Zoltán von Balla was a Hungarian

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 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...

 champion.

In 1904, he took 11th in Coburg (14 DSB Congress

DSB Congress

The Deutschen Schachbund had been founded in Leipzig on 18 July 1877. When the next meeting took place in the Schützenhaus on 15 July 1879, sixty-two clubs had become member of the chess federation. Hofrat Rudolf von Gottschall became Chairman and Hermann Zwanziger the General Secretary...

, B tournament). In 1905, he took 10th in Vienna. In 1906, he won 1st Hungarian Championship

Hungarian Chess Championship

The inaugural Hungarian Chess Championship was held in the city of Győr in 1906. Initially, there was no governing body responsible for its organisation, until the formation of the Hungarian Chess Federation. The HCF first appeared in 1911, but failed to establish itself properly until 1923...

 in Györ

Gyor

-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...

. He shared the title with Zsigmond Barász

Zsigmond Barász

Zsigmond Barász was a Hungarian chess master.He took 2nd, behind Zoltán von Balla, at Györ 1906 and lost a match to him there; took 9th at Budapest 1906 , tied for 1st-2nd with Forgács at Budapest 1907 , and took 4th at Székesfehérvár 1907 .Barász won at...

 at Budapest 1911. He won at Györ 1911, took 18th at Breslau 1912 (18th DSB-Congress, Akiba Rubinstein

Akiba Rubinstein

Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein was a famous Polish chess Grandmaster at the beginning of the 20th century. He was scheduled to play a match with Emanuel Lasker for the world championship in 1914, but it was cancelled because of the outbreak of World War I...

 and Oldřich Duras

Oldrich Duras

Oldřich Duras was a leading Czech chess master of the early 20th century...

 won), tied for 7-8th at Pistyan 1912 (Rubinstein won), tied for 3rd-4th at Temesvár 1912, and tied for 4-5th at Budapest 1913 (Rudolf Spielmann

Rudolf Spielmann

Rudolf Spielmann was an Austrian-Jewish chess player of the romantic school, and chess writer.-Career:He was a lawyer but never worked as one....

 won).

In 1916, he took 2nd in Budapest. In 1918, he tied for 1st-2nd in Budapest. In 1918, he tied for 6-7th in Kaschau (Richard Réti

Richard Réti

Réti composed one of the most famous chess studies, shown in this diagram. It was published in Ostrauer Morgenzeitung 4 December 1921. It seems impossible for the white king to catch the advanced black pawn, while the white pawn can be easily stopped by the black king...

 won). In 1921, he took 5th in Budapest. In 1922, he tied for 12-13th in Pistyan (Efim Bogoljubow

Efim Bogoljubow

Efim Dmitriyevich Bogolyubov was a Russo-German chess grandmaster who won numerous events and played two matches with Alexander Alekhine for the world championship.-Early career:...

 won). In 1924, he won in Budapest. In 1925, he took 3rd in Budapest. In 1928, he took 9th in Budapest (José Raúl Capablanca

José Raúl Capablanca

José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...

 won).

In 1935, he tied for 17-18th in Tatatovaros (László Szabó

László Szabó (chess player)

László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...

 won). In 1939, he tied for 1st-2nd with László Szabó

László Szabó (chess player)

László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...

 in Budapest (Dori Memorial). In 1940, he tied for 4-5th in Budapest (Maróczy Jubilaeum, 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...

 won).

He died in a traffic accident with a Soviet

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....

 tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

 at the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.