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Wolfgang Uhlmann
WolfgangUhlmannPolanicaZdroj19670809 31.jpg
Uhlmann in 1967
Full name Wolfgang Uhlmann
Country East Germany
Born (1935-03-29)29 March 1935
Dresden, Germany
Died 24 August 2020(2020-08-24) (aged 85)
Dresden, Germany
Title Grandmaster
Peak rating 2575 (January 1978)

Wolfgang Uhlmann (born March 29, 1935 – died August 24, 2020) was a famous German chess grandmaster. He was the most successful chess player from East Germany. He even reached the Candidates Tournament in 1971, which is a big step towards playing for the World Championship.

During his long career, Uhlmann played against many of the best chess players of his time. He won the East Germany Chess Championships an amazing 11 times! Wolfgang Uhlmann kept playing chess well into his later years. He passed away at the age of 85 in Dresden.

Becoming a Chess Grandmaster

Wolfgang Uhlmann was born in Dresden, Germany, on March 29, 1935. His father, Alfred, who was a baker, taught him how to play chess when he was just six years old. When Wolfgang was sixteen, he became ill and spent about a year and a half in a special hospital. During this time, he studied chess very hard.

He became a very strong player. In 1951, he won the title of German Youth Champion. He had also learned a trade called letterpress printing. But his successful career in chess meant he didn't get to work much in printing.

Early Wins and Titles

Uhlmann won the East Germany Chess Championships in 1954, 1955, and 1958. In 1956, he earned the title of International Master. Then, in 1959, he was given the highest title in chess: Grandmaster.

He was the best player for East Germany (also known as the German Democratic Republic or GDR) at the Chess Olympiads. These are big team chess tournaments. He played in 11 Olympiads between 1956 and 1990, usually on the first board|top board. This means he played against the best player from the other team.

At the 1964 event in Tel Aviv, Israel, he played incredibly well. He scored 15 points out of 18 games. This earned him a gold medal for being the best player on the top board. In the same year, he won his fourth national championship. He also won a bronze medal at the 1966 Olympiad in Havana, Cuba.

Wolfgang Uhlmann grandmaster
Uhlmann in 2005

Top Tournaments and World Championship Dreams

In 1964, Uhlmann shared first place with Lev Polugaevsky at a tournament in Sarajevo. He also tied for first with former World Champion Vasily Smyslov at the Capablanca Memorial. He continued to achieve great results. He tied for first with Borislav Ivkov (and finished ahead of World Champion Tigran Petrosian) at Zagreb in 1965.

He also tied for first place with Boris Spassky at Hastings in 1965/66. He shared first place with David Bronstein at Szombathely in 1966 and again at the Berlin Lasker Memorial in 1968. In 1969, at a tournament in Raach, he finished two points ahead of other strong players like Lajos Portisch. This win allowed him to play in the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal tournament.

His biggest chance to qualify for the World Championship came at the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal of 1970. He finished sixth, which meant he moved on to the Candidates Matches the next year. However, he lost his quarter-final match to Bent Larsen with a score of 5½–3½. After this, Uhlmann was not able to qualify for a Candidates Tournament again.

He still had good results in the 1970s and 1980s. He tied for first with Bronstein and Vlastimil Hort at Hastings in 1975/76. He came in second behind Anatoly Karpov at Skopje in 1976. He tied for first with Farago and Rainer Knaak at Halle in 1978. He also won the Halle tournament in 1981 by a full point.

Playing as an "Old Hand"

In 2012, when Uhlmann was 77 years old, he was part of a group called "Old Hands." This group included older, very experienced chess players. They played against a group of young women masters called the "Snowdrops." Other "Old Hands" included Oleg Romanishin, Vlastimil Hort, and Friðrik Ólafsson. The "Snowdrops" included Tania Sachdev, Alina Kashlinskaya, Valentina Gunina, and Kristýna Havlíková.

One game between Kashlinskaya and Uhlmann was called the most beautiful game of the event. Uhlmann's playing style in that game reminded people of the young Mikhail Tal, who was known for his exciting and attacking chess.

Legacy and Chess Style

Uhlmann passed away on August 24, 2020, in Dresden, the city where he had lived his whole life. He was 85 years old. He had been sick for much of his life due to health issues from his childhood illness. He is remembered by his wife, Christine, their two children, and two grandchildren.

Wolfgang Uhlmann was known as one of the world's top experts on the French Defence chess opening. He especially knew a lot about the Winawer Variation. He helped make many parts of this opening better and wrote a book about it called Winning with the French. He was one of the few grandmasters who almost always used the French Defence when his opponent started the game with 1. e4.

Famous Game Example

Bronstein vs. Uhlmann, Tallinn 1977
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8 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black queen {{{square}}} black bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 8
7 {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black rook 7
6 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black knight {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 6
5 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 5
4 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} white knight {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black rook {{{square}}} black knight 4
3 {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white rook 3
2 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 2
1 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white rook {{{square}}} white bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white king {{{square}}} white bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white queen 1
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Position after 23. Ne4

Here is an example of a game played by Uhlmann:

Bronstein vs. Uhlmann, Tallinn 1977 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 Bd7 12. Qd3 dxc3 13. h4 0-0-0 14. h5 Nf5 15. h6 Rg6 16. h7 Rh8 17. Rh3 d4! 18. Rb1 Be8 19. Qf3 Qd8 20. g4 Nh4 21. Qh1 Rxg4 22. Ng3 Rxh7 23. Ne4 (see diagram; Black then gives up a piece to create a strong pin on the long light-square diagonal.) Nxe5 24. fxe5 Bc6 25. Bd3 Kc7 26. Kf2 Rh5 27. Rf3 Qg8 28. Bf4 Nxf3 29. Qxh5 Rxf4 30. Qh6 Ng5+ 0–1

Images for kids

  • WolfgangUhlmannPolanicaZdroj19670809 31

    Uhlmann in 1967

  • Wolfgang Uhlmann grandmaster

    Uhlmann in 2005

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Wolfgang Uhlmann para niños

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