its freedom from the Soviet Union
, Kalme returned to his native Latvia, where he died in 2002.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
International Master of 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...
recognized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and a mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
.
Kalme was born in Riga
Riga
Riga 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,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
on November 15, 1939. At the conclusion of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kalme and what was left of his family fled Latvia, lived for years in a Displaced persons camp
Displaced persons camp
A displaced persons camp or DP camp is a temporary facility for displaced persons coerced into forced migration. The term is mainly used for camps established after World War II in West Germany and in Austria, as well as in the United Kingdom, primarily for refugees from Eastern Europe and for the...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and finally arrived in Philadelphia in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1951.
Kalme won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1955 with a 9-1 score. In 1960, he played on the U.S. Team in the World Student Team Championship in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, USSR. The U.S. team won the World Championship, the only time the U.S. has ever won that event. Kalme won two gold medals, one for the team and the other for his individual result on board two. Kalme also represented the United States twice more in team play at this level: 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...
1961 and Cracow 1964. He played twice in the United States Chess Championship: 1958-1959 and 1960-1961.
Kalme also became a master of contract bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
. He sometimes played as a partner of Michael Lawrence
Michael Lawrence (bridge player)
Michael Steven Lawrence is an American bridge player, teacher, theorist, and prolific writer.-Biography:...
, who was a member of the world champion bridge team, the Dallas Aces
Dallas Aces
The Dallas Aces were the world's first professional bridge team, organized by Dallas businessman Ira Corn in 1968...
. Later, he also tutored the fledgling Bobby Fischer in Philadelphia.
Kalme received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1967, and became a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
When the Republic of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
got its freedom from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Kalme returned to his native Latvia, where he died in 2002.
External links
- http://www.ChessmetricsChessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
.com, the Charles Kalme player file] - Mathematics and Chess