1972 in chess
Encyclopedia
Top players
FIDE top 10 by Elo rating - July 1972- Bobby FischerBobby FischerRobert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
2785 - Boris SpasskyBoris SpasskyBoris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
2660 - Tigran PetrosianTigran PetrosianTigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
2645 - Lev PolugaevskyLev PolugaevskyLev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
2645 - Viktor KorchnoiViktor KorchnoiViktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
2640 - Lajos PortischLajos PortischLajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
2640 - Anatoly KarpovAnatoly KarpovAnatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
2630 - Mikhail BotvinnikMikhail BotvinnikMikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
2630 - Mikhail TalMikhail TalMikhail 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....
2625 - Bent LarsenBent LarsenJørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
2625
Chess news in brief
- Bobby FischerBobby FischerRobert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
defeats Boris SpasskyBoris SpasskyBoris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
in ReykjavikReykjavíkReykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, to become the eleventh World Chess ChampionWorld Chess ChampionshipThe World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
. There are serious doubts as to whether Fischer will even turn up. His resolve remains in question throughout the early part of the match, amidst a barrage of disputes and demands. He plays badly in the first game and loses. The prospects look bleak when he fails to appear for the second game and is defaulted. From the third game onwards however, he quickly settles to his best form and outplays the defending champion, scoring seven wins, one loss and eleven draws. Officiated by Lothar SchmidLothar SchmidLothar Maximilian Lorenz Schmid is a German chess grandmaster who was born in Dresden. He is best known as the arbiter of several World Chess Championship matches...
, the match is pronounced a victory for the challenger, by a score of 12½-8½. Headline writers across the world follow the unfolding drama with great interest, sensationally describing the confrontation as "The Match of the Century", "East against West", "The introvert versus the extrovert". At the very least, the encounter ends twenty-five years of Soviet supremacy. Predictably, Fischer has his own, more extravagant claim—"It will probably be the greatest sports event in history. Bigger even than the Frazier-AliFight of the CenturyFight of the Century was the promotional nickname given to the first boxing match between champion Joe Frazier and challenger Muhammad Ali , held on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York....
fight". After the match, Fischer gains instant celebrity status and even appears on the Bob HopeBob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
Show. Subsequently, the popularity of chess reaches new heights in the western world and sales of chess sets rise to record levels. - The Chess OlympiadChess OlympiadThe 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...
at SkopjeSkopjeSkopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
ends in victory for the USSR, scoring 42/60, with Hungary (40½/60) taking silver and Yugoslavia (38/60), the bronze team medals. Outstanding performances on board one come from Robert HubnerRobert HübnerRobert Hübner is a respected German chess Grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist . At eighteen, he was joint winner of the West German Chess Championship...
(gold), Vlastimil HortVlastimil HortVlastimil Hort is a chess Grandmaster of Czech nationality. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the Candidates stage of competition for the world chess championship, but was never able to compete for the actual title.Hort was born in Kladno,...
(silver) and Walter Browne (bronze). A total of 444 players take part, representing 63 countries, although Albania withdraw after 10 rounds. For the first time, the Olympiad stages both Men's and Women's events concurrently at the same venue, although there is considerable disparity between the size of the two events—the Men's comprises teams of four bolstered by two reserves while the Women's can only support teams of two, with one reserve. The outcome of the Women's event once again favours the USSR (11½/14), ahead of Romania and Hungary (both 8/14). - San Antonio hosts the Church's fried chicken tournament (named after its sponsor) at the Hotel Hilton Palacio del Rio. Newly crowned world champion Fischer and deposed champion Spassky are invited, but decline entry. Fischer confirms that the playing conditions meet with his approval, but he is less complimentary about the prize fund. The list of entrants is nevertheless world-class and proceedings result in a three-way tie between Tigran PetrosianTigran PetrosianTigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
, Lajos PortischLajos PortischLajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
and Anatoly KarpovAnatoly KarpovAnatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
.(all 10½/15). - Mikhail TalMikhail TalMikhail 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....
recovers well from his poor health to dominate the Soviet Chess Championship with 15/21, ahead of Vladimir TukmakovVladimir TukmakovVladimir Borisovich Tukmakov is a Jewish-Ukrainian chess grandmaster. He gained the Grandmaster title in 1972.His career first blossomed when he helped and then led the USSR to consecutive wins of the World Student Team Championship from 1966 to 1972, bagging nine gold medals along the way.In the...
(13/21). He is also a winner at SukhumiSukhumiSukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
(11/15), ahead of Vladimir SavonVladimir SavonVladimir Andreyevich Savon was a Ukrainian chess player.He learned how to play late, at the age of 13....
(10½/15) and Mark TaimanovMark TaimanovMark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top...
(10/15), but narrowly loses out (10½/13) to promising newcomer Mark DvoretskyMark DvoretskyMark Izrailovich Dvoretsky is a world-renowned Russian chess trainer, writer and International Master.He was awarded the International Master title in 1975 and for a while, was widely regarded as the strongest IM in the world...
(11/13) at ViljandiViljandiViljandi is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 19,150 . It is the capital of Viljandi County. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe....
. - The IBM international chess tournamentIBM international chess tournamentThe IBM international chess tournament was a series of very strong chess tournaments held in the Amsterdam, The Netherlands from 1961 to 1981, and was sponsored by IBM.-See also:*AVRO 1938 chess tournament*Max Euwe Memorial Tournament...
, held in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam 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...
is won by Lev PolugaevskyLev PolugaevskyLev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
on 12/15, ahead of Viktor KorchnoiViktor KorchnoiViktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
(11/15) and Wolfgang UhlmannWolfgang UhlmannWolfgang Uhlmann is a prominent German International Grandmaster of chess. Despite being a dedicated professional chess player, and undoubtedly the GDR's most successful ever, he has also had a career in accountancy.-Chess career:...
(9½/15). It is however fourth placed László SzabóLászló Szabó (chess player)László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...
who catches the eye of the chess writers, producing some fine, tactical games. - Polugaevsky also wins at KislovodskKislovodskKislovodsk is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies in the North Caucasian region of the country, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The closest airport is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody. Population:...
(11/14), ahead of Leonid SteinLeonid SteinLeonid Zakharovich Stein was a Soviet chess Grandmaster from Ukraine. He won three USSR Chess Championships in the 1960s , and was among the world's top ten players during that era.- Early life :...
(10/14) and Efim GellerEfim GellerEfim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions...
(9/14). - Top prize at Palma de MallorcaPalma de MallorcaPalma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
is shared three ways, between Oscar PannoOscar PannoOscar R. Panno is an Argentine chess Grandmaster.Panno won the World Junior Chess Championship in 1953, and also won the championship of Argentina the same year....
, Jan SmejkalJan SmejkalJan Smejkal is a Czech chess player and, since 1972, an International Grandmaster. In the 1970s, he was among the world chess elite...
and Viktor Korchnoi (all 10/15). - Bent LarsenBent LarsenJørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
is the victor at TeessideTeessideTeesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
with 11/15, ahead of Ljubomir LjubojevicLjubomir LjubojevicLjubomir Ljubojević is a Grandmaster of chess. He was born on November 2, 1950, in Titovo Užice, Yugoslavia . Ljubojević was awarded the International Master title in 1970 and the GM title in 1971. He was Yugoslav champion in 1977 and 1982. He won the 1974 Canadian Open Chess Championship...
(10/15) and Lajos Portisch (9½/15). - The Hastings International Chess CongressHastings International Chess CongressThe Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year. The main event is the Hastings Premier tournament, which was traditionally a 10 to 16 player round-robin tournament. In 2004/05 the tournament was played in the...
(1972/73 edition) is won by Bent Larsen with 11½/15, ahead of Wolfgang Uhlmann (11/15) and William HartstonWilliam HartstonWilliam Roland Hartston is an English chess player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 with a highest Elo rating of 2515...
(9½/15). - Leonid Stein is triumphant at ZagrebZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
with 9½/13, ahead of Mato DamjanovicMato DamjanovicMato Damjanović was a Croatian chess grandmaster who represented Yugoslavia in international team events. In 1964 he became the second Croatian grandmaster, after Mijo Udovčić....
, Dražen MarovićDražen MarovicDražen Marović is a Croatian chess player, trainer, journalist, writer and broadcaster.- Biography :...
and Vlastimil Hort (all 8/13). - Three players share the spoils at the Reykjavik International in Iceland. Home favourite Fridrik Olafsson is declared winner on tie-break from fellow grandmasters Florin GheorghiuFlorin GheorghiuFlorin Gheorghiu is a Romanian chess player and university lecturer in foreign languages.Born in Bucharest, his prodigious talent for the game was evidenced by his many early achievements; he became an International Master in 1963 and Romania's first Grandmaster just two years later...
and Vlastimil Hort (all 11/15). - Anatoly LeinAnatoly LeinAnatoly Yakovlevich Lein is a Soviet-born American chess Grandmaster.FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1964 and the Grandmaster title in 1968.He won the 1971 Moscow championship after a play-off...
wins the 9th Capablanca MemorialCapablanca MemorialThe Capablanca Memorial is a chess tournament that has been held annually in Cuba since 1962.José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a famous Cuban chess master who was World Champion from 1921 to 1927. The Capablanca Memorial became the best paid tournament in the world...
in CienfuegosCienfuegosCienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
with 14/19, ahead of Igor PlatonovIgor PlatonovIgov Platonov was a Ukrainian–Soviet Grandmaster of chess , generally a middle-ranking player for most of his career. Platonov had no international title at all...
(13/19) and Zoltán RibliZoltan RibliZoltán Ribli is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and International Arbiter . He was twice a World Championship Candidate and three times Hungarian Champion.-A career in chess:...
(12/19). It's a good year for Lein, who also triumphs at Novi SadNovi SadNovi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
(12/15), ahead of Pal BenkoPál BenkoPal Benko is a chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.- Early life :Benko was born in France but was raised in Hungary. He was Hungarian champion by age 20. He emigrated to the United States in 1958, after defecting following the World Student Team...
(11/15) and Borislav IvkovBorislav IvkovBorislav Ivkov is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was the first ever World Junior Champion in 1951. He won the Yugoslav Championship in 1958 , 1963 and 1972. He was a World championship candidate in 1965, and played in four more Interzonal tournaments, in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979...
(9½/11). - Svetozar GligorićSvetozar GligoricSvetozar Gligorić is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is considered the best player ever from Serbia...
wins the 2nd Statham Masters in Lone PineLone Pine InternationalLone Pine International was a series of chess tournaments held annually in March or April from 1971 through 1981 in Lone Pine, California. Sponsored by Louis D. Statham , millionaire engineer and inventor of medical instruments, the tournaments were formally titled the Louis D. Statham Masters...
. - A triple tie occurs at the U.S. ChampionshipU.S. Chess ChampionshipThe 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...
, held in New York City. Robert Byrne shares the honours with Lubomir Kavalek and Samuel ReshevskySamuel ReshevskySamuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
(all 9/13). The tournament doubles as a zonal qualifier for the next cycle of the world championship. A play-off held nine months later confirms Byrne as the overall winner. - Six teams compete for the winners' trophy at the Clare-Benedict Team Tournament in ViennaViennaVienna 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...
. The champions are West Germany (14½/20), ahead of Netherlands (13/20), Spain (10½/20), England (10/20), Switzerland (7/20) and Austria, the host nation (5/20). Robert Hubner posts the best score on board one (4½/5), while Wolfgang UnzickerWolfgang UnzickerWolfgang Unzicker was one of the strongest German chess Grandmasters from 1945 to about 1970.He decided against making chess his profession, choosing law instead....
and Jan TimmanJan TimmanJan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"...
perform well on board two (both 4/5). - Comins MansfieldComins MansfieldComins Mansfield was a chess problem composer. He gained title International Grandmaster FIDE in 1972 and 94,33 points in FIDE Album.-Biography:...
, a renowned composer of chess problems is among the recipients of the first title awards for Grandmaster of chess composition. He thereby becomes England's first chess player with a GM title. - Reginald BonhamReginald BonhamReginald Walter Bonham was a blind chess player from St. Neots, England known for his achievements in both blind and sighted chess. After founding the International Braille Chess Association in 1951, he became the Blind World Chess Champion in 1958 and the Correspondence Blind World Champion in...
(1906–1984) is awarded the first GM title for blind correspondence chessCorrespondence chessCorrespondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon...
. Bonham founded the International Braille Chess AssociationInternational Braille Chess AssociationThe International Braille Chess Association is organization for blind and visually impaired chess players. The IBCA is a FIDE-affiliated chess organization as well as a part of the International Blind Sports Federation. The International Braille Chess Association was formed in 1948 by Reginald...
in 1951 and won the first six World Blind Correspondence Chess Championships. He also won English county titles in over-the-board chess. - After a period of imprisonment by the Communist authorities in Czechoslovakia, GM Ludek PachmanLudek PachmanLuděk Pachman was a Czechoslovak-German chess grandmaster, chess writer, and political activist. In 1972, after being imprisoned and tortured almost to death by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, he was allowed to emigrate to West Germany...
is finally allowed to leave the country. However, his exit to West Germany is made very costly, when he is forced to pay £750 ($1880) for passports for his family. He continues to protest to the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
about the Czech government's breaches of Human Rights legislation.
Births
- Alexei ShirovAlexei ShirovAlexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
, Soviet-Spanish GM, a world championship finalist and elite circuit player - July 4 - Loek van WelyLoek van WelyLoek van Wely is a chess Grandmaster from the Netherlands. He won the Dutch Chess Championship six times straight from 2000 through 2005. He was rated among the world's top ten in 2001. In 2002, in Maastricht, Netherlands, van Wely took on the computer program Rebel in a four-game match. The...
, Dutch GM, six times the national champion - October 7 - Vadim MilovVadim MilovVadim Milov is a Russian–born Israeli–Swiss Grandmaster of chess.Following the collapse of the USSR he moved to Israel, before finally settling in Switzerland in 1996....
, Soviet-Israeli-Swiss GM, highly rated tournament player - August 1 - Alexei FedorovAlexei FedorovAlexei Fedorov is a chess grandmaster. Until 1992 he played for the Soviet Union, then briefly for Russia and from 1993 for the Belarus chess association....
, Soviet-Belarusian GM, former multiple national champion - September 27 - Hannes StefanssonHannes StefanssonHannes Hlífar Stefánsson is an Icelandic chess Grandmaster. Stefánsson has won the Icelandic Chess Championship every year since 1998 except for 2000 and 2009 when he didn't participate. His 11 titles make him the record holder for most Championships...
, Icelandic GM, former national champion - July 18 - Alisa GalliamovaAlisa GalliamovaAlisa Galliamova is a Russian chess player, who was born to Russian father and Tatar mother. She holds the FIDE titles Woman Grandmaster and International Master. In 1988 she won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship...
, Russian GM, former women's world championship finalist - January 18 - Ilya GurevichIlya GurevichIlya Gurevich is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster.He became a chess master at 12 years, 3 months. He was a student at Yeshiva Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts.In 1983, he won the U.S...
, Soviet-American GM, former world junior champion - February 8 - Konstantin LandaKonstantin LandaKonstantin Landa is a Russian chess Grandmaster.His best tournament results include: =1st with Zahar Efimenko at Fürth 2002, 1st at Trieste 2005, 1st at Reggio Emilia 2006, 1st at Vlissingen chess tournament 2011....
, Soviet GM living in Germany, highly rated tournament player and trainer - May 22 - Victor MikhalevskiVictor MikhalevskiVictor Mikhalevski is an Israeli chess grandmaster who lives in Beer Sheva. his Elo rating was 2611, making him the #7 player in Israel and the 171st-highest rated player in the world...
, Soviet-Belarusian-Israeli GM, highly rated tournament player - July 8 - Pablo ZarnickiPablo ZarnickiPablo Zarnicki an Argentine chess player.He won at Mar del Plata 1989.In 1992, Zarnicki won the World Junior Chess Championship at Buenos Aires.He represented Argentina in five Chess Olympiads....
, Argentine GM, Olympiad silver medallist - November 12 - Hichem HamdouchiHichem HamdouchiHichem Hamdouchi is currently the strongest Moroccan chess player and one of the leading African grandmasters....
, Morroccan GM and one of the leading players from Africa - October 8 - Dimitri ReindermanDimitri ReindermanDimitri Reinderman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster with an Elo rating of 2542. He shares the 3rd position with Sipke Ernst on the rating list of the KNSB, The Royal Netherlands Chess Association. Reinderman is a vegetarian....
, Dutch GM, runner-up in the national championship - August 12 - Tong YuanmingTong YuanmingTong Yuanming is a Chinese IM-titled chess player. He was National Chess Champion in 1993.Tong Yuanming plays for Bank of Qingdao chess club in the China Chess League .-External links:* - New In Chess. NICBase Online.*FIDE *Chessmetrics...
, Chinese IM, former national champion - April 21 - Jesse KraaiJesse KraaiJesse Kraai is a chess Grandmaster living in Richmond, CA. Kraai reached GM status in 2007. At that time, he was the first American-born player to achieve the title since Tal Shaked in 1997. In 2007, he won the chess state championship of New Mexico for the fifth consecutive year...
, U.S. GM, the first American-born player to achieve the title in ten years - May 6 - Ashot NadanianAshot NadanianAshot Nadanian is an Armenian chess International Master , chess theoretician and chess coach....
, Armenian IM and respected trainer of top flight players - September 19
Deaths
- Victor SoultanbeieffVictor SoultanbeieffVictor Ivanovich Soultanbéieff was a Belgian chess master.-Life:...
, Russian-Belgian chess master, five times the Belgian Champion – February 9 - Georgy LisitsinGeorgy LisitsinGeorgy Lisitsin was a Russian chess master.He won thrice Leningrad City Chess Championship in 1933/34 , 1939 and 1947 . He participated many times in USSR Chess Championship. His best result was in 1933 when he shared 3rd...
, Soviet IM, three times Leningrad Champion – March 20 - Kazimierz MakarczykKazimierz MakarczykKazimierz Makarczyk was a Polish chess master.In 1922, he took 3rd in Warsaw . In 1926, he finished 10th in the 1st Polish chess championship played in Warsaw. The event was won by Dawid Przepiórka. In 1927, he took 3rd, behind Akiba Rubinstein and Savielly Tartakower, in Łódź...
, Polish chess master, former national champion – May 27 - Ado KraemerAdo KraemerAdolf Kraemer was a German chess master and problemist.He tied for 2nd-3rd, behind Paul Krüger, at Bad Salzuflen 1925, took 6th at Giessen 1928 , and took 9th at Dortmund 1928 . and tied for 2nd-3rd, behind Krüger, at Bad Salzuflen 1930.-References:...
, German chess master and problemist – June 25 - Sir George ThomasGeorge Alan ThomasSir George Alan Thomas, Bart. was a British badminton, tennis and chess player. He was twice British Chess Champion and a 21-time All-England Badminton champion. He also played in the semi-finals of the men's tennis doubles at Wimbledon in 1911...
, English master, twice British Champion and an accomplished sportsman – July 23 - Kenneth HarknessKenneth HarknessKenneth Harkness was a chess organizer. He is the creator of the Harkness rating system.-Life and career:...
, chess arbiter, organizer, and writer – October 4 - Mary BainMary BainMary Bain was an American chess master.She was a Women's World Chess Championship Challenger in 1937 and 1952 and the first American woman to represent the U.S...
, Hungarian-American master, former women's world championship challenger – October 26 - Jerzy LewiJerzy LewiJerzy Lewi was a Polish chess master.He won five-times Polish Junior championships in 1965–1969. He took 3rd, behind Anatoly Karpov and Andras Adorjan, at Groningen 1967 . In 1968, he tied for 2nd-5th in Łódź . In 1969, he won in Lublin...
, Polish chess master, former national champion – October 30 - Gedali SzapiroGedali SzapiroGedali Shapiro was a Polish–Israeli chess master, born in Siedlce.He tied for 7-8th at Wrocław 1955 Polish Championship...
, Polish-Israeli chess master, played for both countries in Olympiads – December 28