Povilas Tautvaišas facts for kids

Povilas Tautvaišas (also known as Paul Tautvaisas) was a talented chess player. He was born in 1916 in Mogilev and passed away in Chicago in 1980. He was a Lithuanian-American, meaning he was from Lithuania but later lived in the United States. He became a well-known master in the game of chess.

Biography

Early Chess Career

Povilas Tautvaišas played for the Lithuanian team in important international chess tournaments. These events are called Chess Olympiads. He played in the unofficial Olympiad in Munich in 1936. He also played in the 8th Olympiad in Buenos Aires in 1939. This tournament was happening when World War II began.

After the war started, Tautvaišas returned to Europe. In 1943, he competed in the Lithuanian chess championship in Vilnius. He finished in 5th place in that tournament.

Post-War Years in Europe

When World War II ended, Povilas Tautvaišas, like many other chess players from the Baltic region, moved to Western Europe. They were moving ahead of the Soviet forces. Many chess tournaments were organized in Germany in the late 1940s. These tournaments often included German players and "displaced persons." These were people who had to leave their homes, mostly from countries like Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

Tautvaišas played in several of these tournaments. In Blomberg, he took 3rd place in the "Baltic Displaced Persons" championship. In 1946, he tied for 3rd-4th place in a tournament held in Augsburg. He also played in Kirchheim-Teck in 1947, finishing 12th. In 1948, he tied for 3rd-5th in Esslingen. Later that year, he won a tournament in Oldenburg.

Moving to America

In 1949, Tautvaišas moved to the United States, first to Boston. Then, in 1950, he settled in Chicago. He became a very successful player in the Chicago area. He won the Chicago and Illinois chess championships many times. His strong presence in chess during the 1950s and 1960s earned him a special nickname: "The Old Fox."

He continued to play in many tournaments across the United States. In 1956, he tied for 2nd-3rd place in the Tartakower Memorial tournament in Detroit. In 1957, he tied for 3rd-5th in the New Western Open in Milwaukee. He also tied for 6th-16th in the North-Central Open, also in Milwaukee, that same year. In 1958, he tied for 2nd-3rd place in the North-Central Open in Milwaukee. He played in the Western Open in Milwaukee in 1959.