Zoltán Ribli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zoltán Ribli |
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| Country | Hungary |
| Born | September 6, 1951 Mohács, Hungary |
| Title | Grandmaster (1973) |
| FIDE rating | 2524 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2625 (January 1989) |
| Peak ranking | No. 8 (July 1988) |
Zoltán Ribli (born September 6, 1951) is a famous chess player from Hungary. He is known as a Grandmaster, which is the highest title a chess player can get. He also became an International Arbiter, meaning he can judge chess games. Zoltán Ribli was a World Championship Candidate twice and won the Hungarian Chess Championship three times.
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Becoming a Chess Champion
As a young player, Zoltán Ribli was very successful. He won the European Junior Chess Championship twice. He shared the title in 1968/69 and won it again in 1970/71. In Hungary, he became the national chess champion three times. He shared the title in 1973 and 1977, and won it all by himself in 1974.
He earned the title of International Master in 1970. Then, in 1973, he received the top title of Grandmaster.
Playing for the World Title
At the best part of his career, Ribli tried to become the World Chess Champion twice. This happened in 1984 and 1986. In 1984, he played in a big match in London between the USSR team and the Rest of the World. He won against his Soviet opponent, Rafael Vaganian.
In 1983, Ribli won his quarter-final match in the Candidates Tournament. He beat Torre. But then he lost to Vasily Smyslov in the semi-final. Smyslov later played against Garry Kasparov in the final.
Winning Tournaments Around the World
Zoltán Ribli was a strong player in many international tournaments during the 1970s and 1980s. He won several events, including:
- Kecskemét in 1972 (with Suetin)
- Budapest in 1975 (with Polugaevsky)
- Mexico in 1980
- Baden-Baden in 1981 (with Miles)
- Portorož/Ljubljana in 1985 (with Miles and Portisch)
- Dortmund in 1986
- Reggio Emilia in 1987
- Wijk aan Zee in 1989 (with Anand, Sax and Nikolić)
Even though he played less in the 1990s and 2000s, he still kept a good Elo rating. He showed he could still win big events, like the Hotel Opatija tournament in Kastav, Croatia in 2002.
Representing Hungary
Zoltán Ribli was almost always a part of the Hungarian Olympiad team. He played for his country between 1970 and 1994. In 1978, he played on the second board when Hungary won the team gold medal. He also helped his team win silver medals in 1970, 1972, and 1980.
Chess Writing and Coaching
Zoltán Ribli has also written about chess. His analysis and tournament reports have been in chess magazines all over the world. He also wrote two books with Gabor Kallai:
- Winning with the Queen's Indian (1987)
- Winning with the English (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
