Dimitrije Bjelica
Encyclopedia
Dimitrije Bjelica is a Serbia
n (formerly Yugoslav
) chess
FIDE Master who can be found in the Guinness Book of Records for playing a 312-board simul
in Subotica
in 1997 (score: +219 −1 =92). Bjelica is also one of the most prolific chess authors in the world, with over 80 books in 180 editions and 55 videos and CDs to his name. He has organised many big events and was the arbiter at tournaments like Linares
. Chess historian Edward Winter
contends that Bjelica's books are rife with misspellings and sometimes contain plagiarized
material.
Bjelica also claims to have played a record-breaking 56 games of blindfold chess
in a May 25, 1997 simultaneous exhibition
(+51 −1 =4) at Igalo
, near Herceg Novi
. However, Eliot Hearst and John Knott write:
Bjelica is the author of thousands of published newspaper and magazine articles about chess. Based in Belgrade
, he has interviewed at one time or another virtually all of the world's leading chess players.
Bjelica is known for his annual awards of "Black Oscars" in chess. The most frequent winners of these Black Oscars are Aleksandar Matanović
, Georgios Makropoulos, Florencio Campomanes
and Geurt Gijssen. He also awards White Oscars, which most often go to Anatoly Karpov
and Borislav Ivkov
.
Dimitrije Bjelica is the father of Serbian writer Isidora Bjelica
.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n (formerly Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
) 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...
FIDE Master who can be found in the Guinness Book of Records for playing a 312-board simul
Simultaneous exhibition
A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is a board game exhibition in which one player plays multiple games at a time with a number of other players. Such an exhibition is often referred to simply as a "simul".In a regular simul, no chess clocks are used...
in Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
in 1997 (score: +219 −1 =92). Bjelica is also one of the most prolific chess authors in the world, with over 80 books in 180 editions and 55 videos and CDs to his name. He has organised many big events and was the arbiter at tournaments like Linares
Linares chess tournament
The Linares International Chess Tournament , is an annual chess tournament, usually played around the end of February, takes its name from the city of Linares in the Jaén province of Andalusia, Spain, in which it is held...
. Chess historian Edward Winter
Edward Winter (chess historian)
Edward Winter is an English journalist, archivist, historian, collector and author about the game of chess. He writes a regular column on that subject, Chess Notes, and is also a regular columnist for ChessBase.-Chess Notes:...
contends that Bjelica's books are rife with misspellings and sometimes contain plagiarized
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
material.
Bjelica also claims to have played a record-breaking 56 games of blindfold chess
Blindfold chess
Blindfold chess is a form of chess play wherein the players do not see the positions of the pieces or touch them. This forces players to maintain a mental model of the positions of the pieces...
in a May 25, 1997 simultaneous exhibition
Simultaneous exhibition
A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is a board game exhibition in which one player plays multiple games at a time with a number of other players. Such an exhibition is often referred to simply as a "simul".In a regular simul, no chess clocks are used...
(+51 −1 =4) at Igalo
Igalo
Igalo is a town next to Herceg-Novi which is accessible via the E65/E80 North headed to Dubrovnik, Croatia. According to the 2003 Census, it has a population of 3,754...
, near Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants...
. However, Eliot Hearst and John Knott write:
The Exhibition was played at the International Congress of Nurses and his opponents were all woman nurses. The game he lost was to his mother, at that time more than 80 years old. ... Bjelica reports that the exhibition lasted seven hours and that in several games his version of chess, Chess for Peace, was used, in which the bishops standing initially on f1 and f8 were replaced by pawns. He told us that none of his opponents had chess ratings but "some of them were very good." ... Tellingly and surprisingly, he admitted that he was permitted to write down whatever he liked during the exhibition ... .
Bjelica is the author of thousands of published newspaper and magazine articles about chess. Based in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, he has interviewed at one time or another virtually all of the world's leading chess players.
Bjelica is known for his annual awards of "Black Oscars" in chess. The most frequent winners of these Black Oscars are Aleksandar Matanović
Aleksandar Matanovic
Aleksandar Matanović is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was born in Belgrade.Awarded the GM title in 1955, he was junior champion of Yugoslavia in 1948 and Yugoslav national champion in 1962 , 1969 and 1978...
, Georgios Makropoulos, Florencio Campomanes
Florencio Campomanes
Florencio Campomanes was a Filipino political scientist, chess player, and chess organizer.- Education :...
and Geurt Gijssen. He also awards White Oscars, which most often go to 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...
and Borislav Ivkov
Borislav Ivkov
Borislav Ivkov is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was the first ever World Junior Champion in 1951. He won the Yugoslav Championship in 1958 , 1963 and 1972. He was a World championship candidate in 1965, and played in four more Interzonal tournaments, in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979...
.
Dimitrije Bjelica is the father of Serbian writer Isidora Bjelica
Isidora Bjelica
Isidora Bjelica is a Serbian writer. She was born in Sarajevo, then in Yugoslavia, now in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is the daughter of the famous chess author and journalist, Dimitrije Bjelica. She is married to professor Nebojša Pajkić who co-authored one of her books...
.