Lubomir Ftácnik
Encyclopedia
Ľubomír Ftáčnik is a Slovak
chess
player and a former European Junior Champion.
He became European Junior Champion in 1976/77 and was awarded the International Master title shortly after. In 1980, he received the International Grandmaster
title and this heralded the start of a successful playing career in national and international competitions.
In his native Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
) he became national champion in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1985. In tournaments, there have bsrtjmfhkeen many outright first places, including Esbjerg 1982, Trnava 1983, Alltensteig 1987, Baden-Baden Open 1987, Vienna 1990 and the Parkroyal Surfers (Australia) 2000. At Cienfuegos 1980, Dortmund 1981 and Lugano 1988, he shared first place and at Hradec Králové in 1981, he was runner-up. In 1987 he drew a match with Kiril Georgiev
, the strong Bulgarian grandmaster.
At the Chess Olympiad
, he has represented first Czechoslovakia and then Slovakia from 1980 onwards, missing out only in 1998. His major triumph occurred in 1982, when an admirable 67.9% score helped the Czechoslovaks win the silver medal, very much against expectation. Oddly, his brilliant performance with the black pieces totally overshadowed his results with white, an unusual outcome at such a high level.
In recent years he has spent more time travelling abroad and is an occasional visitor to the USA, where he has attended chess summer camps, promoted his book (Winning The Won Game - 2004 Batsford/Chrysalis, co-authored with Danny Kopec
) and played in tournaments. In 2006, he finished joint first at the Las Vegas
National Open and followed up with an outright win at the South Carolina
Open.
He also played the Amsterdam 2006 event and finished a creditable half point off the leaders, in what was a very strong field (Tiviakov, Timman, Nijboer, Tukmakov among others).
Ftáčnik plays league chess in the German Bundesliga
and has also made occasional appearances in the 4NCL
. He has a son, Martin, born 1985. His twin brother, Jan Ftáčnik, is a physicist at the Physics Department of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. His older brother, Milan Ftáčnik, is the mayor of the Slovakia capital city, Bratislava
.
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
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 and a former European Junior Champion.
He became European Junior Champion in 1976/77 and was awarded the International Master title shortly after. In 1980, he received the International Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
title and this heralded the start of a successful playing career in national and international competitions.
In his native Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) he became national champion in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1985. In tournaments, there have bsrtjmfhkeen many outright first places, including Esbjerg 1982, Trnava 1983, Alltensteig 1987, Baden-Baden Open 1987, Vienna 1990 and the Parkroyal Surfers (Australia) 2000. At Cienfuegos 1980, Dortmund 1981 and Lugano 1988, he shared first place and at Hradec Králové in 1981, he was runner-up. In 1987 he drew a match with Kiril Georgiev
Kiril Georgiev
Kiril Dimitrov Georgiev is a Bulgarian chess master and three times the national champion. He should not be confused with fellow Bulgarian chess player Krum Georgiev....
, the strong Bulgarian grandmaster.
At the 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...
, he has represented first Czechoslovakia and then Slovakia from 1980 onwards, missing out only in 1998. His major triumph occurred in 1982, when an admirable 67.9% score helped the Czechoslovaks win the silver medal, very much against expectation. Oddly, his brilliant performance with the black pieces totally overshadowed his results with white, an unusual outcome at such a high level.
In recent years he has spent more time travelling abroad and is an occasional visitor to the USA, where he has attended chess summer camps, promoted his book (Winning The Won Game - 2004 Batsford/Chrysalis, co-authored with Danny Kopec
Danny Kopec
Dr. Danny Kopec is an international chess master, author, and computer science professor at Brooklyn College. He graduated from Dartmouth College in the class of 1975...
) and played in tournaments. In 2006, he finished joint first at the Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
National Open and followed up with an outright win at the South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
Open.
He also played the Amsterdam 2006 event and finished a creditable half point off the leaders, in what was a very strong field (Tiviakov, Timman, Nijboer, Tukmakov among others).
Ftáčnik plays league chess in the German Bundesliga
Chess Bundesliga
The term Chess Bundesliga , normally refers to the premier league of team chess in Germany. It is arguably the strongest and longest running league of its kind, attracting many top grandmasters from Europe and beyond....
and has also made occasional appearances in the 4NCL
4NCL
4NCL is an acronym, standing for Four Nations Chess League; the four nations being England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The league is however truly international, with players from as many as 27 different countries taking part....
. He has a son, Martin, born 1985. His twin brother, Jan Ftáčnik, is a physicist at the Physics Department of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. His older brother, Milan Ftáčnik, is the mayor of the Slovakia capital city, Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
.