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Larry Evans b. 22 Mar 1932 (New York), d. 15 Nov 2010 (Reno) IM 1952, GM 1957. 5x USA-ch (1951, 1952, 1962, 1968, 1980), 8x Olympic team member (1950-1976, 64.5%; gold in Haifa). 14th in Amsterdam iz 1964; 2x winner Canadian Open (1956, 1966), =1st Portimão 1975; =2nd Venice 1967. Fisher's candidate matches in 1972 WCh cycle. Prolific chess author and journalist. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Jānis Klovāns b. 9 Apr 1935 (Ruba), d. 5 Oct 2010 (Riga) IM 1976, GM 1997. 9x LAT-ch (1954-1986), 2x Olympic team member (1992-2000). 3x 1st in World Senior Ch (1997, 1999, 2001). Soviet Army officer by profession. Arguably the oldest player to obtain GM title for current achievements. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Bent Larsen b. 4 Mar 1935 (Thisted), d. 9 Sep 2010 (Buenos Aires) GM 1956. 6x DEN-ch (1954-1964), 6x Olympic team member (1954-1970, 68.8%). Four times World Ch candidate. 3x Interzonal winner (Amsterdam 1964, Sousse 1967, Biel 1976). Reached semifinal of candidate matches three times (lost to Tal, Spassky and famously 0-6 to Fischer back in 1971). Apart from WCh performance he won more than 20 major international tournaments. Winner of first Chess Oscar in 1967. Famous from extravagant and non-orthodox treatment of openings. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Bill Hook b. 28 May 1925 (New Rochelle), d. 9 May 2010 Legendary chess master from Virgin Islands. 17x Olympic team member (1968-2008, 59.6%; individual gold in 1980). The oldest participant ever of any Olimpiad (83 years old). 9th in Americal zonal in Quito in 1969. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Andor Lilienthal b. 5 May 1911 (Moscow), d. 8 May 2010 (Budapest) GM 1950; raised in Hungary left for USSR in 1938. 1st= URS-ch (1940). 3x Olympic team member for Hungary (1933-1937, 75.5%). 8th in candidate tournament in 1950 (Budapest). Then chess trainer and second. Came back to Hungary in 1960s. His most famous win vs Capablanca in 1935. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Florencio Campomanes b. 22 Feb 1927 (Manilla), d. 3 May 2010 (Baguio) 5th FIDE president (1982-1995). Good chess player. 2xPHI-ch (1956, 1960), 5x Olympiad team member (1956-1966) Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Vasily Smyslov b. 24 Mar 1921 (Moscow), d. 27 Mar 2010 (Moscow) 7th World Champion (1957-1958) after beating Botvinnik; WCh contender in 1954 (drew 12-12 with Botvinnik). WCh candidate 8 times (1948-1985; he was 64 as he lost to Kasparov in the candidates final). 2xURS-ch (1949, 1955). 9x Olympic team member (1952-1972; nine team wins; only lost 2 games out of 113). Winner of many international tournaments; known from his robust, positional play. Also qualified opera baritone singer. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Miroslav Filip b. 27 Oct 1928 (Prague), d. 27 Apr 2009 (Prague) IM 1953, GM 1955. 3x CSR-ch (1950, 1952, 1954), 12x Olympic team member (1952-1974, 58.8%). 7th in Göteborg iz 1955; 8th Amsterdam candidate tourn 1956. 5th in Stockholm iz 1962; =7th Curacao candidate tourn 1963. 1st Prague 1956, 2nd Marienbad 1960, 2nd Buenos Aires 1961, 2nd Bern 1975. He later became renowned chess author and journalist. He was 205 cm tall (6'9''). Most famous win vs Tal in 1962. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Héctor Rossetto b. 8 Sep 1922 (Bahia Blanca), d. 22 Jan 2009 (Buenos Aires) IM 1950, GM 1960. 5x ARG-ch (1942, 1944, 1947, 1961, 1972), 6x Olympic team member (4 team medals, best ind. result in 1952), 2x qualified for interzonals: 18th in Portoroz 1958, 17th Amsterdam 1964. 1st Mar del Plata 1949 and 1952, 1st Rio de Janeiro 1952, 1st Barcelona 1952, 1st Montevideo 1961. Director of 1978 Chess Olympiad. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Albin Planinec (f. Planinc) b. 18 Apr 1944 (Briše), d. 20 Dec 2008 (Ljubljana) GM 1972. 2x SLO-ch (1968, 1971), YUG team member in Nice Ol 1974, 2x Euro TCh member (1970, 1973). 1st in Vidmar mem in 1969, 1st in Varna 1970, 2nd in Skopje 1971, shared 1st (with Petrosian) in Amsterdam, IBM 1973, shared 3rd in Wijk an Zee 1974. Famous from his aggressive, gambit-prone style, most brilliant win vs Vaganian in 1974. Ruined by chronic mental illness he died in psychiatric hostipal. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Nikola Karaklajić b. 24 Feb 1926 (Belgrade), d. 16 Dec 2008 (Belgrade) Serbian player, writer, trainer, organizer, arbiter, journalist, chess ambassador. IM 1955. 2x YUG-ch 1955, Ol team member in 1956 (team silved), 2nd (team) Euro TCh 1957, 2nd (team) in Student WTCh 1955. shared 1st in Smederevska Palanka 1956, 1st Bognor Regis 1962, 1st Amsterdam, IBM 1964, shared 1st Casablanca 1974. Top Elo 2490 (1971). By profession he was music radio journalist. Record file :: Wikipedia article [YU] |
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Robert Wade b. 10 Apr 1921 (New Zealand), d. 29 Nov 2008 (London) British IM, writer, arbiter, coach. NZL-ch (1944, 1945, 1948), 6th Beverijk (1949), 6th Heidelberg (1949), 5th Venice (1950). 18th/21 Saltsjobaden iz (1952). GBR-ch (1952, 1970). 5th Reykjavik (1964). 6x in English Olympiad squad, 1x in NZ team. IA 1958. Batsford publishers editor in 1960s, then Batsford Chess Library manager. Drew GM Chandler in a club game in 2006, aged 85. In 2008 entered Staunton Memorial as regular player, scoring 0/11. 1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 Bg4 is commonly known as Wade Defence. Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Jacek Bednarski b. 12 Mar 1939 (Cracow), d. 19 Oct 2008 (Wrocław) Legendary Polish IM. POL-ch (1963), 5x Polish Olympic team member (beat a.o. Geller), 7th Capablanca mem (1967), 1st Lublin (1972), 1st Eksjö (1976). Charismatic personality, never coped well with zeitnots. He was of poor health as heavy smoker. Top Elo: 2395. Record file :: Wikipedia article [PL] |
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Roza Lallemand (nee Te) b. 8 Aug 1961 (Russia), d. 26 Aug 2008 (France) The French player of Russian origin died of a heart attack at mere 47. 1st in 2001 Euro TCh, 3rd in French Ch in 2001 and 2003. WGM 2000. Top FIDE: 86. (2001). Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Karen Asrian b. 24 Apr 1980, d. 9 Jun 2008 (Yerevan) Was GM from Armenia. Allegedly died of a heart attack thoug he was yound and healthy man. 2nd in World U16 Ch in 1996. 3rd in World U20 Ch (2000). 3xCh of Armenia (1999,2007,2008). 5xOlympiads, team gold in 2006, team bronze in 2002. Ind. gold in World TCh in 2005, team bronze in 2001 and 2005. GM 1998. Top FIDE: 61. (2006). Record file :: Wikipedia article |
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Robert James Fischer b.9 Mar 1943, d. 17 Jan 2008 (Reykajavik) Legendary American GM. 11th World Champion 1972-1975. US jun ch at 13 (1956), US NM at 12 (youngest ever). 8x US Ch (1958-61, 1963-64, 1966-67). In 1964 scored 11/11, only one ever to do so. 4x Olympiad US team member (team silver in 1960 and 1966, 3x individual award). Tied for 5th (6th in the World) in Candidate tourn in Yugoslavia in 1959 (aged 16). 4th in Candidate tourn in Curacao in 1962. Withdrew from 1966 WCh cycle. In 1965 he came 2nd in Capablanca mem in Havana playing by telegraph due to US embargo imposed on Cuba. In 1967 withdrew from interzonal in Tunisia (despite being on firm halfway lead). In 1970 won interzonal in Spain, then beat Taimanov (6-0), Larsen (6-0) and Petrosian (6.5-2.5) to face Spassky in a WCh match in Iceland, which he won 12.5-8.5 to become World Champion. He subsequently retired from pro chess only to appear in 1992 in the revenge match with Spassky. In 1988 filed for a patent for the increment digital clock. As his mental and physical condition began deteriorating rapidly he passed aged 64 due to kidney failure. Buried in Laugardælir cemetary, Iceland. GM 1957. Top FIDE: 1. with Elo 2785 (1972). Record file :: Wikipedia article |
