William Lombardy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Lombardy
William Lombardy (Leipzig, 1960)
Full name	William James Joseph Lombardy
Country	United States
Born	(1937-12-04)December 4, 1937 New York City
Died	October 13, 2017(2017-10-13) (aged 79) Martinez, California
Title	Grandmaster (1960)
Peak rating	2540 (1978)

William James Joseph Lombardy (December 4, 1937 – October 13, 2017) was an American grandmaster. He was also a chess writer and teacher. For a time, he was a Catholic priest.

William Lombardy was one of the best American chess players in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a friend of Bobby Fischer. He even helped Fischer during the famous World Chess Championship 1972. Lombardy won the World Junior Championship in 1957. He was the only person to win that tournament with a perfect score. He also led the U.S. Student Team to a gold medal in 1960.

William Lombardy's Early Life

William Lombardy was born in New York City. His father was Italian-American and his mother was Polish-American. He grew up in The Bronx, New York. His family sometimes had money problems. They shared an apartment with relatives when he was very young.

After World War II, his family moved to a new home. There, he met a boy named Eddie Garlerter. Eddie taught William how to play chess. William was about 10 years old then. He started playing stronger players at Lion's Square Den Park. An old man there gave him a special chess booklet. William said this booklet "changed [his] life."

Bill Lombardy and Bobby Fischer studying a chess game, with Jack Collins watching

William Lombardy became serious about chess when he was 14. He joined the Marshall Chess Club. Later, he studied philosophy and ethics at Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie).

William Lombardy's Chess Career Begins

William Lombardy quickly became a very good chess player. In 1954, he won the New York State Championship. In 1956, he tied for first place at the Canadian Open Chess Championship. He also played for the U.S. Student Team in Sweden. He did not lose any games there.

In 1957, Lombardy made history. He became the first American to win the World Junior Chess Championship. He won the tournament in Toronto with a perfect score of 11 wins and 0 losses. This was a huge achievement! Because of this win, he earned the International Master title.

In 1958, he played in the Mar del Plata tournament. He came in second place without losing any games. In 1959, he won the U.S. Log Cabin Invitational. In 1960, he was given the highest chess title: International Grandmaster.

William Lombardy's Time Away from Chess

In 1960–61, Lombardy finished second in the U.S. Championship. This meant he could play in a big tournament called the Interzonal. The winner of the Interzonal could play for the world championship. However, Lombardy decided to stop playing in tournaments. He chose to become a Roman Catholic priest instead.

Even though he was becoming a priest, he still played some chess. In 1961, he tied for fourth place at the Zurich Chess Tournament. In 1962, he tied for second at the U.S. Open. He also won the New England Championship. In 1963, Lombardy won the U.S. Open Chess Championship along with Robert Byrne. He also became the U.S. Speed champion that year.

In 1965, he tied for first place at the Western Open. He also shared first place at the USA Open Championship in Puerto Rico. In 1966, he won the Southern Open. He also tied for second at the Canadian Open. William Lombardy became a Roman Catholic priest in June 1967.

In 1969, Lombardy tied for second place at a tournament in Monte Carlo. He did not lose any games there. He also tied for second place in Netanya, Israel, that same year.

William Lombardy and Team Chess

Lombardy was a key player for the U.S. Team. In 1960, he played first board for the U.S. Team. They won the World Student Team Championship in Leningrad, USSR. In that tournament, Lombardy beat Boris Spassky, who later became a world champion. Lombardy won a gold medal for his great performance. He won 12 out of 13 games. This helped the team achieve the highest winning percentage ever in that championship.

Lombardy (seated) and Fischer at the 14th Chess Olympiad in Leipzig

William Lombardy played for the USA seven times at the World Student Team Championship. This is a record for an American player. In 1976, Lombardy was part of the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the 22nd Chess Olympiad in Haifa.

Overall, Lombardy won three individual gold medals in team events. These were from the Men's Chess Olympiads and the World Student Team Tournament (for players under 26).

William Lombardy's Later Chess Career

In 1971, Lombardy gave a chess lecture at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In 1974, he tied for second place in The USA Open Championship. He did not lose any games in that tournament.

In 1975, Lombardy tied for first place with Pal Benko in The USA Open Championship in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1977, he tied for fifth–sixth place at The Lone Pine Open.

In 1978 and 1979, Lombardy was the main teacher at a week-long chess camp. This camp was at Michigan State University. It was one of the first camps of its kind in the United States. In 1979, Lombardy tied for fifth–tenth at Lone Pine again. He also won a surprising game against Victor Korchnoi, who was the second-best player in the world at the time.

In 1980, Lombardy decided to leave the priesthood. In 1982, he took "equal first" place in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1984, he came in second place in Neskaupstaður, Iceland. By 2010, Lombardy had retired from playing chess. He lived in New York City. He focused on writing and teaching chess lessons. In 2011, he published his autobiography, Understanding Chess: My System, My Games, My Life.

William Lombardy's Impact on Chess

New Chess Ideas

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Lombardy's Ruy Lopez new move 10...c6

In 1957, Lombardy played against Vladimir Selimanov. This was in the World Junior Championship. Lombardy used a new move in the Ruy Lopez chess opening. This move was 10...c6. Lombardy used this move in nine official games. He won three games, lost two, and drew four.

Helping Bobby Fischer in 1972

Bobby Fischer was going to play against Boris Spassky for the World Chess Championship 1972. Fischer had a disagreement with his helper, Larry Evans. So, Fischer called Lombardy at the last minute to help him.

Lombardy was still a priest at the time. But he was allowed to take time off. He went to Reykjavík, Iceland. He became Fischer's official helper, also called a "second." Many people believe Lombardy helped Fischer avoid losing the match before it even started.

William Lombardy in Film

In 2015, a movie called Pawn Sacrifice was released. It was about Bobby Fischer's life. Tobey Maguire played Bobby Fischer. Peter Sarsgaard played William Lombardy in the film.

William Lombardy's Later Life and Passing

Lombardy left the priesthood in 1980. In 1982, he met a woman at a chess tournament in the Netherlands. They got married and later had a son.

In 2016, Lombardy faced housing problems. He was living on the subways and in chess clubs for a time. The Archdiocese of New York offered to help him. They offered him a place to live and care. Lombardy accepted, but then moved to Martinez, California. He lived with a friend there. William Lombardy passed away on October 13, 2017. He was thought to have had a heart attack.

William Lombardy's Books

• Modern Chess Opening Traps (1972, 1978)
• Snatched Opportunities on the Chessboard: Quick Victories in 200 Recent Master Games (1973)
• US Championship Chess, with the Games of the 1973 Tournament (1975) (with David Daniels and George Koltanowski)
• Chess Panorama (1975) (with David Daniels)
• Chess for Children, Step by Step: A New, Easy Way to Learn the Game (1977)
• Guide to Tournament Chess (1978)
• 6e Interpolis schaaktoernooi 1982 (6th Interpolis Chess Tournament) (1983) (with R. G. P. Verhoeven)
• Understanding Chess: My System, My Games, My Life (2011)

See also

In Spanish: William Lombardy para niños