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 Vladimir PetrovHe was born in Riga, Latvia. Though he learned the game of chess relatively late, at age thirteen, Petrovs made rapid progress. By 1926, at age 19, he won the Riga Championship and finish third in the national championship. He placed 2nd–5th, behind Isakas Vistaneckis, in the first Baltic Championship at Klaipeda in 1931. Petrovs won a match with Movsas Feigins (+4 –1 =3) in 1931, won a match against Vladas Mikenas (+2 –0 =1) in 1932, and narrowly lost a match to Rudolf Spielmann (+1 –2 =5) in 1934. Petrovs tied for first with Fricis Apšenieks in 1934, and won the Latvian Championship in 1935 and 1937. He won at Helsinki in 1936, and tied for first with Samuel Reshevsky and Salo Flohr at Kemeri in 1937, ahead of Alexander Alekhine, Paul Keres, Endre Steiner, Saviely Tartakower, Reuben Fine, Gideon Stahlberg and others. This was Petrovs’ finest tournament achievement. Later the same year, he finished last at Semmering. Petrovs placed 3rd-5th at Lodz in 1938, behind Vasja Pirc and Tartakower, and third at Margate in 1938, behind Alekhine and Rudolf Spielmann, defeating Alekhine in their individual game. In 1939, Petrovs placed 8th of 16 at Kemeri–Riga, and won at Rosario, ahead of Erich Eliskases and Mikenas. Petrovs played for Latvia in all seven official Chess Olympiads from 1928 to 1939. He also played at the unofficial Olympiad at Munich 1936. In July/August 1928, he played at third board at the 2nd Chess Olympiad in The Hague (+5 –4 =7). In July 1930, he played at second board at the 3rd Chess Olympiad in Hamburg (+8 –3 =6). In July 1931, he played at third board at the 4th Chess Olympiad in Prague (+9 –2 =5). In July 1933, he played at second board at the 5th Chess Olympiad in Folkestone (+6 –5 =3). In August 1935, he played at first board at the 6th Chess Olympiad in Warsaw (+7 –5 =7). In August–September 1936, he played at first board at the unofficial Olympiad in Munich (+10 –3 =7). In July–August 1937, he played at first board at the [[7th Chess Olympiad in Stockholm (+5 –3 =10). In August–September 1939, he played at first board at the 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires (+8 –0 =11). He won two individual medals: gold in 1931 and bronze in 1939. He achieved a particularly brilliant result playing on top board at Buenos Aires: he was undefeated, drawing with world champion Alekhine, former world champion José Raúl Capablanca, and the young superstar Keres, and won against Vladas Mikenas, Roberto Grau, Tartakower, and Moshe Czerniak. In 1940 the Soviet Union annexed Latvia. Petrovs finished 10th of 20 in the 1940 USSR Championship, taking equal third at Riga in 1941, and second in several strong tournaments: Moscow in 1941, behind Isaak Mazel; Moscow in 1942, behind Igor Bondarevsky, and Sverdlovsk in 1942, behind Viacheslav Ragozin. When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Petrovs was unable to return to his wife and daughter at home in Latvia. He remained in Russia and was arrested on 31 August 1942 under Article 58 for criticising decreased living standards in Latvia after the Soviet annexation of 1940. Petrovs was sentenced to ten years in a corrective labor camp. In 1989 it became known that he had died at Kotlas in 1943 from pneumonia. SOURCE: en.wikipedia.org |
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Blindfold Chess ‘... we have been collecting historical data; selecting particularly interesting games out of the many hundreds of blindfold games available; investigating the validity of claims for world record-setting performances in terms of the number of opponents played simultaneously and other criteria; trying to master the relevant psychological literature on chessplayers’ memory, imagery and expertise, so as to relate basic mental processes to what topnotch blindfold players actually say about how they achieve their often spectacular results; seeking substantiation or disproof of our joint belief that development of skill at blindfold play is one important route to chess improvement; and pondering the possible application of similar training methods for other human endeavors that also entail the memory and planning of sequences of responses, especially those involving visual-spatial tasks or capacities.’ Also from the outset (page 10) Hearst and Knott announce that Alekhine ‘will turn out to be our clear choice for the best blindfold player of all time’, and the same page argues that Najdorf ‘is the rightful holder of the world simultaneous blindfold record at 45 games, played in 1947’. The book deals with The Psychology of Blindfold Chess, broken down as follows: Research on General Chess Skill, Psychological Studies and Commentaries on Blindfold Chess, The Techniques of Blindfold Champions, and The Supposed Health Hazards. Here, the points discussed include recognition of patterns, mental imagery and the role of memory, with commentaries on blindfold chess by Binet, Bergson, Fine and others. The book suggests that health risks imputed to playing blindfold chess have been much exaggerated. Blindfold Chess also comprises the games, in two sections: a) ‘all available games from world record-setting simultaneous blindfold exhibitions’ and b) ‘a selection of other significant blindfold games’. In total, 444 games are given, nearly all of them annotated, starting with Philidor in 1783 but also including specimens of the play of Anand, Kramnik and Topalov. Among others featured in the games section are Capablanca, Fine, Emanuel Lasker, Morozevich and the Polgar sisters, but the masters most prominently represented are, understandably, Alekhine, Blackburne, Breyer, Koltanowski, Morphy, Ostrogsky, Paulsen, Pillsbury, Réti and Zukertort. It is Alekhine who appears the most often, with over 70 games." Information provided by Edward Winter; Acknowledgment: Edward Winter. SOURCE: www.chessbase.com |
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Charles Henry Stanley Stanley was an Englishman who emigrated from London to New York in 1843 to work in the British Consulate, and his English ideas had a great influence on American chess. One of his ideas was to have a regular newspaper column devoted to chess, which he started in 1845 in The Spirit of the Times. He also started the American Chess Magazine in 1846, but others copied the idea (which originated in England), and competition forced the magazine out of business. In 1855 he organized the first World Problem Tournament. In 1846 he published the first US book on a chess match, 31 Games of Chess. Stanley is a little known figure who has been eclipsed by the achievements of the world famous Paul Morphy. He played Morphy in 1857, losing the title of US Chess Champion to his much better opponent. He was married and later had a daughter Pauline, who was named after Morphy. United States Chess Champion 1845–1857 Preceded by none Succeeded by Paul Morphy SOURCE: en.wikipedia.org ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CHARLES HENRY STANLEY (born September 1819, died October 06, 1901) United Kingdom (citizen of United States of America). Charles Henry Stanley was born in Brigton, England in September, 1819. In 1839, he defeated Howard Staunton (+3-2=1), but Howard Staunton was giving odds of a pawn and move. Stanley emigrated to New York in 1842 and worked at the British Consulate. He was regarded as the best chess player in New York from 1842 to 1857. In 1844, he defeated John William Schulten in two matches in New York. He was considered to be America's first chess champion until he lost a match with Paul Morphy in 1857. He started America's first chess column in the Spirit of the Times on March 1, 1845, which contained the first chess problem published in America. The chess column ran until October, 1848. In 1845, he, again, defeated John William Schulten in a match in New York. In December, 1845, he defeated Eugene Rousseau at the New Orleans Chess Club (Sazerac Coffee House) in the first unofficial US Championship (15 wins, 8 losses, 8 draws). This was the first organized chess event in the United States. The stakes for the event was $1,000. Rousseau’s second was Eugene Morphy, the uncle of Paul Morphy. Paul Morphy attended the match at the age of 8 and became interested in chess. In 1846 Stanley defeated Charles Vezan in New York and George Hammond in Chicago. In October 1846, he started the "American Chess Magazine: a periodical Organ of Communication for American Chess-Players", which folded in September 1847. In 1846 he published the first book in America on a chess match, "31 Games of Chess." From 1848 to 1856, he edited a chess column in "The Albion." In February, 1850 he defeated John Turner of Louisville, Kentucky in Washington, DC and drew a match against Johann Jacob Loewenthal (+3-3=0) in New York. In 1852 he suggested the holding of an international chess tournament at the Great Exhibition in New York in 1853, but nothing came of it. In 1852, he drew a match with Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint Amant in New York (+4-4=0). In 1855 he organized the first World Chess Problem tournament. In 1857 he was knocked out in the first round of the 1st American Chess Congress by Theodore Lichtenhein, winning 2 games and losing 3 games. In December, 1857, Stanley’s daughter, Pauline, was born. She was named after Paul Morphy. In 1859, he published "Morphy’s Match Games" and "The Chess Player’s Instructor." In 1860 he returned to England and took 2nd in the 3rd British Chess Association Congress in Cambridge, England, losing to Ignatz Von Kolisch. From 1860 to 1862, he edited a chess column in the Manchester Express and Guardian. In 1861, he won a tournament in Leeds, England. In 1868, he lost a match to George Henry Mackenzie in New York. He was an alcoholic who spent his last 20 years in institutions on Ward’s Island and in the Bronx. He died in 1901. Provided below are 75 of his chess games, including a game with Morphy. SOUCRE: www.chessgames.com |
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William Pollock Pollock was born in Cheltenham, England, the son of the Rev. William J. Pollock. He was educated at Clifton College. He studied for the medical profession in Dublin, Ireland from 1880-82, at which time he was a member of the Dublin Chess Club. In 1882, he became a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. In the same year, his first published chess game and problem appeared in the unlikely setting of the Irish publication The Practical Farmer. After receiving his medical license, Pollock moved back to England and became a surgeon. Pollock tied for 1st-3rd in the B section at Bath 1884, scoring 7 points out of 10 games. In a stronger tournament, the British Chess Association Congress held at London 1885, he finished 4th with 10.5/15, behind Isidor Gunsberg, Henry Edward Bird and Anthony Guest. He tied for 8-10th in the Master Tournament at Hereford, scoring 3/10; Blackburne won, ahead of Bird and Schallop. In the British Chess Club Master Tourney (London 1886), he finished 5th of 8 players, scoring 3/7, behind Blackburne, Bird, Gunsberg, and James Mason. In the 2nd British Chess Federation Championship, also held at London 1886, he finished 10th of 13 players (4.5/12), but had the consolation of handing tournament winner Blackburne one of his two losses. At Nottingham 1886, he finished 7th of 10 players (3/9), behind Burn, Schallopp, Gunsberg, Johannes Zukertort, Bird, and Jean Taubenhaus. He tied for 3rd-5th of 7 players (3/6) at Stamford 1887, won by Joseph Henry Blake. At London 1887, the 3rd British Chess Federation Congress, he finished 5th of 10 players (4/9), behind Burn, Gunsberg, Blackburne, and Zukertort. At Bradford 1888, the 4th British Chess Federation Championship, he tied with Bird for 9th-10th place out of 17 players (7/16); Gunsberg won. He tied for 5-6th of 10 players at London 1888 (Simpson's Divan), also won by Gunsberg. Pollock returned to Ireland to win the Irish Championship at Dublin 1885 with 9 out of 10 points. He won Belfast 1886 (ahead of Joseph Henry Blackburne and Amos Burn) with a rare perfect score of 8-0. He took 2nd at Dublin 1889. In 1889 Pollock made the voyage to New York to participate in the great New York international tournament, the Sixth American Chess Congress. One of the longest tournaments in history, this double round robin was intended to select a challenger for the world championship title held by William Steinitz. Pollock finished 11th out of 20 players; Mikhail Chigorin and Max Weiss won. "Pollock won the brilliancy prize for this scintillating victory over Max Weiss, who tied for first at the great New York 1889 tournament, which was intended to select a challenger for the world championship title then held by William Steinitz. Steinitz wrote of the game, 'Mr. Pollock’s play from the 17th move renders this game one of the finest monuments of chess ingenuity, and altogether it belongs to the most brilliant gems in the annals of practical play.'" (Weiss-Pollock, New York 1889.) He later moved to Baltimore as the resident chess professional, and soon was writing a chess column for the Baltimore Sunday News, as well as reports on American chess for the British Chess Magazine. In 1890, he won a match against Charles Moehle 7.5-6.5 in New York, took 2nd place at the St. Louis Chess Congress, and played in Chicago. He lost a match to Eugene Delmar 3-5 at Skaneateles 1891, shared 1st with Jackson Showalter but lost a play-off game at Lexington 1891. In 1892, he was Wilhelm Steinitz's secretary. At tournaments in New York in 1893, he tied for 4-5th, and tied for 9-11th in New York (Emanuel Lasker won). In early 1895, he drew a match in Montreal against George H. D. Gossip, each player winning six games with five draws. This result was likely more satisfactory to Gossip than to Pollock, given Gossip's status as a perennial last-place finisher in major tournaments. Later that year, Pollock represented Canada at the famous Hastings 1895 chess tournament, won by Harry Nelson Pillsbury. Pollock took 19th (out of 22), including wins over the 4th and 5th-place finishers Siegbert Tarrasch and Wilhelm Steinitz. Following the tournament, Pollock's health progressively deteriorated due to tuberculosis. In August 1896, he returned to England, where he died at his father's home in Clifton on October 5, 1896. For more information on William Pollack (with photo), read Wikipedia's article on this chess player and his notable games, with contributions by Bill Wall and Edward Winter. en.wikipedia.org |
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Barnes, Thomas (1825-1874) SOURCE: www.logicalchess.com |
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Benjamin, Joel (1964- ) SOURCE: www.logicalchess.com |
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Benko, Pal (1928- ) He became a Grandmaster in 1958. In 1970 he yielded his interzonal place at Palma de Mallorca to Bobby Fischer, who went on to become World Champion. He has won or tied for 1st in 8 US Opens - a record." SOURCE: www.logicalchess.com |
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Playing Blind In 1950 Sir. T. Thomas was the first blind player to play in a chess Olympiad (Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia). The International Braille Association was formed by blind player R. Bonham. The first World Blind Correspondence Championship began in 1955 and was won by R. Bonham. James Slagle won the first U.S. Championship for the blind in 1971. The American master Albert Landrin (1923-) participated in the World Chess Championship for the Blind and played all his games from memory, without use of a board. In 1968 the United States had only 25 blind chessplayers in its Braile Chess Association. The Soviet Union had 150,000 blind players in its Brail Chess Association. Blindfold checkers Blindfold checkers is more difficult than blindfold chess. The greatest number played blindfold simultaneously is 28. The uniformity of checkers makes it harder to reach distinctive positions. Blindfold chess Buzecca, a Muslim, was the first blindfold player in Europe, playing two games blindfold in Florence in 1265. It took 518 years before three games were played blindfold, by Philidor in 1783. One newspaper wrote 'This exertion of Mr. Philidor's abilities appear one of the greatest of which the human memory is susceptible. That record stood for 74 years. In 1857 Louis Paulsen played four games blindfold simultaneously. SOURCE: www.logicalchess.com |
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Bogart, Humphrey (1899-1957) SOURCE: www.logicalchess.com |
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Boi, Paolo (1528-1598) SOURCE: www.logicalchess.com |
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On The Origins Of Chess _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8th October 2009, 12:35pm#62 by Hussain Arad Bahrain Member Since: Nov 2008 "Hello guys, I am a member here since a bit of time and It just happened that I saw this very interesting post by chance. I am very sorry, I couldn't read all the posts and comments after Batgirl's post because they were too long and too many, but I would like to highlight something here. I am a Persian myself, Persian-Bahrain actually as my grandfather has immagrated from Persia to Bahrain 70 years ago to escape military service, yet we are very aware of our origins and history, this includes Chess, or Shatranj. The thing that I would like to point out here, is first the name, I disagree with batgirl when she wrote that Shatranj is an arabic name because it isn't. THe word SHatranj comes from the Farsi ( Persian ) " Char Rang " in which we do call it so, and Char Rang means the 4 colors in Farsi. I usually tend to study my origins, Persian civilizations and Arab's history at the same time, so I am aware of some of things that have been " Taken " away by arabs from Persia and therefore to some people Chess is a game which comes from Arabia or has an arabic name, and that is very wrong. Like batgirl, thru the years I did come across theories which shows that Chess comes from China too, but I really doubt that and am not convinced in it, whatever research I did, I keep going back to India, who did invent the first form of chess, which had no King and queen, and no rules as we see and play now. Persians invented the King and the queen, as well as the current rules, except for castling and en passant ( the later in which for sure came from europe ). Then, when the Islamic " Invasion " happened ( note: Invasion and not a conquest ), muslims took the game to the other side of the region, but NOT to europe, because Persians did already spread the game to Europe before the muslims did, however that time chess wasn't popular as it was during the time of the Islamic State. And yes I did see and read some very very old articles and saw pictures that Chess did exist in Europe that time. The only Arabic influence on termonolgy on the pieces, was the queen, as we call it " Wazeer " in Persia and Arabia, and Wazeer means minister in Arabic, but the other pieces, especially the King " Shah " and the Rook " Rokh " are Farsi names to this date. On my last two visits to Iran, Shiraz to be exact, I did go and ask again about Chess there, and still am not very sure if the Queen or Minister was introduced by Persians or Indians, but most say it was introduced in Persia. Chess, like many other arts, science, books, and people was added to the Arabian Islamic history after that invasion which is very wrong, I can give many more example but we would go out of the subject after that. Btw, There is something intresting besides the origins, to my information, that game that was played in china was in fact influenced by the Persian Chess, however a chinese teacher once told me that it's actually different, and it was actually very popular in Mangolia before China. I think that the Magools did take it with them when they had battles in the middle east, or perhaps the " Silk road " to china from Persia and India did play a rule on that." Hussain SOURCE: www.chess.com |
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Chess Games of Famous People |
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