Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Salomon Flohr
Salomon Flohr
Full name Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr
Country Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Born November 21, 1908(1908-11-21)
Horodenka, Austria-Hungary
Died July 18, 1983 (aged 74)
Moscow, Soviet Union
Title Grandmaster

Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr (November 21, 1908 – July 18, 1983) was a leading Czech and later Soviet chess grandmaster of the early 20th century. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Horodenka (Городенка Horodenka is a City located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in western Ukraine. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players. The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on He became a national hero in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s and his name was used to sell many of the luxury products of the time, including Salo Flohr cigarettes, Salo Flohr slippers and Salo Flohr eau-de-cologne. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. He dominated many of the chess tournaments of the pre-WWII years, and at one point looked to be a genuine contender for the World Chess Championship. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess Flohr was also a well-respected chess author, and an 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 arbiters are responsible

Contents

Early life

Flohr had a troubled childhood beset by personal crises. He was born in a Jewish family in Horodenka in what was then Austria-Hungary, but is now in Ukraine. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Horodenka (Городенка Horodenka is a City located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in western Ukraine. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. He and his brother were orphaned during World War I after his parents were killed in a massacre, and they both had to flee to the newly-formed nation of Czechoslovakia. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Flohr settled in Prague, and gradually acquired a reputation as a skilled chessplayer by playing for stakes in the city's many cafés. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. During 1924 he participated in simultaneous exhibitions by Richard Réti and Rudolf Spielmann, and he was still enjoying simuls well into his seventies. A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display (often abbreviated to "simul" is an event where one player (commonly a Chess master or grandmaster Richard Réti ( 28 May, 1889, Pezinok (now Slovakia) &ndash 6 June, 1929, Prague) was an Austrian Rudolf Spielmann ( 5 May 1883 - 20 August 1942) was an Austrian - Jewish Chess player of the romantic school

World title contender

Flohr won the Kautsky Memorial tournaments of 1928 and 1929 which were held in Prague, and made his international debut at the Rogaška Slatina tournament in Slovenia. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Here he performed very creditably, finishing second to Akiba Rubinstein. Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein ( 12 December, 1882, in Stawiski, Poland – 15 March, 1961 in Antwerp, Flohr had also taken a job as a chess journalist, and one of his first assignments had been to cover the 1928 Berlin tournament where he continued to win money on the side by playing chess. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany.

Flohr's playing ability peaked in the 1930s, when he became one of the world's strongest players and a leading contender for the world championship. He became Champion of Czechoslovakia in 1933 and 1936 and played in many tournaments throughout Europe, generally finishing amongst the top three. Notable victories were at Bad Sliač in 1932 where he shared first place with Milan Vidmar; Scheveningen in 1933; Bad Liebenwerda in 1934 with 9. Sliač is a small Spa town located in central Slovakia, on the Hron river between Banská Bystrica and Zvolen. Milan Vidmar ( June 22 1885 – October 9 1962) was a Slovene Electrical engineer, chess player, chess theorist Scheveningen (ˈsxeːfənɪŋə is one of the eight Districts of The Hague, as well as one of its subdistricts ( wijken) Bad Liebenwerda is a Spa town in the Elbe-Elster district in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. 5/11; Barcelona in 1935 where he tied for first with George Koltanowski; Moscow in 1935 where he came 1st= with future World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik; Poděbrady in 1936 with the outstanding score of +10 =6 -1; and Kemeri in 1937 where he shared the top spot with Vladimir Petrov and Samuel Reshevsky. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia George Koltanowski (also "Georges" September 17, 1903, in Antwerp Belgium &ndash February 5, 2000) was a Belgian Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (mʲixaˈiɫ̺ mʌiˈs̺ʲɛjɛvʲiʧʲ bʌt̺ˈvʲin̺n̻ʲik Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник) ( &ndash May Poděbrady (ˈpoɟɛbradɪ is a beautiful historical spa town in the Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. Jūrmala (jurmala) meaning "seaside" or "beach" in Latvian, is a city in Latvia, not far from Riga. Vladimirs Petrovs or Vladimir Petrov ( 27 September 1907 – 26 August 1943 at Kotlas was a Latvian chess master Samuel Herman (Sammy Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, November 26, 1911, Ozorków near Lodz, (then Russian Empire During this period, he had several other notable high finishes, such as Bern 1932 (tied for second with 11. The city of Berne or Bern (, Berne, Berna, Romansh: Berna, Bernese German: Bärn) is the Bundesstadt ( Federal 5/15, behind only World Champion Alexander Alekhine); Zurich 1934 (tied for second with 12/15, again trailing only Alekhine); and Pärnu 1937 (second behind Paul Schmidt ). Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (alʲɛkˈsandr̠ alʲɛkˈsandr̠ovʲiʨ aˈlʲɛxin Russian Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Але́хин) (October Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the Pärnu (Pernau Пярну formerly Пернов Parnawa is a City in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay an inlet of the Gulf of Riga

Flohr also frequently visited England, and had a terrific run in the Hastings tournaments of the early 1930s. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual Chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year He was 1st in 1931/32, 1932/33 and 1933/34, finished 1st= with Max Euwe and Sir George Thomas in 1934/35, and was second behind only Reuben Fine in 1935/36. Machgielis (Max Euwe (last name is pronounced /øwə/ ( May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch Chess Grandmaster Sir George Alan Thomas, Bart (born Therapia, Turkey; June 14, 1881 – July 23 1972) was a British Chess Reuben Fine ( October 11 1914  &ndash March 26 1993) was one of the best Chess players in the world from the mid 1930s through He also won the Margate tournament of 1936 ahead of former World Champion José Raúl Capablanca. Margate is a Seaside resort town within the Thanet district of East Kent, England.

His form for his adopted country in the Chess Olympiads was equally impressive, according to the comprehensive Olympiad site olimpbase. The Chess Olympiad is a Biennial Chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other org. He made his debut at Hamburg 1930 on board one, scoring a phenomenal 14. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany 5/17 for the silver medal. [1] On home soil at Prague 1931, again on board one, he scored 11/18, and led Czechoslovakia to a team bronze medal. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. At Folkestone 1933, he again played board one, and made 9/14, helping Czechoslovakia to the team silver, and earning a bronze medal for himself. Folkestone (ˈfoʊkstən is a resort town on the south coast of Kent, England, traditionally known as "The Garden Coast" At Warsaw 1935, on board one he scored an unbeaten 13/17 for another individual gold medal, and Czechoslovakia finished fifth. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Then at Stockholm 1937, once again on board one, he scored 12. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the 5/16 for a third individual gold medal. In five Olympiads, he won two individual gold medals, a silver and a bronze. His aggregate was 60/82, for a fantastic 73 per cent against the top players in the world; however, it should be noted that the Soviet Union did not compete during those years.

In addition, Flohr enjoyed a fair amount of success in match play, and he arranged two matches against his main rivals for the title of Challenger to reigning World Champion Alexander Alekhine. Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (alʲɛkˈsandr̠ alʲɛkˈsandr̠ovʲiʨ aˈlʲɛxin Russian Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Але́хин) (October He drew a 16-game match against Euwe in 1932 (+3 =10 -3) (who was soon to be the champion, from 1935-37), and drew against Botvinnik in 1933 (+2 =8 -2). Flohr beat Gösta Stoltz by 5. Gösta Stoltz ( May 9 1904 – July 25 1963) was a Swedish Chess grandmaster. 5-2. 5 in 1931 and, a year later, narrowly beat Mir Sultan Khan, the 1932 and 1933 British Champion, by 3. Mir Sultan Khan (1905 – 1966 was generally considered to have been the strongest Chess master of his time from Asia The British Chess Championship is organised by the English Chess Federation. 5-2. 5. Flohr also defeated Johannes van den Bosch at the Hague in 1932 by 6-2. In 1933, he won two matches in Switzerland, first over Oskar Naegeli by 4-2 at Bern, and then by 4. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation 5-1. 5 over Henri Grob at Arosa. Henri Grob (4 June 1904 &ndash 5 July 1974 was a Swiss chess master Arosa is a municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.

Official challenger, personal crisis

Flohr had married in 1935. By 1937, FIDE had nominated him as the official candidate to play Alekhine for the World Championship. Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national Chess federations around the However, with World War II looming, it proved impossible for Flohr to raise the stake money in Czechoslovakia, so the plans were dropped. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The next year, Flohr was one of the eight elite players invited to the great AVRO tournament of November 1938. He finished last, and this put an end to his chances of a World Championship match with Alekhine. AVRO may have been the only time in chess history when the top eight players in the world contested an important tournament.

While AVRO was an incredibly strong tournament, and Flohr's last-placed finish was no disgrace, his result may also be explained by his difficult personal circumstances at the time. The German invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938 had left Flohr, as a Polish-Ukrainian Jew, in grave personal danger. Flohr remained in the Netherlands in early 1939, playing in several small events. He tied 1st-3rd in Amsterdam KNSB with Max Euwe and Laszlo Szabo at 3. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Machgielis (Max Euwe (last name is pronounced /øwə/ ( May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch Chess Grandmaster 5/5. He tied 3rd-4th in Amsterdam VARA with 3/5, as Euwe and Salo Landau won. Salo (Salomon Landau (born 1 April 1903, Bochnia, Galicia, Austria-Hungary – died 15 November 1943, He won Baarn I with 2. Baarn is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. 5/3. Then, he and his family fled, first to Sweden, and then to Moscow with the help of his friend Botvinnik. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. While in Sweden, he tied 1st-2nd at Goteborg with Rudolf Spielmann on 10/11. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. Rudolf Spielmann ( 5 May 1883 - 20 August 1942) was an Austrian - Jewish Chess player of the romantic school

Soviet citizen, recovers form

Flohr was able to recover his form after reaching safety in Moscow. He won Kemeri 1939 with a wonderful score of 12/15, also captured the very strong 1939 Leningrad / Moscow tournament with 12/17, tied for second at Margate 1939 with 6. 5/9 behind only Paul Keres, and then tied for second at Bournemouth 1939 with 8. Paul Keres ( January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975) was an Estonian Chess grandmaster. Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. 5/11, behind only former World Champion Euwe.

Flohr did not play in any official strong Soviet events from 1940-42. He did lose a 1942 match to Vladimir Makogonov in Baku by 2-0. Vladimir Andreevich Makogonov ( August 27, 1904 - January 2, 1993) was a Chess player from Azerbaijan. Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan He became a naturalized Soviet citizen in 1942, and developed his writing career in his new country, contributing articles to a number of Soviet newspapers and magazines, including Ogonek. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 As the Soviet Union first stopped then reversed the Nazi invasion, some chess activity started up again, and in 1943 Flohr won a small but strong tournament in Baku. Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan In 1944 he was again victorious in a Bolshevik Society tournament at Kiev, tied with Alexei Sokolsky. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Alexey Pavlovich Sokolsky ( 5 November 1908 - 27 December 1969) was a Ukrainian - Belarusian Chess player of He withdrew from the 1945 USSR Championship after only three games.

After the War, he was still a contender for a possible World Championship match, and finished 6th at the 1948 Interzonal in Saltsjobaden, thereby qualifying to play in the 1950 Candidates Tournament in Budapest. Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation Saltsjöbaden is a locality with 8937 (2005 inhabitants situated in Nacka Municipality, Stockholm County in Sweden, located on the coast of The Candidates Tournament was a triennial Chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE as the final contest to determine the challenger for the Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, However, he finished joint last with 7 out of 18, and never entered the World Championship cycle again, preferring to concentrate on journalism, and he also developed a role as a chess organiser. He did play periodically at high levels, both within the Soviet Union and abroad, with some success, until the late 1960s. He was awarded the title of International Arbiter in 1963. In Chess, International Arbiter is a title awarded by FIDE to individuals deemed capable of acting as arbiter in important chess matches (the arbiters are responsible

Salo Flohr died in Moscow on July 18, 1983. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar)

Achievements and legacy

Flohr was one of Czechoslovakia's greatest chessplayers ever, and proved virtually invincible at the Olympiads of the 1930s. His tournament record was impressive, with his tactical skill and excellent endgame technique securing him many famous victories. FIDE awarded him the International Grandmaster title on its inaugural list in 1950. Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national Chess federations around the The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. He made a number of important contributions to opening theory: a 'Flohr variation' can be found in no fewer than six major openings, including the Caro-Kann Defence, the Ruy Lopez, the English Opening, and the Grünfeld Defence. The Caro-Kann Defence is a common Chess opening characterized by the moves 1 The Ruy Lopez, called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game outside English speaking countries, is a Chess opening characterised by the moves In Chess, the English Opening is the opening where White begins 1 The Grünfeld Defence ( ECO codes D70-D99 is a Chess opening characterised by the moves 1 The Flohr-Zaitsev Variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8) was taken up in the 1980s with success by World Champion Anatoly Karpov. Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов born May 23, 1951) is a Russian Chess grandmaster

Flohr was primarily a strategist who excelled in the endgame. He favoured the Closed openings with White, and during the prime of his career, he was especially deadly with the Queen's Gambit, as the game selection shows. The Queen's Gambit is a Chess opening that starts with the moves 1 Flohr almost never opened with 1. e4. He was one of the main developers of the Caro-Kann, which was an obscure and poorly-regarded line as late as the 1920s when Flohr took it up.

The Second World War killed off any chance he had of winning the world title, and the stress of becoming a refugee for the second time in his life affected his style of play. He became a much more cautious player in his post-war games and earned a drawish reputation, with many short draws which were hardly contested. He could not keep pace with the new generation of Soviet stars which emerged after World War II. Players such as Vasily Smyslov, David Bronstein, Isaac Boleslavsky, Paul Keres, Alexander Kotov, Tigran Petrosian, Efim Geller, Mark Taimanov, Yuri Averbakh, Boris Spassky, Mikhail Tal, Viktor Korchnoi, and Leonid Stein dominated the landscape with their sharper styles and innovative openings. Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky ( Russian: Исаак Ефремович Болеславский) ( June 9, 1919 Zolotonosha, Ukraine Paul Keres ( January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975) was an Estonian Chess grandmaster. Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Александр Александрович Котов ( &ndash January 8, 1981) was a Russian Chess grandmaster Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов (born February 7, 1926, Kharkov) is a leading Russian Chess Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (born February 8, 1922, in Kaluga, Russia) is a Russian Chess Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij (Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian French Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (also Korchnoy Kortchnoy Kortschnoi etc Leonid Zakharovich Stein (Леонид Захарович Штейн November 12 1934 – July 4 1973) Soviet Grandmaster

According to the site chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, which compares historical ratings, Flohr was among the world's top 20 players from 1930 to 1951, except for the war years 1942-44 when he was largely inactive; and his ranking peaked at #2 in the world in 1935. [1]

But it is noteworthy that Flohr was never able to defeat Alekhine head-to-head, losing five games and drawing seven in their 12 encounters. Alekhine had a sharp, tactical style, and he could also play outstanding positional chess. It is highly unlikely that Flohr could have won a match against him, had he been given the chance.

Notable chess games

Writings and further reading

References

  1. ^ 1930 CSR 14½ 17 14 1 2 85. 3 5. 2.

External links

ChessGamescom is a large Chess community on the Internet with over 100000 members
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic