Milan Vidmar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milan Vidmar |
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| Country | Slovenia |
| Born | June 22, 1885 Ljubljana, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | October 9, 1962 (aged 77) |
| Title | Grandmaster (1950) |
Milan Vidmar (born June 22, 1885 – died October 9, 1962) was a very talented person from Slovenia. He was an electrical engineer, a great chess player, a writer about chess, and a general writer. From about 1910 to 1930, he was one of the top chess players in the world. In 1950, he was one of the first people to be given the special title of International Grandmaster by FIDE, which is the world chess organization. Milan Vidmar was an expert in designing huge transformers for electric power and making sure electricity could travel long distances.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Milan Vidmar was born in Ljubljana, which was part of Austria-Hungary back then, but is now in Slovenia. His family was middle-class.
Becoming an Engineer
In 1902, he started studying how machines work, called mechanical engineering. He finished his first degree in 1907 at the University of Vienna. Later, in 1911, he earned his special doctor's degree from the Technical faculty in Vienna. When he started studying, electrical engineering was not yet a main subject. So, he had to take extra tests to learn the basics of electricity.
From 1912 to 1913, he worked at a famous company called Ganz Works in Budapest. He was an assistant to Ottó Titusz Bláthy. Bláthy was one of the people who invented and knew the most about transformers. This is how Vidmar also became an expert in transformers.
University and Institute
Milan Vidmar became a professor at the University of Ljubljana. He was also a member of the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences. He even started the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the university. For a short time, from 1928 to 1929, he was the head of the University of Ljubljana. In 1948, he created an important center for electrical engineering. Today, this center is named after him.
Amazing Chess Career
Vidmar was not just a brilliant engineer; he was also a fantastic chess player. Many people thought he was one of the best dozen players in the world between 1910 and 1930. What's even more amazing is that he played chess as a hobby, not as his main job. In 1950, he was given the special Grandmaster title by FIDE. This was when chess titles were first officially given out.
Tournament Successes
He did very well in many big chess tournaments. Here are some of his best results:
- In 1907, he finished sixth at Carlsbad.
- In 1908, he was third at Prague.
- In 1909, he won first place at Gothenburg.
- In 1911, he was second at San Sebastián, right behind the famous José Raúl Capablanca.
- He won first place in Budapest in 1912.
- In 1914, he was second at Mannheim.
- He won tournaments in Vienna and Berlin in 1918.
- In 1925/26, he shared first place with Alexander Alekhine at Hastings.
- He was third at Semmering in 1926.
- In 1927, he finished fourth at New York and London.
- He won first place again in Basel in 1952.
Playing for His Country
Vidmar played for Yugoslavia in big team chess events called Chess Olympiads. He played on the top board in Prague in 1931 and in Stockholm in 1935.
Chess Referee
Milan Vidmar also became a chess referee. He earned the title of International Arbiter from FIDE. He was even the main referee for the 1948 World Chess Championship. This was a very important match held in The Hague and Moscow.
Important Books and Writings
Milan Vidmar wrote many books. Some were about chess, and others were about his work as an engineer.
Books About Chess
- Pol stoletja ob šahovnici (This means Half a century at the chessboard) (Ljubljana 1951)
- Šah (Simply means Chess)
- Razgovori o šahu z začetnikom (This means Conversations on chess with a beginner)
- In German, Goldene Schachzeiten (This means The Golden Times of Chess)
Other Books
- Transformatorji (This means Transformers)
- Problemi prenosa električne energije (This means Problems of electric energy transmission)
- Pogovori o elektrotehniki (This means Talking about electrotechnics)
- Med Evropo in Ameriko (This means Between Europe and America)
- Moj pogled na svet (This means My view of the World)
- Oslovski most (This means Pons asinorum) (Merkur, Ljubljana 1936)
His Family
Milan Vidmar had a younger brother named Josip Vidmar. Josip was a well-known writer and thinker in Slovenia. Milan's son, Milan Vidmar, Jr., also became a chess player and earned the title of International Master.
Honoring Milan Vidmar
To remember Milan Vidmar and his amazing contributions, the Chess Federation in Slovenia holds a special international chess tournament. It is called the Milan Vidmar memorial.
