Tunç Hamarat
Encyclopedia
Tunç Hamarat is a Turkish
chess
player living in Austria
and the 16th International Correspondence Chess Federation
(ICCF) World Champion
in 2004.
Born on December 1, 1946 in Istanbul, Hamarat attended the Austria
n St. Georgs-Kolleg
high school in Istanbul, and then graduated in Physics
from the Middle East Technical University
(ODTÜ) in Ankara
. In 1972, he moved to Vienna
, Austria for his Master's degree
in Physics Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology
there. In 1976, he went temporarily back to İzmir
, Turkey for military service. Since 1972 he has been living in Austria and has been an Austrian citizen since 1994. Recently, he is working for a telecommunication
company in Vienna.
During the 16th ICCF World Championship, he had amassed an unassailable 11 points out of 15 games with one game remaining. Hamarat was really deadly on the black side of the Sicilian Sveshnikov, beating former CC World Champion Horst Rittner
of Germany
and Greek
International Master Spyros Kofidis with it. At one time, Hamarat was supposed not to have lost a single white game in over 40 years. However, this retroactively ceased to be the case, as correspondence chess games date from their year of initiation, and Hamarat eventually lost games playing with the white pieces against Edgar Prang (started in 2001) and Hans Marcus Elwert (started in 2002), though he apparently resigned these only after he became World Champion in January 2004. In 'over-the-board chess', he played in the finals of the Turkish championships three times. In Vienna, he played in the top league. But since 1963 his main interest has been correspondence chess, "because I am a perfectionist", he says. In 1997, he won the title of International Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess.
Hamarat also plays backgammon
professionally . He is the top player in Austria. He won several titles in international backgammon tournaments. Besides, he is also an expert in jazz
music, and acts as a jazz DJ in Vienna.
The Austrian mail authority issued a personified postage stamp with his picture in his honor. The Wiener Zeitung, an important newspaper, named him as the 'Viennese of the month'.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
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...
player living in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the 16th International Correspondence Chess Federation
International Correspondence Chess Federation
International Correspondence Chess Federation was founded in 1951 as a new appearance of the ICCA , which was founded in 1945, as successor of the IFSB , founded in 1928....
(ICCF) World Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
in 2004.
Born on December 1, 1946 in Istanbul, Hamarat attended the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n St. Georgs-Kolleg
Sankt Georg Avusturya Lisesi
St. George's Austrian High School is a private Austrian-Turkish high school located in Istanbul, Turkey...
high school in Istanbul, and then graduated in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from the Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
(ODTÜ) in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
. In 1972, he moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria for his Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Physics Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology is one of the major universities in Vienna, the capital of Austria. Founded in 1815 as the "Imperial-Royal Polytechnic Institute" , it currently has about 26,200 students , 8 faculties and about 4,000 staff members...
there. In 1976, he went temporarily back to İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey for military service. Since 1972 he has been living in Austria and has been an Austrian citizen since 1994. Recently, he is working for a telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
company in Vienna.
During the 16th ICCF World Championship, he had amassed an unassailable 11 points out of 15 games with one game remaining. Hamarat was really deadly on the black side of the Sicilian Sveshnikov, beating former CC World Champion Horst Rittner
Horst Rittner
Horst Robert Rittner is a German chess player, most famous for being the sixth ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess between 1968 and 1971....
of Germany
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...
and Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
International Master Spyros Kofidis with it. At one time, Hamarat was supposed not to have lost a single white game in over 40 years. However, this retroactively ceased to be the case, as correspondence chess games date from their year of initiation, and Hamarat eventually lost games playing with the white pieces against Edgar Prang (started in 2001) and Hans Marcus Elwert (started in 2002), though he apparently resigned these only after he became World Champion in January 2004. In 'over-the-board chess', he played in the finals of the Turkish championships three times. In Vienna, he played in the top league. But since 1963 his main interest has been correspondence chess, "because I am a perfectionist", he says. In 1997, he won the title of International Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess.
Hamarat also plays backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
professionally . He is the top player in Austria. He won several titles in international backgammon tournaments. Besides, he is also an expert in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music, and acts as a jazz DJ in Vienna.
The Austrian mail authority issued a personified postage stamp with his picture in his honor. The Wiener Zeitung, an important newspaper, named him as the 'Viennese of the month'.