Paul Felix Schmidt facts for kids

Paul Felix Schmidt (born August 20, 1916 – died August 11, 1984) was a talented chess player. He was also a writer and a chemist. He came from Estonia and later lived in Germany and the United States.

Paul Felix Schmidt: A Chess Champion's Journey

Early Life and Chess Success

Paul Felix Schmidt was born in 1916 in Narva. At that time, Narva was part of the Russian Empire. Two years later, his home country, Estonia, became independent.

Paul showed great skill in chess from a young age. In June 1935, he won a big tournament in Tallinn. He even finished ahead of another famous player, Paul Keres. The next year, in May 1936, he played a match against Keres in Pärnu. It was a very close match, ending in a tie.

In 1936, Paul won the 8th Estonian Chess Championship in Tallinn. In July 1937, he won Estonia's first-ever international tournament. This event was also held in Pärnu. He won against top players like Salo Flohr and Paul Keres.

Playing for His Country

Paul Schmidt represented Estonia in major international chess events. In August 1937, he played for Estonia at the 7th Chess Olympiad in Stockholm. This is a big team competition for chess players from different countries.

In August and September 1939, he played for Estonia again. This was at the 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Estonia's team did very well, finishing in 3rd place. They were only behind Germany and Poland.

Life and Chess in Germany

In the autumn of 1939, Paul Schmidt moved from Estonia to Germany. He continued to play chess at a high level. In August 1940, he came in 2nd place at the 7th German Chess Championship. This tournament was held in Bad Oeynhausen.

In August 1941, he tied for 1st place with Klaus Junge at the 8th German Championship. Later that year, he won a special play-off match against Junge to become the German champion. In October 1941, he tied for 1st place with the World Chess Champion, Alexander Alekhine. This was at a tournament held in Kraków and Warsaw.

Paul continued to compete in strong tournaments. In June 1942 and June 1943, he played in tournaments in Salzburg. He finished behind famous players like Alekhine and Keres.

After World War II and New Career

After World War II ended, Paul Schmidt continued to play chess for a few years. In May 1946, he tied for 2nd place in a tournament in Hamburg. In May 1947, he finished 2nd behind Efim Bogoljubov in Kassel.

In 1949, he wrote a book about chess called Schachmeister denken. In 1950, he was given the title of International Master by FIDE. This is a high honor in the chess world.

In 1951, Paul earned a PhD in chemistry from Heidelberg University. After finishing his studies, he moved to Canada. Later, he moved to the United States and settled in Philadelphia. There, he worked as a professor.

Paul and his wife, Eva, later moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania. He worked at Bell Telephone Laboratories. He made important contributions to the field of electrochemistry. He also became an expert in a method called neutron activation analysis. He published many scientific papers. Paul retired in 1982. Even after retiring, he still played chess sometimes and visited his friend, chess master Reuben Fine.

Notable Chess Games

• Paul Felix Schmidt vs Paul Keres, Pärnu 1937, Queen's Gambit Declined, D06, 1-0
• Paul Felix Schmidt vs Klaus Junge, Bad Oeynhausen 1941, 8th GER-ch, Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran Variation, D49, 1-0
• Paul Felix Schmidt vs Teodor Regedzinski, Krakow/Warsaw 1941, Caro-Kann Defense, Two Knights Attack, B10, 1-0
• Paul Felix Schmidt vs Gösta Stoltz, Salzburg 1942, Sicilian Defense, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation, B92, 1-0
• Efim Bogoljubow vs Paul Felix Schmidt, Salzburg 1943, Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Slav, Meran Variation, D49, 0-1