Janis Klovans
Encyclopedia
Jānis Klovāns was a Latvia
n chess
Grandmaster. He was a career officer
in the Soviet Army
.
Jānis Klovāns won the Latvian Championship
nine times (1954, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979, and 1986), and participated in several Soviet Championships
. He was a member of several successful Latvian youth teams during the early to mid-1950s, along with stars such as GM Mikhail Tal
and GM Aivars Gipslis
.
He played for Latvia in two Chess Olympiad
s. In Manila 1992
, at second reserve board (+0 −0 =2), and in Istanbul 2000
, at third board (+5 −4 =4).
Janis Klovans thrice won the World Senior Chess Championship
, in 1997, 1999, and 2001. Still an active player in his seventies, he played regularly in tournaments all over Europe, and maintained a FIDE rating of over 2400, making him one of the strongest players in his age group.
He was awarded the International Master (IM) title in 1976, and the Grandmaster (GM) title in 1997, following his win in the World Senior Championship. This achievement is notable in that he was probably the oldest player to be awarded the GM title for current achievements, rather than an honorary or retrospective title. This can be explained by the fact that although he was a strong master for many years, he was rarely allowed to play outside of the Soviet Union, and therefore had few opportunities to gain FIDE titles. Likely his career as a Soviet Army officer hampered his international chess opportunities.
He was married to the six-time Latvian Champion Astra Klovāne
and had two daughters.
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...
n 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 was a career officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
in the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
.
Jānis Klovāns won the Latvian Championship
Latvian Chess Championship
-History:Professional level Latvian chess players have already appeared in the nineteenth century. They participated in chess tournaments and union congresses, organized by the Riga Chess Association. After the World War I, when Latvia became an independent country, official Latvian chess...
nine times (1954, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979, and 1986), and participated in several Soviet Championships
USSR Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
. He was a member of several successful Latvian youth teams during the early to mid-1950s, along with stars such as GM 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....
and GM Aivars Gipslis
Aivars Gipslis
Aivars Gipslis was a Latvian chess FIDE Grandmaster and also an ICCF Grandmaster, and a chess writer.-History:...
.
He played for Latvia in two 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. In Manila 1992
30th Chess Olympiad
The 30th 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 7 and June 25, 1992, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, Philippines.-Individual...
, at second reserve board (+0 −0 =2), and in Istanbul 2000
34th Chess Olympiad
The 34th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, took place between October 28 and November 12, 2000, in Istanbul, Turkey.- Chess competition :...
, at third board (+5 −4 =4).
Janis Klovans thrice won the World Senior Chess Championship
World Senior Chess Championship
The World Senior Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament established in 1991 by FIDE, the World Chess Federation.Participants must have reached 60 years old on 1 January of the year of the event...
, in 1997, 1999, and 2001. Still an active player in his seventies, he played regularly in tournaments all over Europe, and maintained a FIDE rating of over 2400, making him one of the strongest players in his age group.
He was awarded the International Master (IM) title in 1976, and the Grandmaster (GM) title in 1997, following his win in the World Senior Championship. This achievement is notable in that he was probably the oldest player to be awarded the GM title for current achievements, rather than an honorary or retrospective title. This can be explained by the fact that although he was a strong master for many years, he was rarely allowed to play outside of the Soviet Union, and therefore had few opportunities to gain FIDE titles. Likely his career as a Soviet Army officer hampered his international chess opportunities.
He was married to the six-time Latvian Champion Astra Klovāne
Astra Klovāne
Astra Klovāne is a former Latvian chess player. Astra Klovāne won the Latvian Chess Championship for women seven times - 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1977, and 1978. She won also the Latvian women speed championship in 1977, 1978, and 1981.She learned to play chess at the age of 11...
and had two daughters.