James Tarjan
Encyclopedia
James Edward Tarjan is an American Grandmaster of chess
.
Tarjan was just 17 when he was selected to the American team for the 1969 World Students' Olympiad, at Dresden
. He was a member of the winning American side at Haifa
1970, and was selected again at Graz
1972. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California
.
He finished second at an invitational junior tournament at Norwich
1972, with 12/15, behind only Hungarian Gyula Sax
.
He earned his International Master title in 1974, and was promoted to Grandmaster in 1976. He played for the American team at five straight chess Olympiads. He began at Nice 1974
, then played at Haifa 1976
, Buenos Aires 1978
, Lucerne 1982
, and Valletta 1980
.
His best results in international tournaments include first at Subotica
1975, first at Vancouver
1976, and first equal at Vršac
1983, along with Predrag Nikolić
and Georgy Agzamov
. Other good finishes included tied for third at Chicago
1973 with 7/11;
tied for fifth at Venice
1974 with 7.5/13; and an excellent tied second at Bogotá
1979, with 10.5/14, behind only Alexander Beliavsky
.
Tarjan played in several U.S. Championships
during the 1970s and 1980s. He was fourth at El Paso
1973 with 7.5/12. At Oberlin
1975, he ended up tied for sixth with a score of 6.5/13. At Pasadena
1978, which was the Zonal qualifier, he tied for second with 10.5/14, and advanced to the 1979 Riga
Interzonal
, part of the World Championship cycle. He scored 8.5/17 and did not advance; the tournament was won by former World Champion Mikhail Tal
. Tarjan's last competitive tournament was the 1984 U.S. Championship at Berkeley
, where he went out in style with a fine tied third, scoring 10.5/17.
According to the website chessmetrics
.com, which ranks historical chess events and players while accounting for different methods of calculation, Tarjan reached #37 in the world at his peak, and his highest published International rating was 2535.
In 1984, Tarjan gave up professional chess to become a librarian.
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...
.
Tarjan was just 17 when he was selected to the American team for the 1969 World Students' Olympiad, at Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. He was a member of the winning American side at Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
1970, and was selected again at Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
1972. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
He finished second at an invitational junior tournament at Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
1972, with 12/15, behind only Hungarian Gyula Sax
Gyula Sax
Gyula Sax is a Hungarian chess player and International Arbiter , born in Budapest.He was awarded the IM title in 1972 and the GM title in 1974. He was the Hungarian Chess Champion in 1976 and 1977 . In 1971-72, he was the European Junior Champion, and he placed first at Rovinj-Zagreb 1975,...
.
He earned his International Master title in 1974, and was promoted to Grandmaster in 1976. He played for the American team at five straight chess Olympiads. He began at Nice 1974
21st Chess Olympiad
The 21st 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 June 6 and June 30, 1974, in Nice, France.-References:* OlimpBase...
, then played at Haifa 1976
22nd Chess Olympiad
The 22nd 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 October 26 and November 10, 1976, in Haifa, Israel.-References:* OlimpBase...
, Buenos Aires 1978
23rd Chess Olympiad
The 23rd 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 October 25 and November 12, 1978, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.-References:...
, Lucerne 1982
24th Chess Olympiad
The 24th 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 November 20 and December 6, 1980, in La Valletta, Malta.-References:* OlimpBase...
, and Valletta 1980
25th Chess Olympiad
The 25th 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 October 29 and November 16, 1982, in Lucerne, Switzerland.-References:...
.
His best results in international tournaments include first at Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
1975, first at Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
1976, and first equal at Vršac
Vršac
Vršac 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...
1983, along with Predrag Nikolić
Predrag Nikolic
Predrag Nikolić is a Bosnian chess grandmaster.He first competed for the Yugoslav Championship in 1979, taking a share of second place. The following year and again in 1984, he went one step further and became the Yugoslav national champion...
and Georgy Agzamov
Georgy Agzamov
Georgy Tadzhikhanovich Agzamov was a Soviet chess Grandmaster. He became an International Master in 1982 and was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1984....
. Other good finishes included tied for third at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
1973 with 7/11;
tied for fifth at Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
1974 with 7.5/13; and an excellent tied second at Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
1979, with 10.5/14, behind only Alexander Beliavsky
Alexander Beliavsky
-External links:...
.
Tarjan played in several U.S. Championships
U.S. Chess Championship
The U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational tournament held to determine the national chess champion of the United States. Since 1936, it has been held under the auspices of the U.S. Chess Federation. Until 1999, the event consisted of a round-robin tournament of varying size...
during the 1970s and 1980s. He was fourth at El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
1973 with 7.5/12. At Oberlin
Oberlin
Oberlin may refer to:Places in the United States* Oberlin, Kansas* Oberlin, Louisiana* Oberlin, Ohio** Oberlin College** Oberlin ConservatoryPeople*Oberlin...
1975, he ended up tied for sixth with a score of 6.5/13. At Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
1978, which was the Zonal qualifier, he tied for second with 10.5/14, and advanced to the 1979 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,...
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 :...
, part of the World Championship cycle. He scored 8.5/17 and did not advance; the tournament was won by former World Champion Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail 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....
. Tarjan's last competitive tournament was the 1984 U.S. Championship at Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, where he went out in style with a fine tied third, scoring 10.5/17.
According to the website 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, which ranks historical chess events and players while accounting for different methods of calculation, Tarjan reached #37 in the world at his peak, and his highest published International rating was 2535.
In 1984, Tarjan gave up professional chess to become a librarian.