Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin

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Tschigorin.jpg
Mikhail Chigorin
Association Russian Empire 1858Russian Empire Russia
Born November 12, 1850
Gatchina
Died January 25, 1908
Lublin
Best Elo rating 2797 (October 1895) ( Historic Elo rating )

Michail Iwanowitsch Tschigorin ( Russian Михаил Иванович Чигорин , scientific transliteration Michail Ivanovič Čigorin ; * October 31 July / November 12,  1850 greg. In Gatchina ; † January 12 jul. / January 25,  1908 greg. In Lublin ) was a greg Russian chess player and one of the leading chess masters of his era. He contributed significantly to the spread of chess in Russia.

Life

Since Chigorin's parents died early, he grew up in an orphanage, where he also learned to play chess. At the age of 18 he left the orphanage. In the St. Petersburg chess cafe Domenika he often played successfully for money. He won a short game against the astronomer Viktor Knorre in 1874 , which was first published in 1877 and became very popular in the 20th century. In 1875 Tschigorin met the chess master Szymon Winawer . This prompted him to deal with the chess theory.

In 1879 he won the Russian national championship in a tournament in Petersburg.

Tschigorin made his debut on the international chess stage in the tournament of 1881 in Berlin, where he finished third behind Joseph Henry Blackburne and Johannes Hermann Zukertort . In 1889 he was first at the 6th American Chess Congress in New York , in 1895 second in Hastings . In 1898 at the 11th DSB Congress in Cologne , he was shared second behind Amos Burn together with Wilhelm Cohn and Rudolf Charousek .

Tschigorin (seated, 4th from left) at his last tournament in Karlsbad in 1907

Two games between Wilhelm Steinitz and Tschigorin, which the masters fought by telegraph between Russia and the United States in 1891 to clarify controversies on opening theory, have become famous . Chigorin won both games. Steinitz is said to have even been suspected of espionage because of the incomprehensible radio messages .

In two longer competitions for the title of world champion , Tschigorin was ultimately unable to prevail against Steinitz's sober, scientific game. In the first competition from January 20 to February 24, 1889 in Havana he lost 6.5: 10.5 (six wins, ten defeats and one draw ), and in the second competition from January 1 to February 28, 1892, also in Havana, he had to admit defeat to the world champion with 10.5: 12.5 (eight wins, ten defeats and five draws).

In between he organized chess tournaments in his home country, played some long-distance games , published a Russian chess magazine and wrote chess columns for daily newspapers.

Chigorin played his last tournament just a few months before his death in Karlsbad in 1907, where he took 17th place due to illness.

Significance for chess

Because of his inventive combination game , he was considered a forerunner of the Soviet chess school . Tschigorin was one of the greatest opening theorists of the 19th century, and many opening variants are named after him: including a variant of the Queen's Gambit , the Tschigorin Defense , 1. d2 – d4 d7 – d5 2. c2 – c4 Nb8 – c6 ; The Chigorin system in the Spanish game : 1. e2 – e4 e7 – e5 2. Ng1 – f3 Nb8 – c6 3. Bf1 – b5 a7 – a6 4. Bb5 – a4 Ng8 – f6 5. 0–0 Bf8 – e7 6 Rf1 – e1 b7 – b5 7. Ba4 – b3 d7 – d6 8. c2 – c3 Nc6 – a5 (or 8.… 0–0 9. h2 – h3 Nc6 – a5 ) and the Chigorin variant in the French defense : 1. e2 – e4 e7 – e6 2. Qd1 – e2 .

He achieved his best historical Elo number in 1895 with a value of 2797. Chigorin held his best position in second place in the world rankings between 1889 and 1897 in 17 monthly ratings.

literature

swell

  • Helmut Wieteck: Russia's pioneer: Michail Tschigorin on his 130th birthday . Schach-Echo 1980, issue 21, p. 332/834.

Individual evidence

  1. The International Tournament Cologne 1898 (11th DSB Congress) on TeleSchach (cross table and games)

Web links

Commons : Michail Chigorin  - Collection of Images