Albin Planinc
Encyclopedia
Albin Planinc, also spelled Planinec (18 April 1944 - 20 December 2008) was a Slovenia
n chess Grandmaster.
He was born in a working-class family in Briše
near Zagorje
in the Central Sava Valley
, in German-occupied Slovenia.
Planinc won the Slovenian youth championship in 1962. He also won the full Slovenian Chess Championship
in 1968 and 1971.
His earliest international success occurred at the first Vidmar Memorial
at Ljubljana 1969. However, his best result was achieved at the Amsterdam (IBM tournament
) 1973, where he shared first place with Tigran Petrosian
, ahead of Lubomir Kavalek, Boris Spassky
and László Szabó
. He also tied for 2nd-4th at Čačak 1969, won at Varna 1970, shared 1st at Čačak 1970, took 9th at Vršac (Kostić Memorial, Henrique Mecking
won), tied for 2nd-3rd at Skopje 1971, tied for 3rd-5th at Wijk aan Zee 1974 (Corus chess tournament
, Walter Browne won), took 6th at Hastings 1974/75 (Hastings International Chess Congress
, Vlastimil Hort
won), tied for 2nd-3rd at Štip 1978, and took 12th at Polanica Zdrój 1979 (17th Rubinstein Memorial).
Planinc played on fourth board (+9 –1 =5) for Yugoslavia in the 21st Chess Olympiad
at Nice 1974, where he won a team silver medal.
He was awarded the GM title in 1972, then became a chess trainer when the strain of playing tournament chess was contributing to his poor mental health (in those days, medication was relatively ineffective). Planinc continued to suffer from severe depression for decades, spending the last years of his life at a mental institution in Ljubljana. In 1993, he changed his last name to Planinec.
In The Penguin Encyclopedia of Chess, Grandmaster Raymond Keene
said of Planinc, "he specializes in apparently outdated openings into which his imaginative play infuses new life".
He died in Ljubljana
, Slovenia.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n chess Grandmaster.
He was born in a working-class family in Briše
Briše, Zagorje ob Savi
Briše is a settlement to the west of Izlake in the Zagorje ob Savi municipality in central Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Upper Carniola. It is now included with the rest of the municipality into the Zasavje statistical region....
near Zagorje
Zagorje ob Savi
Zagorje ob Savi is a town and a municipality in central Slovenia. It is located in the valley of Medija Creek, a minor left-bank tributary of the Sava River, east of Ljubljana southwest of Celje, and west of Trbovlje. Traditionally the area was part of the Upper Carniola region. The entire...
in the Central Sava Valley
Zasavje
The Central Sava Valley is a region in central Slovenia. The region consists of five municipalities: Zagorje ob Savi, Trbovlje, Hrastnik, Litija, and Šmartno pri Litiji...
, in German-occupied Slovenia.
Planinc won the Slovenian youth championship in 1962. He also won the full Slovenian Chess Championship
Slovenian Chess Championship
The Slovenian Chess Championship is the national chess championship held in Slovenia. The championship has been played since the 1950s, first as a regional championship in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and after the independence of Slovenia as a national championship...
in 1968 and 1971.
His earliest international success occurred at the first Vidmar Memorial
Vidmar Memorial
The Milan Vidmar Memorial is a chess tournament commemoratingMilan Vidmar , a leading Slovenian grandmaster.The first Vidmar Memorial was held in 2–20 June 1969 in Ljubljana. In subsequent years the tournament has been held in several different Slovenian cities.-Winners:...
at Ljubljana 1969. However, his best result was achieved at the Amsterdam (IBM tournament
IBM international chess tournament
The IBM international chess tournament was a series of very strong chess tournaments held in the Amsterdam, The Netherlands from 1961 to 1981, and was sponsored by IBM.-See also:*AVRO 1938 chess tournament*Max Euwe Memorial Tournament...
) 1973, where he shared first place with Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
, ahead of Lubomir Kavalek, Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
and László Szabó
László Szabó (chess player)
László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...
. He also tied for 2nd-4th at Čačak 1969, won at Varna 1970, shared 1st at Čačak 1970, took 9th at Vršac (Kostić Memorial, Henrique Mecking
Henrique Mecking
Henrique Mecking was a leading Brazilian chess Grandmaster in the 1970s. He was a very strong player at an early age , drawing comparisons to Bobby Fischer, although he did not achieve the International Grandmaster title until 1971...
won), tied for 2nd-3rd at Skopje 1971, tied for 3rd-5th at Wijk aan Zee 1974 (Corus chess tournament
Corus chess tournament
The Tata Steel Chess Tournament formerly called the Corus chess tournament takes place every year, usually in January, in a small town called Wijk aan Zee, part of the larger Beverwijk in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands...
, Walter Browne won), took 6th at Hastings 1974/75 (Hastings International Chess Congress
Hastings International Chess Congress
The Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year. The main event is the Hastings Premier tournament, which was traditionally a 10 to 16 player round-robin tournament. In 2004/05 the tournament was played in the...
, Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort is a chess Grandmaster of Czech nationality. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the Candidates stage of competition for the world chess championship, but was never able to compete for the actual title.Hort was born in Kladno,...
won), tied for 2nd-3rd at Štip 1978, and took 12th at Polanica Zdrój 1979 (17th Rubinstein Memorial).
Planinc played on fourth board (+9 –1 =5) for Yugoslavia in the 21st Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
at Nice 1974, where he won a team silver medal.
He was awarded the GM title in 1972, then became a chess trainer when the strain of playing tournament chess was contributing to his poor mental health (in those days, medication was relatively ineffective). Planinc continued to suffer from severe depression for decades, spending the last years of his life at a mental institution in Ljubljana. In 1993, he changed his last name to Planinec.
In The Penguin Encyclopedia of Chess, Grandmaster Raymond Keene
Raymond Keene
Raymond Dennis Keene OBE is an English chess Grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author.p196 He won the British Chess Championship in 1971, and was the first player from England to earn a Grandmaster norm, in 1974. In 1976 he became the second...
said of Planinc, "he specializes in apparently outdated openings into which his imaginative play infuses new life".
He died in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Slovenia.