Gideon Ståhlberg
Encyclopedia
Anders Gideon Tom Ståhlberg (or Stahlberg) (26 January 1908, Gothenburg
– 26 May 1967, Leningrad
) was a Swedish
chess
grandmaster.
He won the Swedish Chess Championship
of 1927, became Nordic champion
in 1929, and held it until 1939.
Ståhlberg came to fame when he won matches against star players Rudolf Spielmann
and Aron Nimzowitsch
in 1933 and 1934 respectively, and came third (after Alekhine) in Dresden 1936, and second (after Fine) in Stockholm 1937. In 1938 he drew a match against Keres.
Following the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires 1939
, he stayed in Argentina until 1948, where he won many tournaments, some of them in competition with Miguel Najdorf
: Mar del Plata 1941 (ahead of Najdorf and Eliskases), Buenos Aires 1941 (tied with Najdorf), Buenos Aires 1947 (ahead of Najdorf, Eliskases and Euwe).
His best results after returning to Europe were: the Interzonal of Saltsjöbaden 1948 (6th, becaming a Candidate), the Candidates tournament of Budapest 1950 (7th), Amsterdam 1950 (3rd), Budapest 1952 (3rd), the Interzonal of Saltsjöbaden 1952 (5th, again becaming a Candidate)
Stahlberg umpired in the five World Championships between 1957 and 1963.
In 1967 he travelled to Leningrad
to take part in an international tournament but died before playing his first game. He was buried in Gothenburg.
Ståhlberg published more than ten chess books (some of them originally in Spanish):
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
– 26 May 1967, Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad 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...
) was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
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...
grandmaster.
He won the Swedish Chess Championship
Swedish Chess Championship
The 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...
of 1927, became Nordic champion
Nordic Chess Championship
The first Nordic Chess Championship took place in Stockholm in 1897.-Winners:The winners in the Nordic Championship in 1934 and 1936, Aron Nimzowitsch and Erik Lundin, got the Nordiske kongresmestre title, as the champion 1930, Erik Andersen, defended his title with 3-3 against Gideon Ståhlberg at...
in 1929, and held it until 1939.
Ståhlberg came to fame when he won matches against star players Rudolf Spielmann
Rudolf Spielmann
Rudolf Spielmann was an Austrian-Jewish chess player of the romantic school, and chess writer.-Career:He was a lawyer but never worked as one....
and Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch was a Russian-born Danish unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer...
in 1933 and 1934 respectively, and came third (after Alekhine) in Dresden 1936, and second (after Fine) in Stockholm 1937. In 1938 he drew a match against Keres.
Following the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires 1939
8th Chess Olympiad
The 8th Chess Olympiad, organised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs , comprised an 'open' tournament, as well as a Women's World Championship contest...
, he stayed in Argentina until 1948, where he won many tournaments, some of them in competition with Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation....
: Mar del Plata 1941 (ahead of Najdorf and Eliskases), Buenos Aires 1941 (tied with Najdorf), Buenos Aires 1947 (ahead of Najdorf, Eliskases and Euwe).
His best results after returning to Europe were: the Interzonal of Saltsjöbaden 1948 (6th, becaming a Candidate), the Candidates tournament of Budapest 1950 (7th), Amsterdam 1950 (3rd), Budapest 1952 (3rd), the Interzonal of Saltsjöbaden 1952 (5th, again becaming a Candidate)
Stahlberg umpired in the five World Championships between 1957 and 1963.
In 1967 he travelled to 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...
to take part in an international tournament but died before playing his first game. He was buried in Gothenburg.
Ståhlberg published more than ten chess books (some of them originally in Spanish):
- Schack och schackmästare, 1937 (Chess and Chess Masters, 1955)
- El gambito de dama, 1942 (Queen's gambit)
- Partidas clásicas de Capablanca (La perfección en ajedrez), 1943 (with Paulino Alles Monasterio) (Classic games of Capablanca, perfection in chess)
- I kamp med världseliten, 1958 (In battle against the world elite)
- Strövtåg i schackvärlden (Excursions in the world of chess, 1965)
- Tal-Botvinnik II match, 1969
- Modern spelöppningsteori i schack
- Svenska schackmästare
External links
- OlimpBase – Ståhlberg played in 13 Olympiads