Chess Trivia Chronology

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1726
Sep 07Francois-Andre Philidor, France, chess champion/musician, is born.Ref: 5
1818
Jul 06Adolf Anderssen Prussia, world chess champion (1851-66), is born.Ref: 5
1833
Feb 05John Watkinson founder of British Chess Magazine (oldest chess magazine), is born.Ref: 5
1836
May 18Wilhelm Steinitz Austria, world chess champion (1866-94), is born.Ref: 5
1837
Jun 22Paul Charles Murphy, the first American International Chess Master, is born.Ref: 72
1845
Feb 14Cecil De Vere first official British chess champion (1866), is born.Ref: 5
1856
Nov 07Semyon Zonovyevich Alapin Vilna, tied for chess first place (1878), is born.Ref: 5
1857
Oct 06Paul Charles Murphy becomes the first American International Chess Master at the American Chess Congress held in New York City.Ref: 72
Oct 06The first major chess tournament was sponsored in New York by the New York Chess Club.Ref: 4
Oct 10American Chess Association formed (NYC).Ref: 5
1858
Jun 21Louisiana chess prodigy Paul Morphy arrives in Europe.Ref: 5
1859
Feb 26Paul Morphy's chess match vs Augustus Mongredien begins; Morphy wins.Ref: 5
Apr 30Paul Morphy returns from 10-month chess tour of Europe, retires.Ref: 5
1860
Feb 05Jackson Showalter first US chess champion (1888-92, 1895-97, 1906-09), is born.Ref: 5
1868
Dec 24Emanuel Lasker Germany, world chess champion (1894-21), is born.Ref: 5
1872
Dec 05Harry N Pillsbury US chess player, is born.Ref: 5
1874
Jun 22Howard Staunton world chess champion, designer of chess pieces, dies.Ref: 5
1879
Mar 13Adolf Anderssen German world champion chess (1851..66), dies at 60.Ref: 5
Dec 22Stanislas Bizot French world checker champion (1925), is born.Ref: 5
1882
Dec 12Akiba Rubinstein Polish chess player (openings theory), is born.Ref: 5
1883
Dec 26Carl Oscar Ahues Germany, International Chess Master (1950), is born.Ref: 5
1884
Jul 10Paul Charles Murphy, the first American International Chess Master, dies.Ref: 72
1888
Nov 19Jose Raul Capablanca Cuba, world chess champion (1921-27), is born.Ref: 5
1889
Apr 14Efim D Bogoljubov Russian chess player, is born.Ref: 5
1892
Nov 01Alexander Alekhine Russia, world chess champion (1927-46), is born.Ref: 5
1894
May 26Dr. Emanuel Lasker of Germany beats Wilhelm Steinitz (Czech) for world chess championship.Ref: 5
1900
May 12Wilhelm Steinitz Prague, chess champion (1866-1894).Ref: 5
Aug 12Wilhelm Steinitz, Prague, Chess champion (1866-1894), dies.Ref: 5
1901
May 20Max Euwe Netherlands, world chess champion (1935-37), is born.Ref: 5
1906
Jan 31R W Bonham founder (International Braille Chess Association), is born.Ref: 5
Feb 16Vera Menchik Moscow, first official women's world chess champion (1927), is born.Ref: 5
1909
May 14Vladimir Alatortsev USSR, International Chess Master (1950), is born.Ref: 5
1911
Mar 01Harry Golombek chess grandmaster, is born.Ref: 5
Apr 17Mikhail Botvinnik of USSR, world chess champion (1948-63), is born.Ref: 5
1914
Feb 21Arnold S Denker New York, US chess champion (1944-46), is born.Ref: 5
1916
Jan 07Paul Keres USSR, chess grandmaster (1950), is born.Ref: 5
1920
Jul 20Lev Aronin USSR, International Chess Master (1950), is born.Ref: 5
1922
Feb 08Joeri Averbach Russian chess grandmaster, is born.Ref: 5
Apr 28Iser J Koepermann Russian/US world checkers champion (1958-68, 75-76), is born.Ref: 5
1925
Feb 01Chess Champion Alexander Alekhine plays 28 simultaneous games of chess winning 22. Blindfolded.Ref: 10
1927
Mar 24Cuban chess champion, Jose Capablanca wins 33-day Grand Chess Tournie.Ref: 5
1928
Jan 03Frank Ross Anderson Canada, International Chess Master (1954), is born.Ref: 5
1929
May 14Vladimir Antoshin USSR, International Chess Grandmaster (1964), is born.Ref: 5
Jun 17Tigran Petrosyan US, world chess champion (1963-69), is born.Ref: 5
1934
Mar 19Borge Andersen Denmark, Danish Chess Champion (1967, 68), is born.Ref: 5
1935
Dec 15Max Euwe becomes world champion chess beating Alexander Aljechin.Ref: 5
1936
Nov 09Mikhail N Tal USSR, world chess champion (1960-61), is born.Ref: 5
1937
Jan 30Boris Spassky USSR, world chess champion (1969-72), is born.Ref: 5
Dec 07Russian chess player Aljechin recaptures world title from Max Euwe.Ref: 5
1941
May 03Nona Gaprindasvili USSR, world women's chess champion (1962-78), is born.Ref: 5
1942
Mar 08José R Capablanca Cuban chess player (world champion 1927), dies at 53.Ref: 5
1943
Mar 09Bobby Fischer World Chess Champion [1972], U.S. Champion [1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966], is born.Ref: 4
Oct 11Jan Adamski Poland, International Chess Master (1976), is born.Ref: 5
Nov 11Jan Adamski Poland, International Chess Master (1976), is born.Ref: 5
1944
Jan 12Vlastimil Hort Czechoslovakian/German chess player, is born.Ref: 5
1945
Apr 16Goran Antunac Yugoslavia, International Chess Master (1975), is born.Ref: 5
Sep 04Ruben Fine wins 4 simultaneous rapid chess games blindfolded.Ref: 5
1946
Mar 24Alexander A Aljechin world chess champion (1927-35, 37-46), dies at 53.Ref: 5
Aug 21Lev Alburt USSR, International Chess Master (1976), is born.Ref: 5
1947
Jan 08Igor Ivanov Leningrad, Canadian chess champion (1981-84, 1985- ), is born.Ref: 5
1948
May 16Botvinnik wins 5-player tournament to determine world chess champion.Ref: 5
Dec 01Piet Roozenburg becomes world champion checker player.Ref: 5
1949
Jan 10Walter S Browne US chess champion (1974-78, 1980-84), is born.Ref: 5
Dec 13Nana Alexandria USSR, International Woman's Chess Grandmaster (1976), is born.Ref: 5
Dec 15Ton [Teunis] Sijbrands Dutch world checkers champion, is born.Ref: 5
1951
May 23World Champion Chess Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov is born Zlatoust, Soviet Union. (Ref 
May 23Anatoly Karpov, International Grandmaster Chess Champion, is born.Ref: 4
Jun 27Ulf Andersson Sweden, International Chess Grandmaster (1972), is born.Ref: 5
Dec 14Jan Timman Dutch chess player, is born.Ref: 5
1955
Apr 23Tony Miles chess player, is born.Ref: 5
Apr 25John Nunn British chess player, is born.Ref: 5
1956
Feb 05Savilly Tartakower Austrian/Polish/French chess player, dies at 74.Ref: 5
Nov 01Lajos Asztalos International Chess Master (1950), dies at 67.Ref: 5
1958
Jan 08Bobby Fisher wins the United States Chess Championship for the first time. Interesting note: Fisher was all of 14 years of age.Ref: 4
May 09Botvinnik recaptures world chess championship.Ref: 5
1960
May 07Michael Tal beats Botvinnik 12˝-8˝ for world chess championship.Ref: 5
1961
Jan 17Maia Chiburdanidze Kutaisi USSR, women's world chess champ, is born.Ref: 5
Feb 09Grigory Levenfish International chess grandmaster from Russia, dies at 70.Ref: 5
Mar 14Akiba Rubinstein Polish chess player (opening theorist), dies at 78.Ref: 5
May 12Botvinnik wins world chess championship for 3rd time.Ref: 5
1963
Apr 13World Chess Champion Garry Kimovich Kasparov is born in Azerbaijan in the Soviet Union.Ref: 4
1968
Dec 31Carl Oscar Ahues German International Chess Master (1950), dies at 85.Ref: 5
1969
Jun 17Boris Spasky became chess champion of the world after checkmating former champion Tigran Petrosian in Moscow.Ref: 4
1970
Aug 07First computer chess tournament.Ref: 5
1972
Sep 01American Bobby Fischer won the international chess crown in Reykjavik, Iceland, defeating Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union.Ref: 70
1975
Jan 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov loses the USSR junior championship against Yemolinksy in the final round.Ref:78
Apr 03Anatoly Karpov wins world chess championship by default when Bobby Fischer refuses match.Ref: 5
Nov 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov makes a new acquaintance at the Komsololskaya Pravda Grandmatsers/Young Pioneers event in Leningrad: Anatoly Karpov, who had just inherited the world title when Bobby Fischer refused to defend it. Kasparov was 12, Karpov 24.Ref:78
1976
Jan 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov wins the USSR junior (Under 18) championship held in Tbilisi, Georgia. He was the youngest competitor.Ref:78
Jul 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places third in the World Junior championship held at Wattigny near Lille, France. It was his first visit to the west.Ref:78
1977
Jan 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov successfully defends his USSR Junior title by winning the USSR junior championship held in Riga with the highest score (8.5/9) in the history of the championship.Ref:78
Feb 05Izaak Boleslavski Russian chess player, dies at 67.Ref: 5
Apr 23Czechoslovakian chess master Vlastimil Hort plays 201 games simultaneously & only loses 10.Ref: 5
Jul 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places third in the World Junior championship held at Cagnes-sur-Mer, France.Ref:78
1978
Jan 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov wins the Sokolsky Memorial Tournament held in Minsk. He came ahead of fourteen internationally-rated players. He only needed 9.5 points to reach the master category and scored 13 points exceeding the requirement by 3.5 points. Kasparov beat his first grandmaster in this tournament- Lutikov, a major landmark in his career, and earned the USSR title of Master of Sport.Ref:78
Jun 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov ties with Ivanov to win the Daugavpils Elimination tournament to the USSR championship.Ref:78
Oct 19Anatoly Karpov of the USSR defeats defector Viktor Korchnoi for world chess championship.Ref: 10
1979
Apr 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov wins the Banja Luka tournament at aged 16, obtaining an International master norm in the process, and 2nd international grandmaster norm. This was despite Kasparov not even have a Fide rating. His opponent, Vukic was a little upset about having to play a child, getting even more upset after losing to the child. He started yelling to the crowd in Serbo-Croat. He then exclaimed to Kasparov that he wasn't playing correctly. Kasparov stayed calm, and went on to win the tournament.Ref:78
Jul 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places second at USSR Spartakiad, Moscow.Ref:78
1980
Jan 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places first in the European Team Championship.Ref:78
Apr 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov achieves first place in USSR Central Chess Club international tournament held in Baku with a score necessary for the Grandmaster title, the strongest 17 year old since Fischer.Ref:78
Aug 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places first in the World Junior championship held in Dortmund.Ref:78
Nov 01(day unspecified) At the 24th World Olympiad in Malta, Garry Kasparov is the highest scorer for his team, just ahead of Karpov.Ref:78
1981
Feb 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places first in the Match-Tournament of USSR Teams in Moscow. There was pressure for Lev Psakhis to play on board 1 despite Kasparov having a much higher rating. A possible explanation was that Karpov who was board 1 for another team, did not want to face Kasparov, and used his influence accordingly. Kasparov had two exciting draws with Karpov.Ref:78
Apr 01(day unspecified) The Moscow International Grandmaster Tournament was Garry Kasparov's first serious test in big-time chess. He placed second, tied with Polgayevsky and Smyslov after Karpov.Ref:78
Oct 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places sixth in the Grandmaster tournament held in Tilburg.Ref:78
Nov 20Anatoly Karpov, USSR retains world chess championship.Ref: 5
Dec 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places first (tied with Psakhis) in the USSR Championships held in Frunze.Ref:78
1982
May 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov places first Grandmaster tournament in Bugojno. The drama was in being able to play in this tournament in the first place. Since the wounding by Fischer of Soviet chess system, the authorities were keen to ensure that Karpov would be dominant as their national chess flag for quite some time. As such they did not really need another champion. Kasparov was denied by the officials at first the right to play in Bugojno, and was offered instead the low category tournament at Dortmund. Kasparov gave a ten minute speech which was in effect a coded message to Geidar Aliev asking for support for Kasparov's experience abroad. He got the support and Karpov was not at this tournamentRef:78
1984
Sep 10Garry Kasparov meets Anatoly Karpov in a world championship match in Moscow. After five months and 48 games, the score was now 5-3 to Karpov, the president of FIDE, Florencio Campomanes, flew to Moscow, announcing a postponement of the next game, held meetings with Russian organizers, then declared the match to be terminated without result.Ref:78
1985
Feb 10The match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov in a world championship match in Moscow ends without a winner, annoying both players. Karpov won 5 of the first 27 games, Kasparov won 3 of the last 19 games, all others being tied.Ref:78
Feb 15World chess championship match abandoned-Karpov 25, Kasparov 23.Ref: 5
Sep 03Garry Kasparov meets Anatoly Karpov in a world championship match. Kasparov will go on to win. temp 
Nov 09Garry Kasparov by wins this match against Karpov to become the youngest ever World Champion at the age of 22 years and 210 days.Ref:78
1987
Oct 12The start of a world championship chess match match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov played at the Lope de Vega Theatre in Seville, Spain. After some brilliant games by Karpov, and some blunders by Kasparov, Kasparov retained the title when the match ended in a 12-12 tie.Ref:78
Dec 19Garry Kasparov ties Analoly Karpov in a world championship chess match at 12-12 played at the Lope de Vega Theatre in Seville, Spain, retaining his title as World Champion.Ref:78
1988
Sep 25The chess program Hitech was the first computer program to beat an International Grand Master in tournament play winning 3 and drawing 1Ref: 62
Nov 25US & Soviet chess grand masters Donaldson & Akhmilovskaya wed.Ref: 5
1990
Oct 08The start of the world championship chess match between Garry Kasparov and Analoly Karpov in NY City. Kasparov will win 12˝-11˝, never behind in scoring.Ref:78
Dec 26Garry Kasparov beat Anatoly Karpov to retain the world chess championship. This was Karpov's second attempt at regaining the championship from Kasparov. He had lost the title to Kasparov in 1985 and had tried to get it back in 1987.Ref: 4
Dec 31Garry Kasparov defeats Analoly Karpov in the world championship chess match at 12˝-11˝ played in NY City, retaining his title as World Champion. In their five world championship matches, Kasparov and Karpov had played 144 games, with the overall score being Kasparov 73, Karpov 71Ref:78
1991
Apr 15Ton Sijbrands improves world record blind checker games (15 wins).Ref: 5
1992
Apr 04Sammy Reshevsky, Polish-born American chess grandmaster, dies in Suffern NY at age 80. (TWA, 1993)Ref: 95
Apr 05Samuel H Reshevsky Polish/US chess grandmaster, dies at 80.Ref: 5
Sep 01Chess champ Bobby Fischer came out of his 20-year retirement to hold a press conference in Yugoslavi a. He spit on an order from the US Treasury Department warning him of his pending violation of U.N. sanctions if he played chess in Yugoslavia. Fischer announced that he would, indeed, play his one-time rival, Boris Spassky, in a $5-million chess match in Sveti Stefan, Yugoslavia -- despite the sanctions. The match began on Sep 30 and ran thru Nov 11 (Fischer won).Ref: 4
Nov 11Bobby Fischer won his re-match with Boris Spassky in Sveti Stefan, Yugoslavia. The match was organized by banker Jedzimir Vasiljevic. Fischer had 10 wins, 5 losses, and 15 draws. He got $3.65 million for his winnings and Spassky received $1.5 million.Ref: 4
1993
Feb 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov and English Chess GrandmasterNigel Short unexpectedly announce the creation of the PCA (Professional Chess Association) and refused to play under the jurisdiction of FIDE. This was slightly unexpected because Short had some issues with Kasparov up until that time.Ref:78
Mar 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov is stripped of his FIDE title.Ref:78
May 01(day unspecified) FIDE announce that Kasparov and Short will be dropped from the FIDE rating list.Ref:78
Sep 07Professional Chess Association (PCA) "World championship match" against British GM Nigel Short, played in the heart of London at the Savoy Theater, a short distance from Trafalgar Square and across the street from Simpson's-on-the-Strand, a famous chess center during the mid 1800s. Nigel Short lost game 1 on time (his flag fell on the conventional chess clock) at move 39 and ultimately loses the match. Despite Nigel Short's defeat, the UK's interest in chess was re-vitalised. Many people in the UK become much more interested in chess. Chess clubs boomed.Ref:78
Sep 15(day unspecified) While Short and Kasparov played their World championship match under the auspices of the newly formed PCA a the Savoy theatre in London, Anatoly Karpov and Jan Timman were resurrected to compete for the FIDE world championship title at a series of venues in the Netherlands and Indonesia. For the first time in chess history, the game of chess had two world champions. Both PCA and FIDE ran their own world title eliminators, each pretending the other one did not exist. Gata Kamsky won the right to challenge Karpov for the FIDE crown, whilst Anand won the right to challenge Kasparov for the FIDE crown.Ref:78
1994
Dec 01(day unspecified) Kasparov and Karpov appear on Russian channel 6 for a two hour debate. They blamed each other for the termination of the 1984-85 matchRef:78
1995
Jan 01(day unspecified) Kasparov heads the FIDE rating list with FIDE 2805. Karpov 2nd position with FIDE 2765.Ref:78
Jan 07Harry Golombek chess Grandmaster, dies at 83.Ref: 5
May 05Mikhail Moseyevich Botvinnik world chess champion, dies. (TWA, 1996)Ref: 95
Oct 10Gary Kasparov retained his PCA (Professional Chess Association) title by defeating Indian superstar Viswanathan Anand. The match had lasted nearly a month.Ref: 4
Dec 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov defeats the chess computer Fritz on an Intel pentium computer.Ref:78
1996
Feb 10IBM's Deep Blue defeats chess champion Gary Kasparov in game one of their scheduled 6-game match.Ref: 5
Feb 11After losing to and IBM computer labeled "Deep Blue", world chess champion Garry Kasparov rebounds to defeat the machine and even their six game series in Philadelphia at one game apiece. (XDG, p 4A, 2/11/2001)Ref: 83
Feb 17World chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM supercomputer "Deep Blue," winning a six-game match in Philadelphia.Ref: 70
1997
May 03Garry Kasparov begins chess match with IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. He wins the first games, but loses the match.Ref: 5
May 11The Deep Blue IBM computer defeated Garry Kasparov to win a six-game chess match between man and machine in New York. Kasparov accuses IBM of cheating.Ref: 70
1998
Jan 09Anatoly Karpov defeats Viswanathan Anand to retain chess title.Ref: 5
Feb 09Anatoly Karpov defeats Viswanathan Anand to retain chess title.Ref: 5
Jun 01(day unspecified) Garry Kasparov plays an "Advanced chess match" vs Topalov. This unique match equipped both players with a PC, Chessbase 7, Fritz5 with opening and endgame databases installed. The time rate was one hour for all the moves. The match was tied at 3-3 but Kasparov won the tie breaker.Ref:78
2000
Nov 02Vladimir Kramnik wins world chess title from Garry Kasparov in London.Ref: 10
Last Update: October 27th, 2005
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