Milunka Lazarevic
Encyclopedia
Milunka Lazarević is a Serbian chess
player and journalist. For many years, she was Yugoslavia's foremost woman player and became a contender for the Women's World Chess Championship
.
She was taught chess by her father at the age of fourteen and quickly became recognised as a talent in the game. Progressing to become Yugoslavia's leading woman player, she won the national championship
eleven times between 1952 and 1982. It was during this period that she enjoyed a rivalry with compatriot Vera Nedeljkovic, the two regularly placing well in both domestic and international competition. Her playing style developed to be both exciting and imaginative, although there were occasions when this caused her to overplay the position, particularly against weaker players. According to Anne Sunnucks
, this often robbed her of first prize.
Among her most notable early results were those from four zonal tournaments; she finished joint third at Herceg Novi
1954, joint second at Venice
1957, joint first at Vrnjacka Banja
1960 and third at Bad Neuenahr 1963. Her best result was to tie for first place at the World Championship Candidates Tournament
in Sukhumi
1964. Unsuccessful in the play-off with Alla Kushnir
and Tatiana Zatulovskaya
, she missed the chance to challenge Nona Gaprindashvili
for the Women's World Championship in 1965.
Later achievements included a share of second place at the Ohrid
Interzonal
1971 (after Nana Alexandria
). There were also outright or shared first places at Wijk aan Zee
, Belgrade
, Emmen (all 1972) and the Travnik
zonal tournament of 1978. In team chess, she competed on board one for Yugoslavia at several Women's Olympiad
s between 1963-84, winning a silver team medal at Split
in 1963.
Described by Sunnucks as an attractive redhead, Lazarevic spent many years working as a journalist and penned articles on Garry Kasparov
and Boris Spassky
for the magazine New In Chess
. While her most active playing days subsided in the 1980s, she has not retired from the game altogether, participating at tournaments on a number of occasions in 2006 and 2008.
Lazarevic qualified as a Woman International Master in 1954 and a Woman Grandmaster in 1976. Additionally, she was awarded the International Arbiter
title in 1970.
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 journalist. For many years, she was Yugoslavia's foremost woman player and became a contender for the Women's World Chess Championship
Women's World Chess Championship
The Women's World Chess Championship is played to determine the women's world champion in chess. Like the World Chess Championship, it is administered by FIDE....
.
She was taught chess by her father at the age of fourteen and quickly became recognised as a talent in the game. Progressing to become Yugoslavia's leading woman player, she won the national championship
Yugoslav Chess Championship
The Yugoslav Chess Championship is a tournament with great tradition, held to determine the national champion. It was a very strong event especially in the period 1945–1991, when it represented players from six federal republics, today independent countries....
eleven times between 1952 and 1982. It was during this period that she enjoyed a rivalry with compatriot Vera Nedeljkovic, the two regularly placing well in both domestic and international competition. Her playing style developed to be both exciting and imaginative, although there were occasions when this caused her to overplay the position, particularly against weaker players. According to Anne Sunnucks
Anne Sunnucks
Patricia Anne Sunnucks is an author and the several time British Women's Chess Champion .Although she learned how to play chess at age 8, she did not play seriously until age 21 when she joined the same chess club as Imre König, who became her tutor...
, this often robbed her of first prize.
Among her most notable early results were those from four zonal tournaments; she finished joint third at 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...
1954, joint second at Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
1957, joint first at Vrnjacka Banja
Vrnjacka Banja
Vrnjačka Banja is a town, municipality, and a resort, mineral spa located in Raška District of Serbia. It contains the world's only hot spring with a temperature measuring exactly that of the human body ....
1960 and third at Bad Neuenahr 1963. Her best result was to tie for first place at the World Championship Candidates Tournament
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
in Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
1964. Unsuccessful in the play-off with Alla Kushnir
Alla Kushnir
Alla Shulimovna Kushnir is a Russian–born Israeli chess Woman Grandmaster.Kushnir was thrice Women's World Chess Championship Challenger. She lost matches for the title to Nona Gaprindashvili:* +3 –7 =3 at Riga 1965;* +2 –6 =5 at Tbilisi–Moscow 1969;...
and Tatiana Zatulovskaya
Tatiana Zatulovskaya
Tatiana Yakovlevna Zatulovskaya is a Soviet, Russian, and Israeli chess player, Woman Grandmaster, and the 1993 Senior Women's World Chess Champion...
, she missed the chance to challenge Nona Gaprindashvili
Nona Gaprindashvili
Nona Gaprindashvili is a Georgian chess player, the sixth women's world chess champion , and first female Grandmaster. Born in Zugdidi, Georgia , she was the strongest female player of her generation....
for the Women's World Championship in 1965.
Later achievements included a share of second place at the Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
Interzonal
Interzonal
Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
1971 (after Nana Alexandria
Nana Alexandria
Nana Alexandria is a Georgian chess Woman Grandmaster and International Arbiter . She was the challenger in two matches for the Women's World Chess Championship....
). There were also outright or shared first places at Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament formerly Corus chess tournament and before that called Hoogovens tournament takes place there every year.Due...
, 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...
, Emmen (all 1972) and the Travnik
Travnik
Travnik is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, 90 km west of Sarajevo. It is the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton, and is located in the Travnik Municipality. Travnik today has some 27,000 residents, with a metro population that is probably close to 70,000 people...
zonal tournament of 1978. In team chess, she competed on board one for Yugoslavia at several Women's 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 between 1963-84, winning a silver team medal at Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
in 1963.
Described by Sunnucks as an attractive redhead, Lazarevic spent many years working as a journalist and penned articles on Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
and 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...
for the magazine New In Chess
New In Chess
New In Chess is a chess magazine that appears eight times a year with chief editors International Grandmaster Jan Timman and Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam. It contains notes by top players and chess prodigies on their own games...
. While her most active playing days subsided in the 1980s, she has not retired from the game altogether, participating at tournaments on a number of occasions in 2006 and 2008.
Lazarevic qualified as a Woman International Master in 1954 and a Woman Grandmaster in 1976. Additionally, she was awarded the International Arbiter
International Arbiter
In chess, International Arbiter is a title awarded by FIDE to individuals deemed capable of acting as arbiter in important chess matches . The title was established in 1951....
title in 1970.
Notable game
- Lazarevic - Vreeken, 1-0, Sicilian Najdorf, Split 1963. Won Best Game Prize for 'Best Ending' at the 2nd Women's Olympiad.