Boris de Greiff
Encyclopedia
Boris de Greiff Bernal (13 February 1930 – 31 October 2011) was a Colombia
n chess master
and writer, born in Medellín
and son of the Colombian poet León de Greiff
.
In 1951, he won the Colombian Championship
in Bogotá
. In 1955, he took 16th in Mar del Plata (Borislav Ivkov
won). In 1957, he won in Caracas
(zonal). In 1958, he took 20th in Portorož (interzonal
; Mikhail Tal
won). In 1958, he took 9th in Bogotá (Oscar Panno
won). In 1962, he took 18th in Havana
(1st Capablanca Memorial; Miguel Najdorf
won). In 1963, he took 20th in Havana (2nd Capablanca Memorial; Viktor Korchnoi
won). In 1963, he took 7th in Havana (Torneo Panamericano; Eleazar Jiménez
won). In 1969, he tied for 1st–2nd with Miguel Cuéllar
in Bogotá. In 1970, he tied for 8–10th in Bogotá (Henrique Mecking
won). In 1973, he took 15th in Cienfueogos (10th Capablanca Memorial; Vasily Smyslov
won).
Boris de Greiff played for Colombia in nine Chess Olympiad
s.
He won the individual gold medal at Haifa 1976, and the silver medal at Nice 1974.
He was awarded the title of International Master in 1957 and International Arbiter
in 1978. He was elected an Honorary Member of FIDE in 2002.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n chess master
Chess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
and writer, born in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
and son of the Colombian poet León de Greiff
León de Greiff
Francisco de Asís León Bogislao de Greiff Haeusler , was a Colombian poet of the 20th century he is notable for his stylistic innovations and eclectic deliberate use of obscure lexicon. Best known simply as León de Greiff, he often used different pen names of which the most popular were Leo le Gris...
.
In 1951, he won the Colombian Championship
Colombian Chess Championship
The first Colombian Championship was held in Cali in 1928, and first Women's Championship in Bogotá in 1965.- Champions :- Champions :-References:********...
in 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...
. In 1955, he took 16th in Mar del Plata (Borislav Ivkov
Borislav Ivkov
Borislav 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...
won). In 1957, he won in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
(zonal). In 1958, he took 20th in Portorož (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 :...
; 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....
won). In 1958, he took 9th in Bogotá (Oscar Panno
Oscar Panno
Oscar 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....
won). In 1962, he took 18th in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
(1st Capablanca Memorial; Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation....
won). In 1963, he took 20th in Havana (2nd Capablanca Memorial; Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor 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...
won). In 1963, he took 7th in Havana (Torneo Panamericano; Eleazar Jiménez
Eleazar Jiménez
Eleazar Jiménez Zerquera was a Cuban chess master.Jiménez won the Cuban Championship five times, in 1957, 1960, 1963, 1965, and 1967. He won the Pan American Chess Championship three times, in 1963, 1966 and 1970....
won). In 1969, he tied for 1st–2nd with Miguel Cuéllar
Miguel Cuéllar
Miguel Cuéllar Gacharná was a Colombian chess master.Cuéllar won the Colombian championship nine times: in 1941, 1946, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, and 1971. He played for Colombia in six Chess Olympiads: 1954, 1956, 1958, 1964, 1970, and 1972...
in Bogotá. In 1970, he tied for 8–10th in Bogotá (Henrique Mecking
Henrique Mecking
Henrique Mecking was a leading Brazilian chess Grandmaster in the 1970s. He was a very strong player at an early age , drawing comparisons to Bobby Fischer, although he did not achieve the International Grandmaster title until 1971...
won). In 1973, he took 15th in Cienfueogos (10th Capablanca Memorial; Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
won).
Boris de Greiff played for Colombia in nine 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 1954, at second board in 11th Chess Olympiad11th Chess OlympiadThe 11th 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 September 4 and September 25, 1954, in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
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...
(+8 –6 =4); - In 1956, at third board in 12th Chess Olympiad12th Chess OlympiadThe 12th 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 31 and September 25, 1956, in Moscow, Soviet Union.-References:...
in Moscow (+7 –3 =9); - In 1958, at third board in 13th Chess Olympiad13th Chess OlympiadThe 13th 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 September 30 and October 23, 1958, in Munich, West Germany.-References:...
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...
(+2 –2 =15); - In 1966, at third board in 17th Chess Olympiad17th Chess OlympiadThe 17th 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 23 and November 20, 1966, in Havana, Cuba.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Havana (+4 –4 =8); - In 1970, at first reserve board in 19th Chess Olympiad19th Chess OlympiadThe 19th Chess Olympiad, comprising an open team tournament and the Annual Congress of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs, took place between September 5 and September 27, 1970, in the small town of Siegen, West Germany.-Tournament report:...
in Siegen (+3 –4 =1); - In 1972, at fourth board in 20th Chess Olympiad20th Chess OlympiadThe 20th 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 September 18 and October 13, 1972, in Skopje, Yugoslavia ....
in Skopje (+4 –4 =8); - In 1974, at first reserve board in 21st Chess Olympiad21st Chess OlympiadThe 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...
in NiceNiceNice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
(+6 –0 =6); - In 1976, at first reserve board in 22nd Chess Olympiad22nd Chess OlympiadThe 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...
in HaifaHaifaHaifa 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...
(+4 –0 =3); - In 1978, at first reserve board in 23rd Chess Olympiad23rd Chess OlympiadThe 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:...
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...
(+0 –1 =2).
He won the individual gold medal at Haifa 1976, and the silver medal at Nice 1974.
He was awarded the title of International Master in 1957 and International Arbiter
International Arbiter
In chess, International Arbiter is a title awarded by FIDE to individuals deemed capable of acting as arbiter in important chess matches . The title was established in 1951....
in 1978. He was elected an Honorary Member of FIDE in 2002.