Boris Verlinsky
Encyclopedia
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
– 30 October 1950, Moscow, Russia) was a Ukrainian-Russian International Master of chess
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...
. He was one of the top Soviet players of the 1920s, and was in the top 20 in the world in 1926, clearly of Grandmaster strength at that time. He was also deaf as a result of Meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
as a youngster.
Biography
In 1909, Verlinsky tied for 10th-11th in St. Petersburg, the All-Russian Amateur Tournament. The event was won by Alexander AlekhineAlexander 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...
. In 1910, he won in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
. In 1911, he tied for 6-8th in St. Petersburg (Stepan Levitsky
Stepan Levitsky
Stepan Levitsky was a Russian chess master and national chess champion....
won). In 1912, he won the Odessa Championship. In 1913, he took 3rd in St. Petersburg behind winner Alexander Evenson.
After World War I, Verlinsky moved from Ukraine to Russia. In 1923, he tied for 1st with Kutuzov in Petrograd. In 1923, he took 2nd, behind Sergeev, in Petrograd. In 1924, he tied for 10-11th in Moscow (3rd USSR Chess Championship
USSR Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
). The event was won by Efim Bogoljubow
Efim Bogoljubow
Efim Dmitriyevich Bogolyubov was a Russo-German chess grandmaster who won numerous events and played two matches with Alexander Alekhine for the world championship.-Early career:...
. In 1924, he took 2nd, behind Grigoriev, in Moscow (5th Moscow Championship). In 1925, he tied for 2nd-3rd, behind Sergeev, in Moscow (6th Moscow Championship). In August–September 1925, he took 4th in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
(4th USSR Chess Championship) – Bogoljubow won.
In November–December 1925, he tied for 12th-14th in Moscow (1st Moscow International Tournament) – the winner was Bogoljubow. But in this event, Verlinsky scored many beautiful wins over strong players, with perhaps the most impressive being his victory over World Champion José Raúl Capablanca with the Black pieces in a dazzling tactical display. In 1926, Verlinsky tied for 1st with Marsky in Odessa (3rd Ukraine Championship). In 1926, he tied for 8th-9th in Moscow (7th Moscow Championship) – Abram Rabinovich
Abram Rabinovich
Abram Rabinovich was a Lithuanian–Russian chess master.-Biography:...
won. In 1928, he won the 9th Moscow City Championship
Moscow City Chess Championship
-References: ****** from chessbase.com...
.
In 1929, Boris Verlinsky won the 6th Soviet Championship
USSR Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
, held in Odessa. Because of this he was awarded the title of Soviet Grandmaster, the first to be awarded this title, according to David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
. The title had been established in 1927, but was taken away in 1931 when the title was abolished. Later it was thought more politically correct to make 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...
the first Soviet GM, as occurred in 1935.
According to the site chessmetrics
Chessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
.com, Verlinsky was rated at 2627 in May 1926, and this placed him 16th in the world at that time. Chessmetrics provides historical ratings for players and events throughout chess history; the official International ratings were introduced by the World Chess Federation only in 1970. Chessmetrics uses similar calculation methods.
In 1930, Verlinsky took 7th in Moscow (A. Rabinovich won). In November 1931, he tied for 3rd-6th in Moscow (7th USSR Chess Championship), with a solid score of 10/17 – Botvinnik won. In February 1933, he took 2nd, behind Fedor Bogatyrchuk
Fedor Bogatyrchuk
Fedir Parfenovych Bohatyrchuk was a Ukrainian-Canadian International Master of chess, and an...
, in Moscow (Quadrangular). In 1933/34, he took 12th in Moscow (14th Moscow Championship).
Verlinsky was less active at chess in his later life, but could still provide a competitive test for strong masters. After many years away from top competition, he attempted to qualify for the Soviet Championship final in 1945, at age 53, but could only manage 4.5/15 in the semi-final, and did not advance. But he defeated rising star Bronstein in this event. Verlinsky's last major competitive event was the 1945 Moscow Championship, where he scored 5/16.
Verlinsky was awarded the International Master title in 1950, the same year he died at age 62.
Style and legacy
Verlinsky was exceptionally strong in the classical openings with both colours. At his peak, he was a formidable tactician who could provide a stiff battle for the very best players, as his wins over Alexander AlekhineAlexander 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...
, José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
, Efim Bogolyubov, Grigory Levenfish
Grigory Levenfish
Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish was a leading Jewish Russian chess grandmaster of the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice Soviet champion - in 1934 and 1937. In 1937 he tied a match against future world champion Mikhail Botvinnik...
, Akiba Rubinstein
Akiba Rubinstein
Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein was a famous Polish chess Grandmaster at the beginning of the 20th century. He was scheduled to play a match with Emanuel Lasker for the world championship in 1914, but it was cancelled because of the outbreak of World War I...
, Rudolf Spielmann
Rudolf Spielmann
Rudolf Spielmann was an Austrian-Jewish chess player of the romantic school, and chess writer.-Career:He was a lawyer but never worked as one....
, and David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
, among others, attest. His physical disability of being a deaf mute, and success at overcoming this in chess, is impressive. He was Jewish. Verlinsky never got a chance to compete outside the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union.
Notable chess games
- Peter Romanovsky vs Boris Verlinsky, All-Russian Championship, St. Petersburg 1909, Four Knights' Game (C49), 0-1 At just 21 years of age, Verlinsky makes a successful debut at the top level.
- Boris Verlinsky vs Alexander Alekhine, Odessa 1916, Scotch Game (C45), 1-0 Quite a tasty tactical victory.
- Boris Verlinsky vs Ilya Rabinovich, USSR Championship, Moscow 1924, Ruy Lopez, Closed, Bogolyubov Variation (C91), 1-0 Impressive positional triumph.
- Boris Verlinsky vs Grigory Levenfish, Moscow International 1925, Queen's Gambit Declined, Vienna Variation (D37), 1-0
- Jose Raul Capablanca vs Boris Verlinsky, Moscow International 1925, Queen's Pawn Game (D00), 0-1 It was exceptionally rare for Capablanca to lose to anyone, and virtually unheard of for him to be beaten up in this sort of tactical slugfest. Likely Verlinsky's best game, and one of the top games of the century.
- Boris Verlinsky vs Rudolf Spielmann, Moscow International 1925, Ruy Lopez, Closed Variation (C79), 1-0 Two skilled tacticians battle it out, and Verlinsky emerges on top.
- Boris Verlinsky vs Akiba Rubinstein, Moscow International 1925, Reti Opening (A09), 1-0 Verlinsky takes a shot with the hypermodern Reti, departing from his classical style, and scores a hard-fought win in a beautiful game.
- Boris Verlinsky vs Efim Bogolyubov, USSR Championship, Leningrad 1925, Nimzo-Indian Defence, Classical Variation (E38), 1-0 Verlinsky defeats Bogolyubov, the winner of the Moscow 1925 International tournament.
- Boris Verlinsky vs Fodor Bohatirchuk, USSR Championship, Moscow 1931, Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defence (C71), 1-0 The two Ukrainians, both of whom would be unfairly denied the Grandmaster title, showcase their classical chess prowess.
- Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Boris Verlinsky, USSR Championship semi-final, Kiev 1938, English Opening (A11), 0-1 Konstantinopolsky was one of the rising stars of that time, a five-time Kiev champion of the 1930s.
- Boris Verlinsky vs David Bronstein, USSR Championship semi-final, Moscow 1945, King's Indian Attack (A05), 1-0 Bronstein would go on to challenge for the world title six years later.