20 Facts About Isaac Boleslavsky

Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky was a Soviet chess grandmaster and writer.

In 1938, at nineteen, Isaac Boleslavsky won the Ukrainian Championship; the following year, he won the Ukraine SSR championship, qualified to play in the USSR Chess Championship at the age of 20, and gained his national chess master title.

Isaac Boleslavsky earned a degree in philology at Sverdlovsk University.

In 1940, Isaac Boleslavsky played in the 12th USSR championship final in Moscow.

Isaac Boleslavsky won eight of his last ten games and tied for fifth-sixth place with Mikhail Botvinnik, but lost their personal meeting.

Isaac Boleslavsky won nine games, drew six, and lost two.

Isaac Boleslavsky was awarded the Grandmaster title in the USSR.

Isaac Boleslavsky drew his first game with Reuben Fine and defeated him in the second game, winning a prize for the best game of the match.

Isaac Boleslavsky secured a clear advantage in the opening thanks to his superior pawn structure and won without allowing Fine much counterplay.

In 1946, Isaac Boleslavsky played abroad in an international tournament for the first time in Groningen and tied for sixth-seventh place.

In 1950 Isaac Boleslavsky was one of the inaugural recipients of the International Grandmaster title from FIDE.

In 1951, Isaac Boleslavsky was Bronstein's second during his match with Botvinnik for the world championship, which wound up drawn after 24 games.

In 1951 Isaac Boleslavsky moved to Minsk and that same year became the champion of this city.

Isaac Boleslavsky won the Belarusian Championship in 1952 and 1964.

Isaac Boleslavsky took first place at an international tournament in Debrecen.

Isaac Boleslavsky was world champion Tigran Petrosian's assistant from 1963 to 1969.

Isaac Boleslavsky was the chief trainer of the USSR Chess Federation in the 1960s, and he remained until his death a very well respected analyst and chess writer, particularly in opening theory.

Isaac Boleslavsky had a virtuoso feeling for the dynamics of the opening, and always aimed for a complicated and double-edged struggle, although by nature he was one of the most modest grandmasters with whom I have had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders.

Isaac Boleslavsky was a man of exceptional modesty and great culture.

Isaac Boleslavsky even beat Tal with the black pieces in Riga in 1958.