Zoltán Ribli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zoltán Ribli |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | Hungary |
| Born | September 6, 1951 Mohács, Hungary |
| Title | Grandmaster (1973) |
| FIDE rating | 2524 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2625 (January 1989) |
| Peak ranking | No. 8 (July 1988) |
Zoltán Ribli, born on September 6, 1951, in Mohács, Hungary, is a famous chess player. He holds the top title of Grandmaster. He also became an International Arbiter in 1995, meaning he can judge chess games. Zoltán Ribli was a challenger for the World Chess Championship twice. He also won the Hungarian Chess Championship three times.
Contents
Zoltán Ribli's Chess Journey
When Zoltán was younger, he was a very talented chess player. He won the European Junior Chess Championship twice. These wins happened in 1968/69 (he shared the title) and again in 1970/71. In Hungary, he became the national champion three times. He shared the championship in 1973, 1974, and 1977.
Zoltán Ribli earned his International Master title in 1970. Just three years later, in 1973, he received the highest title in chess, Grandmaster.
World Championship Challenges
At the best part of his career, Ribli tried to become the World Chess Champion twice. These attempts were in 1984 and 1986. In 1984, he played in a big match in London. It was between players from the Soviet Union and the Rest of the World. Ribli played against Rafael Vaganian from the Soviet Union and won by a small amount.
In 1983, Ribli won his quarter-final match against Torre. The score was 3 wins, 1 loss, and 6 draws. However, he then lost to Vasily Smyslov in the semi-final. Smyslov won with 3 wins, 1 loss, and 7 draws. Smyslov then went on to play against Garry Kasparov in the final match.
Tournament Successes
During the 1970s and 1980s, Ribli was a strong player in many international tournaments. He won several events, including:
- Kecskemét in 1972 (shared with Alexey Suetin)
- Budapest in 1975 (shared with Lev Polugaevsky)
- Mexico in 1980
- Baden-Baden in 1981 (shared with Tony Miles)
- Portorož/Ljubljana in 1985 (shared with Miles and Lajos Portisch)
- Dortmund in 1986
- Reggio Emilia in 1987
- Wijk aan Zee in 1989 (shared with Viswanathan Anand, Gyula Sax, and Predrag Nikolić)
He also finished as a runner-up in many other important tournaments. These included Amsterdam in 1978 and Wijk aan Zee in 1983.
Later Career and Team Play
Zoltán Ribli was not as active in tournaments during the 1990s and 2000s. However, he still kept a good rating. In 2002, he showed he could still win big events. He won the Hotel Opatija tournament in Kastav, Croatia.
Ribli was a regular player for the Hungarian Chess Olympiad team. He played in almost every Olympiad between 1970 and 1994. In 1978, Hungary won the team gold medal, and Ribli was playing on the second board. He also helped his team win silver medals in 1970, 1972, and 1980.
Chess Author and Coach
Zoltán Ribli has also shared his chess knowledge as a writer. His analysis of games and tournament reports have been printed in chess magazines worldwide. He also wrote two books with Gabor Kallai:
- Winning with the Queen's Indian (published in 1987)
- Winning with the English (published in 1993)
Ribli has also worked as a coach for Austrian national chess teams.
Zoltán Ribli is married to Woman International Master Mária Grosch, who is also a chess player.
See also
In Spanish: Zoltán Ribli para niños
