Predrag Nikolic
Encyclopedia
Predrag Nikolić is a Bosnian
chess
grandmaster.
He first competed for the Yugoslav Championship
in 1979, taking a share of second place. The following year and again in 1984, he went one step further and became the Yugoslav national champion. He was awarded the International Master and Grandmaster
titles in 1980 and 1983 respectively. The GM title was earned from his 1982 performances at Sarajevo
(third) and Sochi
(second after Mikhail Tal
).
He was a winner at Sarajevo in 1983, at Novi Sad
in 1984 and at Reykjavík
two years later. 1986 was also the year that he shared second place behind Nigel Short
at Wijk aan Zee
. He returned to winning ways at Sarajevo in 1987 and at the Zagreb
Interzonal
, narrowly failed to qualify for the Candidates Tournament
(sharing fourth place behind Korchnoi
, Ehlvest
and Seirawan).
In 1989, he won at Wijk aan Zee
(jointly with Anand
, Ribli
and Sax
) and took first place at Portorož
/Ljubljana
(the Vidmar Memorial
tournament). There followed the 1990 Interzonal in Manila
, where once more he shared fourth place, but qualified this time for the 1991 Candidates tournament. In his 'final 16' encounter with Boris Gelfand
, he was just edged out in a rapid play-off, having drawn the match 4-4. Later, he journeyed to São Paulo
for a match with Henrique Mecking
and secured victory by a score of 3.5-2.5. A tournament win in Bled
saw him complete an eventful year.
While playing the Buenos Aires
tournament of 1992 (where he finished second), civil war broke out in his home country and for a while he was domiciled in the Netherlands, along with the Bosnian Ivan Sokolov
. There were more tournament victories to come; first at Wijk aan Zee in 1994 and as winner of the national Dutch Chess Championship
s of 1997 (equal with Jan Timman
but winning the play-off) and 1999. In 2004, he shared a major success with Vassily Ivanchuk when they tied for first place at the European Individual Chess Championship, held in Antalya
, although he lost the play-off for the title.
Between 1980 and 2002, he was, with the exception of 1982, an ever-present member of the Yugoslav and then Bosnian Chess Olympiad
teams, winning one medal of each colour - team silver, team bronze and individual gold. He also participated regularly at the European Team Championship
and in 1983, took team silver and individual gold medals.
He has played for many years in the Bundesliga
for club side SG Aljechin Solingen. At the start of the 2006/7 season, he was their highest rated player and listed as number 2 behind Artur Yusupov
. In 2007 he won the Bosnia and Herzegovina Chess Championship
ahead of Borki Predojević
.
Predrag Nikolić is now living back home in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the states of the former Yugoslavia.
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
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 first competed for the Yugoslav Championship
Yugoslav Chess Championship
The Yugoslav Chess Championship is a tournament with great tradition, held to determine the national champion. It was a very strong event especially in the period 1945–1991, when it represented players from six federal republics, today independent countries....
in 1979, taking a share of second place. The following year and again in 1984, he went one step further and became the Yugoslav national champion. He was awarded the International Master and Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
titles in 1980 and 1983 respectively. The GM title was earned from his 1982 performances at Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
(third) and Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
(second after 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....
).
He was a winner at Sarajevo in 1983, at Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi 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....
in 1984 and at Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík 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...
two years later. 1986 was also the year that he shared second place behind Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
at Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament formerly Corus chess tournament and before that called Hoogovens tournament takes place there every year.Due...
. He returned to winning ways at Sarajevo in 1987 and at the Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb 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...
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 :...
, narrowly failed to qualify for the Candidates Tournament
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
(sharing fourth place behind 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...
, Ehlvest
Jaan Ehlvest
Jaan Ehlvest Jaan Ehlvest Jaan Ehlvest (born 14 October 1962 is a chess player, who was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1987 and was named Estonian sportsman of the year in 1987 and 1989...
and Seirawan).
In 1989, he won at Wijk aan Zee
Corus chess tournament
The Tata Steel Chess Tournament formerly called the Corus chess tournament takes place every year, usually in January, in a small town called Wijk aan Zee, part of the larger Beverwijk in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands...
(jointly with Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
, Ribli
Zoltan Ribli
Zoltán 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:...
and Sax
Gyula Sax
Gyula Sax is a Hungarian chess player and International Arbiter , born in Budapest.He was awarded the IM title in 1972 and the GM title in 1974. He was the Hungarian Chess Champion in 1976 and 1977 . In 1971-72, he was the European Junior Champion, and he placed first at Rovinj-Zagreb 1975,...
) and took first place at Portorož
Portorož
- External links :**...
/Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
(the Vidmar Memorial
Vidmar Memorial
The Milan Vidmar Memorial is a chess tournament commemoratingMilan Vidmar , a leading Slovenian grandmaster.The first Vidmar Memorial was held in 2–20 June 1969 in Ljubljana. In subsequent years the tournament has been held in several different Slovenian cities.-Winners:...
tournament). There followed the 1990 Interzonal in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, where once more he shared fourth place, but qualified this time for the 1991 Candidates tournament. In his 'final 16' encounter with Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand
Boris Abramovich Gelfand is a Belarus-born Israeli chess Grandmaster. He won the 2011 Candidates Tournament and will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Chess Championship 2012.-Biography:...
, he was just edged out in a rapid play-off, having drawn the match 4-4. Later, he journeyed to São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
for a match with 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...
and secured victory by a score of 3.5-2.5. A tournament win in Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
saw him complete an eventful year.
While playing the Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos 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...
tournament of 1992 (where he finished second), civil war broke out in his home country and for a while he was domiciled in the Netherlands, along with the Bosnian Ivan Sokolov
Ivan Sokolov
Ivan Sokolov is a chess grandmaster born in Jajce, SFR Yugoslavia, who currently resides in the Netherlands. Sokolov won the 1988 Yugoslav Championship....
. There were more tournament victories to come; first at Wijk aan Zee in 1994 and as winner of the national Dutch Chess Championship
Dutch Chess Championship
The Dutch Chess Championship was officially established in 1909, although unofficial champions stretch back to the 1870s.-Early years:-Official championships:...
s of 1997 (equal with Jan Timman
Jan Timman
Jan 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"...
but winning the play-off) and 1999. In 2004, he shared a major success with Vassily Ivanchuk when they tied for first place at the European Individual Chess Championship, held in Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
, although he lost the play-off for the title.
Between 1980 and 2002, he was, with the exception of 1982, an ever-present member of the Yugoslav and then Bosnian 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...
teams, winning one medal of each colour - team silver, team bronze and individual gold. He also participated regularly at the European Team Championship
European Team Championship
The European Team Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of European nations whose chess federations are located in zones 1.1 to 1.9...
and in 1983, took team silver and individual gold medals.
He has played for many years in the Bundesliga
Chess Bundesliga
The term Chess Bundesliga , normally refers to the premier league of team chess in Germany. It is arguably the strongest and longest running league of its kind, attracting many top grandmasters from Europe and beyond....
for club side SG Aljechin Solingen. At the start of the 2006/7 season, he was their highest rated player and listed as number 2 behind Artur Yusupov
Artur Yusupov
Artur Mayakovich Yusupov is a German International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess writer.-Chess career:...
. In 2007 he won the Bosnia and Herzegovina Chess Championship
Bosnia and Herzegovina Chess Championship
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Chess Championship is the national chess championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was first organised in 2005 by the BIH Chess Union; more than ten years after its independence from Yugoslavia. In the first edition there were six players from Bosnia and Herzegovina and...
ahead of Borki Predojević
Borki Predojevic
Borki Predojević is a Bosnian chess Grandmaster and the youngest ever from his homeland.Predojević was European Champion U-12 in 1999 and U-14 in 2001.He won the World U-16 Championship in 2003 and earned the grandmaster title at age 17....
.
Predrag Nikolić is now living back home in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the states of the former Yugoslavia.
Notable games
- Predrag Nikolic vs Georgy Timoshenko, GMA-qual f 1990, King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Immediate Fianchetto (E60), 1-0
- Predrag Nikolic vs Jeroen Piket, Corus 2000, Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein Variation Flohr Line (D62), 1-0
- Mikhail Krasenkow vs Predrag Nikolic, Bled Olympiad 2002, Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit (D10), 0-1
- Predrag Nikolic vs David Navara, FIDE World Cup 2005, Benoni Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Hastings Defense (A63), 1-0