Isaac Lipnitsky
Encyclopedia
Isaac Oskarovich Lipnitsky (Lipnitski) (Kiev
, January 1923 – Kiev, March 1959) was a Ukrainian
-Soviet chess
player of close to Grandmaster strength. He was a two-time Ukrainian champion (1949, 1956), and was among Ukraine's top half-dozen players from 1948 to 1956. He was a chess theoretician and professional teacher.
in Kiev. In Bronstein's acclaimed 1995 book, co-authored with Tom Furstenberg, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Bronstein and Lipnitsky are pictured together in a group photo from the Kiev Junior Chess Club in 1939, and Bronstein includes an early drawn game of high calibre from 1938 against Lipnitsky in his collection.
Lipnitsky qualified for his first Ukrainian Championship in 1939 at Dnepropetrovsk at age 16, and he made a very creditable 7th place, with 8/15 (+5 =6 -4), half a point ahead of Bronstein, who was also making his debut at age 15. The Second World War then suspended most chess competition in the USSR for the next half-dozen years. Lipnitsky served in the Soviet Red Army, fought in the Battle of Stalingrad
, and was decorated four times.
Lipnitsky's first result of note after the war in high-level competition was a tie for 5th-8th places in the 1948 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev with 11/18, only half a point behind winner Anatoly Bannik
, another childhood rival from the Kiev Junior Chess Club. In a tournament at Kharkov 1948, Lipnitsky scored 7.5/15, to place 11th.
title. Efim Geller
was second; Geller later became a world-class Grandmaster.
Lipnitsky had by far the best result of his career at Moscow
in 1950 at the URS-ch18, where he scored a superb 11/17 (+8 =6 -3), to tie for 2nd-4th places, along with Lev Aronin
and Alexander Tolush
, only half a point behind champion Paul Keres
. This was good for a 2729 performance on the chessmetrics
.com site. Chessmetrics ranks him at #12 in the world on its December 1950 rating list, at 2700.
In the 1950 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, Lipnitsky scored 12/17 to place a strong second. In the 1952 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, Lipnitsky finished in a tied 5th-6th place with 8.5/15.
Then in the 1953 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, he ended up in a tied 3rd-4th place, with 8.5/13.
Lipnitsky did not do anywhere near as well in the next two Soviet Championships, however. In URS-ch19, Moscow 1951, Lipnitsky scored just 6.5/17 (+4 =5 -8), for a tied 15th-16th place, and a 2588 performance. At URS-ch20, Moscow 1952, Lipnitsky made only 7/19 (+3 =8 -8), for 17th place, and a 2567 performance.
Lipnitsky scored a very good 7/10 in the 1954 USSR Team Championship at Riga
. He won the Ukrainian Championship again in 1956 at Kiev with 15/19, this time a point ahead of Bannik, who was second.
, Vasily Smyslov
, Tigran Petrosian
, Alexander Kotov
, Yuri Averbakh
, Igor Bondarevsky
, Mark Taimanov
, Efim Geller
, Semyon Furman
, Lev Aronin
, Alexei Suetin, Ilya Kan
, and Evgeny Vasiukov, among others. He had a wide opening repertoire with both colours, and his style was positional in nature, with tactics not dominating, but flowing from the situation.
Lipnitsky died at age 36 in Kiev in 1959. There is a selection of 47 of his games at chessgames.com. Chessbase.com has 101 of his games, while the site mychess.com has the largest collection with 138 of his games. Many of these games are duplicated between sites. Most of his Ukrainian Championship games are currently missing from these database collections.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, January 1923 – Kiev, March 1959) was a Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
-Soviet 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...
player of close to Grandmaster strength. He was a two-time Ukrainian champion (1949, 1956), and was among Ukraine's top half-dozen players from 1948 to 1956. He was a chess theoretician and professional teacher.
Early life
Isaac Lipnitsky was a childhood companion and chess rival of David BronsteinDavid 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...
in Kiev. In Bronstein's acclaimed 1995 book, co-authored with Tom Furstenberg, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Bronstein and Lipnitsky are pictured together in a group photo from the Kiev Junior Chess Club in 1939, and Bronstein includes an early drawn game of high calibre from 1938 against Lipnitsky in his collection.
Lipnitsky qualified for his first Ukrainian Championship in 1939 at Dnepropetrovsk at age 16, and he made a very creditable 7th place, with 8/15 (+5 =6 -4), half a point ahead of Bronstein, who was also making his debut at age 15. The Second World War then suspended most chess competition in the USSR for the next half-dozen years. Lipnitsky served in the Soviet Red Army, fought in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
, and was decorated four times.
Lipnitsky's first result of note after the war in high-level competition was a tie for 5th-8th places in the 1948 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev with 11/18, only half a point behind winner Anatoly Bannik
Anatoly Bannik
Anatoly Bannik is a Ukrainian Chess Master, who was of Grandmaster strength during his peak years. He is a five-time Ukrainian champion, and qualified for the Soviet Chess Championship final seven times. He was among the top half-dozen Ukrainian players from 1944 to 1966...
, another childhood rival from the Kiev Junior Chess Club. In a tournament at Kharkov 1948, Lipnitsky scored 7.5/15, to place 11th.
Ukrainian Champion, Soviet runner-up
Lipnitsky won the Ukrainian Championship in 1949 at Kiev, with a very strong 15.5/19 (+14 =3 -2). This earned him the MasterChess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
title. Efim Geller
Efim Geller
Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions...
was second; Geller later became a world-class Grandmaster.
Lipnitsky had by far the best result of his career at Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1950 at the URS-ch18, where he scored a superb 11/17 (+8 =6 -3), to tie for 2nd-4th places, along with Lev Aronin
Lev Aronin
Lev Aronin was a Soviet International Master of chess. He was a meteorologist by profession.- Early years :...
and Alexander Tolush
Alexander Tolush
Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush was a Soviet Russian chess grandmaster. He was one of Boris Spassky's mentors. Tolush was born and died in Saint Petersburg...
, only half a point behind champion 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....
. This was good for a 2729 performance on the 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 site. Chessmetrics ranks him at #12 in the world on its December 1950 rating list, at 2700.
In the 1950 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, Lipnitsky scored 12/17 to place a strong second. In the 1952 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, Lipnitsky finished in a tied 5th-6th place with 8.5/15.
Then in the 1953 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, he ended up in a tied 3rd-4th place, with 8.5/13.
Lipnitsky did not do anywhere near as well in the next two Soviet Championships, however. In URS-ch19, Moscow 1951, Lipnitsky scored just 6.5/17 (+4 =5 -8), for a tied 15th-16th place, and a 2588 performance. At URS-ch20, Moscow 1952, Lipnitsky made only 7/19 (+3 =8 -8), for 17th place, and a 2567 performance.
Lipnitsky scored a very good 7/10 in the 1954 USSR Team Championship at Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. He won the Ukrainian Championship again in 1956 at Kiev with 15/19, this time a point ahead of Bannik, who was second.
Legacy and style
Lipnitsky never got the chance to compete internationally in an individual tournament, missing out on the chance to earn international chess titles. Very few Soviet players got the chance to compete internationally during those years, and invitations were controlled by the Soviet Chess Federation. In the Ukraine of his peak years, the region had more than 30 million people, and chess was very popular, with many strong players. By the chess standards of the 21st century, with Ukraine now an independent nation since 1991, Lipnitsky was certainly of International Master standard, and likely Grandmaster level. Lipnitsky achieved victories over most of the top Soviet players of his era during his peak years from 1948–56, including Paul KeresPaul 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....
, Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
, 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...
, Alexander Kotov
Alexander Kotov
Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov was a Soviet chess grandmaster and author. He was a Soviet champion, a two-time world title Candidate, and a prolific chess author. Kotov served in high posts in the Soviet Chess Federation and most of his books were written during the period of Cold War between the...
, Yuri Averbakh
Yuri Averbakh
Yuri Lvovich Averbakh is a Soviet and Russian chess player and author. He is currently the oldest living chess grandmaster.-Life and career:...
, Igor Bondarevsky
Igor Bondarevsky
Igor Zakharovich Bondarevsky was a Soviet Russian chess Grandmaster in both over-the-board and correspondence chess, an International Arbiter, trainer, and chess author...
, Mark Taimanov
Mark Taimanov
Mark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top...
, Efim Geller
Efim Geller
Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions...
, Semyon Furman
Semyon Furman
Semyon Abramovich Furman was a Soviet chess International Grandmaster and trainer. He is best known for developing Anatoly Karpov into a World Chess Champion, but was a formidable player himself, as well as a successful coach for several other world-class players...
, Lev Aronin
Lev Aronin
Lev Aronin was a Soviet International Master of chess. He was a meteorologist by profession.- Early years :...
, Alexei Suetin, Ilya Kan
Ilya Kan
Ilya Abramovich Kan , was a Russian / Soviet International Master of Chess.He played ten times in Soviet Championships. In 1929, he took 3rd in Odessa . In 1931, he took 7th in Moscow . In 1933, he took 9th in Leningrad...
, and Evgeny Vasiukov, among others. He had a wide opening repertoire with both colours, and his style was positional in nature, with tactics not dominating, but flowing from the situation.
Lipnitsky died at age 36 in Kiev in 1959. There is a selection of 47 of his games at chessgames.com. Chessbase.com has 101 of his games, while the site mychess.com has the largest collection with 138 of his games. Many of these games are duplicated between sites. Most of his Ukrainian Championship games are currently missing from these database collections.
Personal life
Isaac was son of Oscar (d. 1975) and Sima (d. 1958) and had one brother (Don). He didn't marry. During WW2, he served as a corporal in an anti spy unit. Lipnitsky died at age 36 in Kiev in 1959. The cause of death was polycythaemia, a kind of chronic leucosis. It is mentioned in a book "Isaak Lipnitsky" by Vadim Teplitsky (Israel, 1993, in Russian).Notable chess games
- Isaak Lipnitsky vs Tigran Petrosian, USSR Championship, Moscow 1950, Bogo-Indian Defence (E11), 1-0 It's a very tough maneuvering endgame win over a future World Champion.
- Isaak Lipnitsky vs Vasily Smyslov, USSR Championship, Moscow 1950, Queen's Gambit Declined, Slav Defence, Exchange Variation (D13), 1-0 Smyslov, another future World Champion, is a master of the endgame, but here Lipnitsky proves just a bit too tough with a patient strategical victory.
- Alexander Kotov vs Isaak Lipnitsky, USSR Championship, Moscow 1951, Nimzo-Indian Defence, Classical Variation (E35), 0-1 Some very clever tactics feature in this Kingside attack.
- Alexei Suetin vs Isaak Lipnitsky, USSR Championship, Moscow 1952, Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defence (C79), 0-1 Black whips up a dandy attack after White's Queen goes pawnhunting.
- Isaak Lipnitsky vs Ilya Kan, USSR Championship, Moscow 1952, Sicilian Defence, Kan/Paulsen Variation (B43), 1-0 Kan's special variation takes a beating.
- Isaak Lipnitsky vs Evgeniy Vasiukov, USSR Team Championship, Voroshilovgrad 1955, King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation (E60), 1-0 Black's slightly offbeat opening strategy gets slowly squeezed.