Boris Verlinsky facts for kids
Boris Markovich Verlinsky (born January 8, 1888 – died October 30, 1950) was a famous Soviet chess player. He was given the title of International Master by FIDE, which is the world chess organization, in 1950. Boris was one of the best Soviet chess players in the 1920s. He even became the Soviet champion in 1929.
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Boris Verlinsky's Life Story
Boris Verlinsky was born in Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine. When he was young, he became deaf because of an illness called meningitis.
Early Chess Days
Boris started playing chess early. In 1909, he played in a big tournament in St. Petersburg. He finished tied for 10th-11th place. A very famous player named Alexander Alekhine won that event. In 1910, Boris won a tournament in Odessa. He also won the Odessa Championship in 1912. In 1913, he took 3rd place in another St. Petersburg tournament.
Playing Chess in Russia
After World War I, Verlinsky moved from Ukraine to Russia. He continued to play in many chess tournaments. In 1923, he tied for first place in Petrograd. He also took second place in another Petrograd event that year.
In 1924, he played in the 3rd USSR Chess Championship in Moscow. He tied for 10th-11th place there. Later that year, he was second in the 5th Moscow Championship. In 1925, he tied for 2nd-3rd in the 6th Moscow Championship. He also took 4th place in the 4th USSR Championship in Leningrad.
Big Wins and Challenges
In late 1925, Boris played in the 1st Moscow International Tournament. He tied for 12th-14th place. But during this tournament, he had some amazing wins against very strong players. One of his most impressive victories was against the World Champion, José Raúl Capablanca. Boris won that game with a brilliant tactical play!
In 1926, Verlinsky tied for first place in the 3rd Ukraine Championship. In 1928, he won the 9th Moscow City Championship.
Becoming Soviet Champion
In 1929, Boris Verlinsky achieved a huge success. He won the 6th Soviet Championship in Odessa. At that time, winning this championship meant he earned the title of grandmaster. However, this title was later removed from him in 1931. Some people believe this was done so that Mikhail Botvinnik could be known as the first Soviet grandmaster.
Later Chess Career
According to a website called chessmetrics.com, Boris Verlinsky was a very strong player in May 1926. He was ranked 16th in the world at that time. Chessmetrics helps us understand how strong players were in the past. Official chess rankings were only started by FIDE in 1970.
Boris played less chess as he got older. But he could still challenge strong players. In 1945, at 53 years old, he tried to qualify for the Soviet Championship again. He didn't make it to the final, but he did beat a rising star named David Bronstein in that event. His last big tournament was the 1945 Moscow Championship.
Boris Verlinsky was given the International Master title by FIDE in 1950. He passed away in Moscow later that same year, at the age of 62.
Verlinsky's Chess Style
Boris Verlinsky was known for being strong with both white and black pieces in the opening part of the game. When he was at his best, he managed to beat many famous chess players. These included Alexander Alekhine, José Raúl Capablanca, Efim Bogolyubov, Grigory Levenfish, Akiba Rubinstein, Rudolf Spielmann, and David Bronstein.
Boris Verlinsky was Jewish. He never had the chance to play in chess tournaments outside of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union.
See also
In Spanish: Borís Verlinski para niños
