Arturo Pomar
Encyclopedia
Arturo Pomar Salamanca is a Spanish chess
Grandmaster (GM).
A chess prodigy
(he won the championship of the Balearic Islands at the age of 11), and a pupil of Alexander Alekhine
, he became quite famous. He drew
a game with his teacher at the age of thirteen, becoming the youngest player ever to draw with a reigning World Champion
at a normal time control
. His record still stands.
In October 1943, he took 11th in Madrid (Paul Keres
won). In 1944, he took 5th in Gijón (Alekhine won). In 1945, he tied for 4-5th in Madrid (Alekhine won); took 4th in Gijón (Antonio Rico
won); and shared 3rd in Almeria (F. López Núñez and Alekhine won).
After World War II, he shared sixth place at the 1946 London tournament (Herman Steiner
won) and won a short match against Jacques Mieses
(1.5 : 0.5) there. He tied for 12-13th at Barcelona 1946 (Miguel Najdorf
won); tied for 15-16th at Mar del Plata 1949 (Hector Rossetto
won); won at Santa Fe 1949; tied for 2nd-3rd, behind Paul Michel, at Rosario 1949; shared 1st at Paris 1949; tied for 2nd-3rd at Gijon 1950; took 15th at Madrid 1951 (Lodewijk Prins
won); took 14th at Bad Pyrmont 1951 (zonal); took 2nd at Hollywood 1952; tied for 1st-2nd at New Orleans 1954 (US Open); won at Gijón 1955; tied for 2nd-3rd at Madrid 1957; won at Santander 1958; shared 1st with Francisco José Pérez
at Madrid 1959.
In 1960, he shared first with Svetozar Gligorić
, Lajos Portisch
and Jan Hein Donner
in Madrid (zonal) and tied for 2nd-3rd in play-off there. He tied for 1st-2nd at Torremolinos 1961; tied for 11-12th in Stockholm 1962 (interzonal, Bobby Fischer
won); took 5th at Enschede 1963 (zonal, Gligorić won); won at Málaga 1964; took 4th at Málaga 1965 (Antonio Medina
won); shared 1st with Alberic O'Kelly de Galway
and Klaus Darga
at Palma de Mallorca 1965; took 2nd, behind Mikhail Botvinnik
, at Amsterdam 1966 (IBM tournament); took 2nd, behind Mikhail Tal
at Palma de Mallorca 1966; tied for 10-12th at Beverwijk 1967 (Boris Spassky
won); took 8th at Palma de Mallorca 1968 (Viktor Korchnoi
won); took 13th at Palma de Mallorca (Bent Larsen
won); won at Málaga 1971, tied for 12-14th at Madrid 1973 (Anatoly Karpov
won).
He was seven times Spanish Champion (1946, 1950, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, and 1966), and four times Sub-Champion (1951, 1956, 1964, and 1969).
Pomar played twelve times for Spain in Chess Olympiad
s:
He won individual bronze medal at Leipzig 1960.
Awarded the IM title in 1950 and GM title in 1962.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster (GM).
A chess prodigy
Chess prodigy
Chess prodigies are children who play chess so well that they are able to beat Masters and even Grandmasters, often at a very young age. Chess is one of the few sports where children can compete with adults on equal ground; it is thus one of the few skills in which true child prodigies exist...
(he won the championship of the Balearic Islands at the age of 11), and a pupil of Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
, he became quite famous. He drew
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
a game with his teacher at the age of thirteen, becoming the youngest player ever to draw with a reigning World Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
at a normal time control
Time control
A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
. His record still stands.
In October 1943, he took 11th in Madrid (Paul Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
won). In 1944, he took 5th in Gijón (Alekhine won). In 1945, he tied for 4-5th in Madrid (Alekhine won); took 4th in Gijón (Antonio Rico
Antonio Rico
Antonio Rico González was a Spanish chess master.He was eight times Asturian Champion .In 1934, he tied for 5-6th in Madrid...
won); and shared 3rd in Almeria (F. López Núñez and Alekhine won).
After World War II, he shared sixth place at the 1946 London tournament (Herman Steiner
Herman Steiner
Herman Steiner was a United States chess player, organizer, and columnist.He won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1948 and became International Master in 1950....
won) and won a short match against Jacques Mieses
Jacques Mieses
----Jacques Mieses was a German-born Jewish chess Grandmaster and writer. He became a naturalized British citizen after World War II.p258-Chess career:...
(1.5 : 0.5) there. He tied for 12-13th at Barcelona 1946 (Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation....
won); tied for 15-16th at Mar del Plata 1949 (Hector Rossetto
Héctor Rossetto
Héctor Decio Rossetto was one of the best chess players in Argentine history.He earned the title of International Master in 1950 and the Grandmaster title in 1960....
won); won at Santa Fe 1949; tied for 2nd-3rd, behind Paul Michel, at Rosario 1949; shared 1st at Paris 1949; tied for 2nd-3rd at Gijon 1950; took 15th at Madrid 1951 (Lodewijk Prins
Lodewijk Prins
Lodewijk Prins was a Dutch chess player and referee of chess competitions.Prins was awarded the International Master title in 1950, and was made an International Arbiter in 1960. In 1982 FIDE made him an honorary Grandmaster.Prins represented the Netherlands twelve times in all Chess Olympiads...
won); took 14th at Bad Pyrmont 1951 (zonal); took 2nd at Hollywood 1952; tied for 1st-2nd at New Orleans 1954 (US Open); won at Gijón 1955; tied for 2nd-3rd at Madrid 1957; won at Santander 1958; shared 1st with Francisco José Pérez
Francisco José Pérez
Francisco José Pérez Pérez was a Spanish/Cuban chess player.Born in Vigo, Spain, he won the Spanish Chess Championship in 1948, 1954, and 1960....
at Madrid 1959.
In 1960, he shared first with Svetozar Gligorić
Svetozar Gligoric
Svetozar Gligorić is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is considered the best player ever from Serbia...
, Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
and Jan Hein Donner
Jan Hein Donner
Johannes Hendrikus Donner was a Dutch chess grandmaster and writer. Donner was born in The Hague and won the Dutch Championship in 1954, 1957, and 1958. FIDE, the World Chess Federation, awarded him the GM title in 1959. He played 11 times for the Netherlands in the Chess Olympiads...
in Madrid (zonal) and tied for 2nd-3rd in play-off there. He tied for 1st-2nd at Torremolinos 1961; tied for 11-12th in Stockholm 1962 (interzonal, Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
won); took 5th at Enschede 1963 (zonal, Gligorić won); won at Málaga 1964; took 4th at Málaga 1965 (Antonio Medina
Antonio Medina
Jose Antonio Colon Medina was a Spanish chess master.He was seven times Spanish Champion , and trice Catalan Champion . He also thrice won Venezuelan Chess Championship in 1955, 1956 and 1958...
won); shared 1st with Alberic O'Kelly de Galway
Albéric O'Kelly de Galway
Albéric O'Kelly de Galway was a Belgian chess Grandmaster , and an International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster , most famous for being the third ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess between 1959 and 1962. He was also a chess writer...
and Klaus Darga
Klaus Darga
Klaus Viktor Darga is a German Grandmaster chess player.In 1951 Darga became German Junior Champion after winning the national under-20 championship. He also proved his strength as a young chessplayer by sharing first place in the World Junior Championship of 1953, with Oscar Panno of Argentina...
at Palma de Mallorca 1965; took 2nd, behind Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
, at Amsterdam 1966 (IBM tournament); took 2nd, behind Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
at Palma de Mallorca 1966; tied for 10-12th at Beverwijk 1967 (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...
won); took 8th at Palma de Mallorca 1968 (Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
won); took 13th at Palma de Mallorca (Bent Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
won); won at Málaga 1971, tied for 12-14th at Madrid 1973 (Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
won).
He was seven times Spanish Champion (1946, 1950, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, and 1966), and four times Sub-Champion (1951, 1956, 1964, and 1969).
Pomar played twelve times for Spain in 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...
s:
- In 1958, at first board in 13th Chess Olympiad13th Chess OlympiadThe 13th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between September 30 and October 23, 1958, in Munich, West Germany.-References:...
in Munich (+5 –4 =8); - In 1960, at second board in 14th Chess Olympiad14th Chess OlympiadThe 14th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 26 and November 9, 1960, in Leipzig, East Germany.-References:...
in Leipzig (+5 –0 =7); - In 1962, at first board in 15th Chess Olympiad15th Chess OlympiadThe 15th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between September 15 and October 10, 1962, in Varna, Bulgaria.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Varna (+6 –2 =8); - In 1964, at first board in 16th Chess Olympiad16th Chess OlympiadThe 16th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between November 2 and November 25, 1964, in Tel Aviv, Israel.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Tel Aviv (+5 –2 =9); - In 1966, at first board in 17th Chess Olympiad17th Chess OlympiadThe 17th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 23 and November 20, 1966, in Havana, Cuba.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Havana (+5 –4 =7); - In 1968, at first board in 18th Chess Olympiad18th Chess OlympiadThe 18th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 17 and November 7, 1968, in Lugano, Switzerland.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Lugano (+4 –1 =10); - In 1970, at first board in 19th Chess Olympiad19th Chess OlympiadThe 19th Chess Olympiad, comprising an open team tournament and the Annual Congress of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs, took place between September 5 and September 27, 1970, in the small town of Siegen, West Germany.-Tournament report:...
in Siegen (+3 –2 =11); - In 1972, at first board in 20th Chess Olympiad20th Chess OlympiadThe 20th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between September 18 and October 13, 1972, in Skopje, Yugoslavia ....
in Skopje (+5 –5 =7); - In 1974, at first board in 21st Chess Olympiad21st Chess OlympiadThe 21st Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between June 6 and June 30, 1974, in Nice, France.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Nice (+3 –6 =8); - In 1976, at first board in 22nd Chess Olympiad22nd Chess OlympiadThe 22nd Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 26 and November 10, 1976, in Haifa, Israel.-References:* OlimpBase...
in Haifa (+2 –1 =8); - In 1978, at second board in 23rd Chess Olympiad23rd Chess OlympiadThe 23rd Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 25 and November 12, 1978, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.-References:...
in Buenos Aires (+4 –3 =4); - In 1980, at third board in 24th Chess Olympiad24th Chess OlympiadThe 24th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between November 20 and December 6, 1980, in La Valletta, Malta.-References:* OlimpBase...
in La Valletta (+2 –2 =6).
He won individual bronze medal at Leipzig 1960.
Awarded the IM title in 1950 and GM title in 1962.
Notable chess games
- Arturo Pomar vs Efim Geller, Interzonal Tournament, Stockholm 1962, King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack. Exchange Variation (E79), 1-0 Geller is a tactical wizard who gets outplayed in this encounter.
- Alexander Alekhine vs Arturo Pomar, Gijon 1944 , Spanish Game: Morphy Defense. Steinitz Deferred (C79), 1/2-1/2 Arturo Pomar drew a game with Alexander Alekhine at the age of thirteen, becoming the youngest player ever to draw with a reigning World Champion at a normal time control. His record still stands.