Helmut Pfleger
Encyclopedia
Helmut Pfleger is a German
chess
Grandmaster and author. He was one of the most promising chess players in the sixties and seventies. By profession, he is a doctor of medicine.
. In 1965 he tied for 1st with Wolfgang Unzicker
in the German Chess Championship
in Bad Aibling
, but lost an additional match to him there.
He took 1st at Maputo
1973, tied for 1st–2nd at Polanica-Zdrój 1971, tied for 1st–2nd at Montilla
1973, tied for 2nd–3rd at Montilla 1974, tied for 2nd–5th at Manila
1975, tied for 2nd–3rd at Havana
1982, was 4th at Royan
1988.
Pfleger played for Germany in the Chess Olympiad
s of 1964, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1980 and 1982. At the Tel Aviv
Olympiad of 1964, he was awarded the gold medal for best performance on fourth board and a bronze medal for his contribution to the team's overall performance. He was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1975.
, at his peak in January 1976 Pfleger's play was equivalent to a rating of 2656, and he was ranked number 36 in the world. His best single performance was at Amsterdam
(IBM), 1978, where he scored 7.5 of 13 possible points (58%) against 2655-rated opposition, for a performance rating of 2687. In the April 2009 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2477, although he has been virtually inactive since 1990.
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...
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 and author. He was one of the most promising chess players in the sixties and seventies. By profession, he is a doctor of medicine.
Chess career
In 1960 he won the German Junior Championship, in 1961 was fourth in the World Junior Chess ChampionshipWorld Junior Chess Championship
The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
. In 1965 he tied for 1st with 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 the German Chess Championship
German Chess Championship
The German Chess Championship has been played since 1861, and determines the national champion.Prior to 1880 three different federations organized chess activities in Germany: the Westdeutscher Schachbund , the Norddeutscher Schachbund and the Mitteldeutscher Schachbund . Each one organized its...
in Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some 35 miles southeast of Munich. It is a health resort .-History:...
, but lost an additional match to him there.
He took 1st at Maputo
Maputo
Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
1973, tied for 1st–2nd at Polanica-Zdrój 1971, tied for 1st–2nd at Montilla
Montilla
Montilla a town and municipality of southern Spain, in the province of Córdoba, 32 miles south of the provincial capital, Córdoba, by the Córdoba-Bobadilla railway. , the town had a population of 23,245. The olive oil of the district is abundant and good, and it is the peculiar flavour of the pale...
1973, tied for 2nd–3rd at Montilla 1974, tied for 2nd–5th at Manila
Manila
Manila 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,...
1975, tied for 2nd–3rd at Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
1982, was 4th at Royan
Royan
Royan is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, along the Atlantic Ocean, in southwestern France.A seaside resort, Royan is in the heart of an urban area estimated at 38,638 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the department, after La Rochelle, Rochefort and Saintes...
1988.
Pfleger played for Germany in the 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 of 1964, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1980 and 1982. At the Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
Olympiad of 1964, he was awarded the gold medal for best performance on fourth board and a bronze medal for his contribution to the team's overall performance. He was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1975.
Chess strength
According to ChessmetricsChessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
, at his peak in January 1976 Pfleger's play was equivalent to a rating of 2656, and he was ranked number 36 in the world. His best single performance was at 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...
(IBM), 1978, where he scored 7.5 of 13 possible points (58%) against 2655-rated opposition, for a performance rating of 2687. In the April 2009 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2477, although he has been virtually inactive since 1990.
Notable games
- Helmut Pfleger vs Anatoli Karpov, Hastings 1971, Queen's Indian Defense: Classical, Main Line (E19), ½–½
- Helmut Pfleger vs Mikhail Tal, Tallinn 1973, Modern Defense: Queen Pawn Fianchetto (B06), ½–½
- Helmut Pfleger vs Bent Larsen, Manila 1974, English Opening: Great Snake Variation (A10), 1-0
- John Nunn vs Helmut Pfleger, Plovdiv ETC 1983, Pirc Defense: General (B07), ½–½