Borislav Ivkov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boris Ivkov |
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Ivkov in 1972
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| Full name | Borislav Ivkov |
| Country | Serbia Yugoslavia |
| Born | November 12, 1933 Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
| Title | Grandmaster, International Arbiter |
| FIDE rating | 2402 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2560 (January 1971) |
Borislav Ivkov (born November 12, 1933, in Belgrade) is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. A Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can get. He was a top player who aimed for the World championship in 1965. He also played in four more big tournaments called Interzonals in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979.
He won the Yugoslav Chess Championship three times (in 1958, 1963, and 1972). He was also the very first World Junior Champion in 1951. This championship is for young players under 20.
Ivkov played for Yugoslavia 12 times in the Chess Olympiad (a team chess tournament) from 1956 to 1980. He also played six times in the European Team Championships.
During his career, Ivkov won many important chess tournaments. Some of his wins include Mar del Plata 1955, Buenos Aires 1955, Beverwijk 1961, Zagreb 1965, Sarajevo 1967, Amsterdam-IBM 1974, and Moscow 1999. For over 15 years, starting in the mid-1950s, he was considered the second-best player in Yugoslavia, right after Svetozar Gligorić.
He wrote a book about his life in chess called My 60 Years in Chess.
Contents
Becoming a Chess Master
Early Success and Titles
Borislav Ivkov became a National Master in chess when he was just 16 years old. This happened in 1949 when he finished well in the Yugoslav Chess Championship in Zagreb. The famous player Svetozar Gligorić won that tournament.
Ivkov got his first chance to play in an international tournament in Bled in 1950. He did very well, sharing 5th and 6th places. In this tournament, he beat some well-known chess stars like Herman Pilnik and Vasja Pirc. Because of his strong start, he was chosen to play for Yugoslavia in team matches against the United States, the Netherlands, and West Germany.
In 1951, Ivkov won the very first World Junior Chess Championship in Birmingham. This was a new tournament for chess players under 20. He continued to play well in Yugoslav Championships, showing steady improvement. In 1953, he tried to win the World Junior title again in Copenhagen. He won his first group but finished tied for 3rd and 4th place in the finals.
Rising to the Top
In 1954, Ivkov played in a strong tournament in Belgrade. This was the first time Soviet players were allowed to play in Yugoslavia after World War II. Ivkov finished tied for 4th and 5th place, which was his best result yet. He then earned the International Master title.
Ivkov became one of the world's best players with two amazing wins in Argentina. He won the Mar del Plata tournament in 1955. Then he won again at Buenos Aires in 1955. He finished ahead of many strong players in both tournaments.
In 1955, Ivkov also had his best result in the Yugoslav Championship, finishing tied for 3rd and 4th place. Later that year, he tied for 2nd and 3rd place at Zagreb. Because of these great results, Ivkov earned his Grandmaster title in 1955. This is the highest title a chess player can achieve.
At the Hastings tournament in 1955–56, Ivkov finished 3rd. He also played for Yugoslavia in the World Students' Olympiad in Uppsala in 1956. His team won the bronze medal.
Playing for Yugoslavia
A Key Team Member
Borislav Ivkov was chosen to play for the Yugoslav Olympiad team for the first time in 1956. He continued to be a key player for the national team until 1980. During this time, Yugoslavia was often one of the top three chess countries in the world.
Ivkov won a total of ten team medals and five individual board medals during his career in the Olympiads. He played on various boards, often board 2 or 3, which are very important positions. For example, he won a gold medal on board 4 at the Varna 1962 tournament. He also won another gold medal on board 2 at the Siegen 1970 tournament. His team won silver medals many times, showing how strong Yugoslavia was.
Ivkov also played in the European Team Championships six times. He won four team medals and one individual board medal in these events. He won a gold medal on board 2 at Bath in 1973. His strong play helped Yugoslavia earn silver and bronze medals in these team competitions.
Winning Championships and Tournaments
National and International Wins
Ivkov almost won the Yugoslav Championship in Sombor in 1957, finishing tied for 2nd to 4th place. However, he had a tough time at the 1957 Wageningen Zonal tournament and did not qualify for the next stage.
He bounced back and won his first Yugoslav title in Sarajevo in 1958, sharing it with Gligoric. This win started a period of many tournament victories for Ivkov. He won tournaments in Sarajevo (1958) and Belgrade (1959). In 1959, he also shared wins in Lima and Santiago with Luděk Pachman. At Mar del Plata 1959, he finished tied for 3rd and 4th place with Bobby Fischer.
In 1961, Ivkov shared the win at Beverwijk with Bent Larsen. He qualified for his first Interzonal tournament in 1963 from the Halle Zonal tournament. He won his second Yugoslav title in Zenica in 1963, sharing it with Mijo Udovčić.
Ivkov continued to play well in many international tournaments. He finished 2nd and 3rd at Belgrade 1964 behind Boris Spassky. He also placed well in other strong events like Beverwijk and Sarajevo.
Aiming for the World Championship
The Candidates' Matches
In 1964, Ivkov qualified from the Amsterdam Interzonal tournament to play in the Candidates' matches. These matches are a big step towards challenging for the World Championship title. However, he lost his first match in Zagreb to Bent Larsen.
He played in the Interzonal tournament four more times but did not manage to advance further. In 1979, at age 46, he came very close to moving on to the next stage.
In 1970, Ivkov played in the famous Russia (USSR) vs Rest of the World team match in Belgrade. He played on board ten but lost his match to Paul Keres.
Continued Strong Play
Impressive Victories
In 1965, Ivkov shared 2nd to 4th place at Havana with Efim Geller and Bobby Fischer. He even defeated Fischer for the second time in their game. He also shared 2nd and 3rd places in the Yugoslav Championship in Titograd that year.
One of Ivkov's most impressive wins was in Zagreb in 1965. He shared the title with Wolfgang Uhlmann, finishing ahead of the World Champion Tigran Petrosian, Lajos Portisch, Larsen, and David Bronstein. He also won tournaments in Venice (1966) and Eersel (1966).
In 1967, Ivkov won the Zonal tournament in Vrnjačka Banja, which qualified him for the Interzonal later that year. He also shared the title at Málaga in 1968. From the Raach Zonal in 1969, he again advanced to the Interzonal after winning a playoff.
Ivkov continued to achieve good results in the early 1970s. He won at Stockholm in 1970. He also finished third at Wijk aan Zee in 1970. In 1972, Ivkov shared the title at the Caorle Zonal tournament with Ljubomir Ljubojević, qualifying for the next year's Interzonal.
He won his third Yugoslav title in Umag in 1972. In 1974, he shared the title at Amsterdam with Vlastimil Jansa and Vladimir Tukmakov.
Later Career and Achievements
After 1975, Ivkov was not always among the very top players, and he played in fewer major events. However, he still had some great results later in his career. He finished 2nd at Štip in 1977. In 1984, he shared 2nd to 4th places at Bor.
In 1985, he won the traditional Capablanca Memorial tournament in Cienfuegos. In the 1991 Yugoslav Championship, he finished tied for 4th to 7th places. In 1998, he tied for 2nd to 9th places in the World Senior Championship.
One of his most impressive achievements later in life was sharing 1st and 2nd place in the strong Tigran Petrosian Memorial in Moscow in 1999. He also tied for 2nd to 4th places in the 25th anniversary Paul Keres Memorial in Vancouver. Ivkov was also awarded the International Arbiter title in 1986, which means he could be a judge in chess tournaments.
His last official chess tournament was in late 2013.
Personal Life
Borislav Ivkov has a son, also named Boris Ivkov, who was born in 1962. His son's mother was Olga María Kesic (1936–1975) from Argentina. Borislav Ivkov also has a grandson named Michael Ivkov.
Chess Style and Legacy
| This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. |
Borislav Ivkov was a very strong player. He managed to defeat five World Champions during his career: Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Bobby Fischer, and Anatoly Karpov. He also won against most of the other top players of his time. However, he did not manage to beat Mikhail Botvinnik or Paul Keres. Some other stars like Gligoric, Tal, and Larsen often had better results against him.
Ivkov's chess style was considered "classical." This means he played in a balanced way, focusing on good positions. During his best years, he often started games with both 1.e4 and 1.d4, which made it hard for opponents to prepare against him. When playing as Black, he used a variety of defenses like the Sicilian Defence, the French Defence, and 1...e5. This showed he was comfortable with many different types of positions. While he usually preferred solid, positional play, he could also play very aggressive and tactical chess when he saw a chance. During his peak, he played in many high-level tournaments and was almost always among the top finishers.
Images for kids
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Ivkov in 1963
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Ivkov in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Borislav Ivkov para niños
