Wolfgang Heidenfeld
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Heidenfeld was a chess
player.
Heidenfeld was born in Berlin. He was forced to move from Germany to South Africa because he was a Jew. There, he won the South African Chess Championship
eight times, and he represented South Africa in the Chess Olympiad
in 1958. Besides chess-playing he was also a writer, door to door salesman, journalist, and designer of crossword puzzles
. His hobbies were poker
, bridge
and collecting stamps
as well as playing chess. During World War II he helped decode German messages for the Allies
.
In 1955 he beat former world champion
Max Euwe
. He also won games against Miguel Najdorf
, Joaquim Durao and Ludek Pachman
. He never became an International Master—he did eventually attain the required qualifications but declined to accept the award from FIDE
.
He wrote several chess books including Chess Springbok, My Book of Fun and Games, Grosse Remispartien (in German; an English edition entitled Draw!, edited by John Nunn, was published in 1982), and Lacking the Master Touch (1970).
In 1957, after visiting Ireland, he moved to Dublin. In 1979 the family moved back to Ulm
where he died two years later.
Heidenfeld was Irish Champion
in 1958, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, and 1972.
He was in the Olympiad team in 1966, 1968, 1970 and 1974; and in the European Championships team in 1967.
His son Mark Heidenfeld is an International Master, has also played chess for Ireland and won the Irish Chess Championship
in 2000.
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.
Heidenfeld was born in Berlin. He was forced to move from Germany to South Africa because he was a Jew. There, he won the South African Chess Championship
South African Chess Championship
The first South African Chess Championship was organised in 1892 by the Cape Town Chess Club. Nowadays the Championship is organised by Chess South Africa , the governing body of chess in South Africa. The tournament is normally held every two years...
eight times, and he represented South Africa in 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...
in 1958. Besides chess-playing he was also a writer, door to door salesman, journalist, and designer of crossword puzzles
Crossword
A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer...
. His hobbies were poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
and collecting stamps
Philately
Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
as well as playing chess. During World War II he helped decode German messages for the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
.
In 1955 he beat former world champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
Max Euwe
Max Euwe
Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...
. He also won games against Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation....
, Joaquim Durao and Ludek Pachman
Ludek Pachman
Luděk Pachman was a Czechoslovak-German chess grandmaster, chess writer, and political activist. In 1972, after being imprisoned and tortured almost to death by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, he was allowed to emigrate to West Germany...
. He never became an International Master—he did eventually attain the required qualifications but declined to accept the award from FIDE
Fédération Internationale des Échecs
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE , its French acronym.FIDE...
.
He wrote several chess books including Chess Springbok, My Book of Fun and Games, Grosse Remispartien (in German; an English edition entitled Draw!, edited by John Nunn, was published in 1982), and Lacking the Master Touch (1970).
In 1957, after visiting Ireland, he moved to Dublin. In 1979 the family moved back to Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
where he died two years later.
Heidenfeld was Irish Champion
Irish Chess Championship
The Irish Chess Championship is the national Championship of Ireland as run by the Irish Chess Union , the governing body for the sport and a member of FIDE since 1933. Below are the list of winners for the Men's and Women's titles. Note that women are currently admitted to the Men's tournament....
in 1958, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, and 1972.
He was in the Olympiad team in 1966, 1968, 1970 and 1974; and in the European Championships team in 1967.
His son Mark Heidenfeld is an International Master, has also played chess for Ireland and won the Irish Chess Championship
Irish Chess Championship
The Irish Chess Championship is the national Championship of Ireland as run by the Irish Chess Union , the governing body for the sport and a member of FIDE since 1933. Below are the list of winners for the Men's and Women's titles. Note that women are currently admitted to the Men's tournament....
in 2000.