Movsas Feigins
Encyclopedia
Movsas Feigins or Movša Feigins (28 February 1908 – 11 August 1950) was a Latvia
n chess
master.
, (then Russian Empire
, now Daugavpils, Latvia
). He won at Riga 1930, and was Latvian Champion in 1932 (after a play-off). In 1932, he tied for 3rd–5th at Riga. The event was won by Vladimirs Petrovs
. In 1936/37, he tied for 4th–5th at Hastings. The event was won by Alexander Alekhine
. In 1937, he tied for 15th–16th in the Kemeri 1937 chess tournament
(Salo Flohr
, Petrovs and Samuel Reshevsky
won); took 2nd in Brussels (Quadrangular, Alberic O'Kelly de Galway
won); took 3rd, behind Petrovs and Fricis Apšenieks
, in Riga (7th LAT-ch, Triangular), and took 2nd in Riga (Quadrangular, Paul List
won). In March 1939, he took 6th at Kemeri–Riga (Flohr won).
Feigins played for Latvia in five official Chess Olympiads. He also played at the 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad
at Munich 1936.
He won two individual medals: bronze in 1933 and silver in 1936.
In September 1939, when World War II
broke out, Feigins, along with many other participants of the 8th Chess Olympiad
decided to stay permanently in Argentina.
In March 1941, Feigins tied for 6th–8th in the Mar del Plata 1941 chess tournament
(Gideon Stahlberg
won). In 1946, he took 3rd at Buenos Aires (La Roge). He eventually died in Buenos Aires.
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...
master.
Biography
Movsas Feigins was born in DvinskDaugavpils
Daugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means "Daugava Castle". With a population of over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some...
, (then Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, now Daugavpils, 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...
). He won at Riga 1930, and was Latvian Champion in 1932 (after a play-off). In 1932, he tied for 3rd–5th at Riga. The event was won by Vladimirs Petrovs
Vladimirs Petrovs
Vladimirs Petrovs or Vladimir Petrov was a Latvian chess master.He was born in Riga, Latvia. Though he learned the game of chess relatively late, at age thirteen, Petrovs made rapid progress. By 1926, at age 19, he won the Riga Championship and finish third in the national championship...
. In 1936/37, he tied for 4th–5th at Hastings. The event was won by Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
. In 1937, he tied for 15th–16th in the Kemeri 1937 chess tournament
Kemeri 1937 chess tournament
Kemeri 1937 was a chess tournament held in the resort town Ķemeri, Latvia, at the Gulf of Riga from 16 June to 8 July 1937. There were three co-winners: Samuel Reshevsky, Salo Flohr and Vladimir Petrov...
(Salo Flohr
Salo Flohr
Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr was a leading Czech and later Soviet chess grandmaster of the mid-20th century, who became a national hero in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. His name was used to sell many of the luxury products of the time, including Salo Flohr cigarettes, slippers and eau-de-cologne...
, Petrovs and Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
won); took 2nd in Brussels (Quadrangular, Alberic O'Kelly de Galway
Albéric O'Kelly de Galway
Albéric O'Kelly de Galway was a Belgian chess Grandmaster , and an International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster , most famous for being the third ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess between 1959 and 1962. He was also a chess writer...
won); took 3rd, behind Petrovs and Fricis Apšenieks
Fricis Apšenieks
Fricis Apšenieks was a Latvian chess master.-Biography:...
, in Riga (7th LAT-ch, Triangular), and took 2nd in Riga (Quadrangular, Paul List
Paul List
Paul M. List was a Ukrainian–German–British chess player.He was born in Odessa, Ukraine . He had a separate chess career in each of the 3 countries he lived in – Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom....
won). In March 1939, he took 6th at Kemeri–Riga (Flohr won).
Feigins played for Latvia in five official Chess Olympiads. He also played at the 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad
3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad
The 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad was held by German Chess Federation as a counterpart of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin with reference to 1924 and 1928 events....
at Munich 1936.
- In July 1930, he played at third board at 3rd Chess Olympiad3rd Chess OlympiadThe 3rd 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 July 13 and July 27, 1930, in Hamburg, Germany...
in HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
(+6 –5 =6). - In July 1931, he played at fourth board at 4th Chess Olympiad4th Chess OlympiadThe 4th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between July 11 and July 26, 1931, in Prague, Czechoslovakia...
in PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
(+8 –5 =2). - In July 1933, he played at third board at 5th Chess Olympiad5th Chess OlympiadThe 5th 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 July 12 and July 23, 1933, in Folkestone, United Kingdom...
in FolkestoneFolkestoneFolkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
(+6 –2 =6). - In August 1935, he played at third board at 6th Chess Olympiad6th Chess OlympiadThe 6th 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 August 16 and August 31, 1935, in Warsaw, Poland...
in WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
(+7 –5 =5). - In August/September 1936, he played at third board at unofficial Olympiad in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(+12 –2 =5). - In August/September 1939, he played at third board at 8th Olympiad in Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(+10 –4 =5).
He won two individual medals: bronze in 1933 and silver in 1936.
In September 1939, when 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...
broke out, Feigins, along with many other participants of the 8th Chess Olympiad
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...
decided to stay permanently in Argentina.
In March 1941, Feigins tied for 6th–8th in the Mar del Plata 1941 chess tournament
Mar del Plata 1941 chess tournament
The fourth Mar del Plata chess tournament was held in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina, in March 1941. The first three Mar del Plata international tournaments were regarded as the third, fourth, and sixth South American Chess Championship , respectively...
(Gideon Stahlberg
Gideon Ståhlberg
Anders Gideon Tom Ståhlberg was a Swedish chess grandmaster.He won the Swedish Chess Championship of 1927, became Nordic champion in 1929, and held it until 1939....
won). In 1946, he took 3rd at Buenos Aires (La Roge). He eventually died in Buenos Aires.
Notable games
- Einar Thorvaldsson (ISL) vs Movsas Feigins, Folkestone 1933, 5th Olympiad, King's Indian, E90, 0-1
- Movsas Feigins vs Endre Steiner (HUN), Munich (ol) 1936, Nimzo-Indian, Classical, E38, 1-0
- Milan Vidmar vs Movsas Feigins, Hastings 1936/37, Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Classical, D68, 0-1
- Karlis Ozols vs Movsas Feigins, Kemeri 1937, English Opening, A13, 0–1
- Movsas Feigins vs László Szabó, Kemeri–Riga 1939, Grünfeld Defense, Russian Variation, D97, 1-0
- Movsas Feigins vs Markas Luckis (LTU), Buenos Aires 1939, 8th Olympiad, Nimzo-Indian, Classical, E33, 1-0
- Movsas Feigins vs Erich Eliskases, Mar del Plata 1941, Nimzo-Indian, Classical, E33, 1/2-1/2