Vladimir Liberzon
Encyclopedia
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...
– 4 August 1996) was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n–born Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i chess grandmaster.
Biography
Liberzon played in several Soviet championshipsUSSR 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...
, his best result being fourth at the 36th Championship, Alma-Ata 1968/69. Other results were less notable; his first entry led to a lowly finish at Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
1966/67, whereas he achieved solid mid-table performances 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...
1969 and 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,...
1970.
In tournaments he was first in Moscow (Central Chess Club-ch) in 1963, 1964, and 1965, fourth at Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies in the North Caucasian region of the country, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The closest airport is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody. Population:...
1964, fifth at Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
1965, second at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
1965, first at Zinnowitz
Zinnowitz
Zinnowitz is a spa town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the northern German island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea. The town has rail connections to Wolgast and Ahlbeck.-History:...
1967, first at Debrecen
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
1968, second at Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
1969, third at Dubna
Dubna
Dubna is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of naukograd , being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research centre and one of the largest scientific foundations in the country. It is also home to MKB Raduga, a defence aerospace company...
1971 and third equal at Luhačovice
Luhacovice
Luhačovice is a spa town in the Zlín Region, Moravia, Czech Republic.It occupies a valley, whose elevation is a minimum of 250 m above sea level...
.
Liberzon was the first grandmaster from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
who was allowed to emigrate to Israel in 1973. Consequently, he became Israel's first grandmaster. He won the Israeli Championship
Israeli Chess Championship
The Israeli Chess Championship is a chess event held every year in Israel.-History:From 1951-1971, the men's and women's championships were held every two years, eventually becoming an annual event...
in 1974.
Having transferred nationality, he continued to score well in international competitions, finishing first 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...
1974, first at Lone Pine
Lone Pine International
Lone Pine International was a series of chess tournaments held annually in March or April from 1971 through 1981 in Lone Pine, California. Sponsored by Louis D. Statham , millionaire engineer and inventor of medical instruments, the tournaments were formally titled the Louis D. Statham Masters...
1975, second equal at Netanya 1975, second equal at Reykjavik
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
1975, first equal at Beer-Sheva 1976, first equal at Netanya 1977, 3rd at Amsterdam 1977, first equal at Lone Pine 1979, and fourth equal at Beer-Sheva 1984.
Liberzon played for Israel in four 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...
s.
- In 1974, at first board in 21st Olympiad in NiceNiceNice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
(+4 –3 =8); - In 1976, at first board in 22nd Olympiad in HaifaHaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
(+2 –2 =6); - In 1978, at second board in 23rd Olympiad in Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(+1 –2 =6); - In 1980, at first board in 24th Olympiad in La Valletta (+2 –2 =5).
He was awarded the International Master (IM) title in 1963, and Grandmaster (GM) title in 1965.
According to William Hartston
William Hartston
William Roland Hartston is an English chess player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 with a highest Elo rating of 2515...
, in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, Liberzon was known for his disciplined professionalism and this made him one of the most consistent performers on the tournament circuit of the 1960s and 70s. His move to Israel was in all likelihood a catalyst for the great chess advances that occurred there in subsequent years. In terms of memorable games, Hartston cites the following effort, from Moscow 1963. It is the rarest of lessons in attacking chess, given that his opponent is none other than tactical maestro and former world champion, Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
. Most instructively, Liberzon makes the opposite-coloured bishops work in his favour. White: Vladimir Liberzon Black: Mikhail Tal Nimzo-Indian Defence
Nimzo-Indian Defence
The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:This hypermodern opening was developed by Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch who introduced it to master-level chess in the early 20th century. Unlike most Indian openings the Nimzo-Indian does not involve an immediate fianchetto,...
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 a3 dxc4 7 Bxc4 Bd6 8 Nf3 Nc6 9 Nb5 e5 10 Nxd6 Qxd6 11 dxe5 Qxd1+ 12 Kxd1 Ng4 13 Ke1 Ngxe5 14 Nxe5 Nxe5 15 Be2 Bf5 16 Bd2 Nd3+ 17 Bxd3 Bxd3 18 Rc1 Rac8 19 f3 c5 20 Kf2 f5 21 Rhg1 Rc6 22 Bc3 h5 23 h3 Rg6 24 a4 c4 25 Rgd1 Rd8 26 Rd2 Rd5 27 Rcd1 Rb6 28 a5 Rb3 29 Rg1 b5 30 axb6 axb6 31 g4 fxg4 32 hxg4 Rg5 33 gxh5 Rbb5 34 Rdd1 Kf7 35 e4 Kg8 36 Ke3 Kf8 37 Ra1 Rxg1 38 Rxg1 Rxh5 39 Rxg7 Bc2 40 Rb7 b5 41 e5 Bf5 42 Rxb5 Rh6 43 Rb8+ Ke7 44 Rb7+ Kd8 45 Ba5+ Ke8 46 Kf4 Bd3 47 Bb4 Kd8 48 Rg7 Ke8 49 Bd6 Be2 50 Kg5 Rh1 51 f4 Rh5+ 52 Kg6 Rh1 53 e6 Bd3+ 54 Kf6 1-0.
Other notable games
- Vladimir Liberzon vs Efim Geller, Leningrad 1961, Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense, C63, 1-0
- Vladimir Liberzon vs Tigran Petrosian, Moscow 1964, French Defense, Winawer Variation, C18, 1-0
- Yaacov Murey vs Vladimir Liberzon, Moscow 1965, Sicilian Defense, Paulsen, Bastrikov Variation, B49, 0-1
- Vladimir Liberzon vs Lajos Portisch, Yerevan 1965, Sicilian Defense, Sozin Variation, B89, 1-0
- Jan Timman vs Vladimir Liberzon, Venice 1974, French Defense, Advance Variation, Main Line, C02, 0-1
- Luděk Pachman vs Vladimir Liberzon, Netanya 1975, King's Indian, Sämisch, Orthodox, E87, 0-1
- Vladimir Liberzon vs Vladimir Tukmakov, Baleares 1989, Sicilian Defense, Richter-Rauzer, Neo-Modern Variation, B66, 1-0