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| May-04-06 | | JustAFish: Just for clarification <sleepdeprived> is that family Friend of Unzicker I mentioned above. I suspect he's living up to his name, today, working nights, playing too much online chess (is that possible) and probably typing that message in a blur... :-) |
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May-09-06
 | | IMlday: Max Euwe was the model for amateur players who could still aspire to the World Championship. He was a math prof who played chess. Unzicker, Hubner, Taimanov etc. followed that model.
Considering eccentric champs like Alekhine and Fischer, I find it reassuring that a successful career and happy family life can be an alternative to monomania. The obit I wrote for Toronto Star Syndicate (may 6, 06):::::::::: German Grandmaster Wolfgang Unzicker (1925-2006) died recently of heart failure while
vacationing in Portugal. He was the top German player throughout the 1950s and '60s
regularly appearing as top board on their Olympic teams. Most players of his strength
would have turned professional but Unzicker maintained a career, first as a lawyer and
then a judge. Anatoly Karpov referred to him as "World Champion of Amateurs". He first
drew international attention with his board one performance at the Dubrovnik Olympics of
1950 where he shared the individual Gold with Argentina's Miguel Najdorf. FIDE awarded
him the GM title in 1954. While establishing a family (three sons) and career he played
relatively rarely until the mid-60s when he had his best performances. In 1965 he shared
first with Boris Spassky at the Chigorin Memorial in Sochi and in 1967 he won at Maribor
ahead of Sammy Reshevsky. Invited to the elite 1966 Piatigorsky Cup in Santa Monica he
took fourth place behind Spassky, Bobby Fischer and Bent Larsen but ahead of Reshevsky,
Najdorf and then World Champion Tigran Petrosian. Unzicker was always popular for his
diplomacy, fair-mindedness and sense of humour. A veteran's event was organized at Mainz
to celebrate his 80th birthday. Spassky, Karpov and Victor Korchnoi turned out to play
against him.
His chess style was very classical although he considered himself more of a tactician
than a strategist.
Played in Moscow 1956:
White: W. Unzicker Black: P. Keres
Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O
9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7
[Chigorin's Variation is considered by many to be the epitome of correct classical chess.
Unzicker and Paul Keres reached this position many times against each other quite
regardless of colours.]
12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.Nb3 Bb7
[Keres tried many different moves here including Unzicker's preferred choice of 14..a5.]
15.Bg5 h6 16.Bh4 Nb4?!
[Keres-Bronstein, Candidates, 1956 varied with 16..Nh5 17.d5 Nd8!? 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 with
balanced chances.]
17.Bb1 Rac8 18.Re2 Nh5 19.a3 Nc6 20.d5 Nb8
[The more solid 20..Nd8 is impossible because 21.Rc2 Qd7 22.Nxe5 de 23.Qxh5 wins a pawn.
But now the unprotected B/b7 allows a different combination.]
21.Rc2
{CG: i should note Leonard ♗arden in The Guardian considered this move to be the key error.}
21..Qd8 22.Na5! Rxc2 23.Nxb7 Qc7 24.Qxc2 Qxb7
25.Bxe7 Rc8
[Since 25..Qxe7 26.Ba2 and 27.Rc1 would give White a decisive grip on the open c-file.]
26.Bxd6!! Rxc2 27.Bxc2 f6 28.Bb3 Nf4
29.Rd1
[In general a Queen is worth about a Rook, Bishop and Pawn but here the passed pawn is
very strong.]
29..Nd7 30.Rd2 Nb6 31.Bc7 Nc4 32.d6 Ne6
33.Ba5 Nc5 34.Bb4 Nd7 35.Rc2 a5
[Time trouble, but the position was beyond salvage anyway.]
36.Bxa5 Qxe4 37.Nd2 Qd3 38.Rxc4 Kh7 39.Bc2 Black resigned. |
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| May-22-06 | | Calli: Chess Note 4373 has a rare picture of Unzicker playing Alekhine at a simul in 1941. http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/... Whats the opening?
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May-24-06
 | | Benzol: Pity nobody kept a score of the game. There's no official game between Unzicker and Alyekhin. At least according to Skinner & Verhoeven. |
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| Feb-19-08 | | wolfmaster: RIP Unzy. |
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| Jun-26-08 | | brankat: R.I.P. GM Unzicker. |
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Oct-25-08
 | | GrahamClayton: Unzicker's first tournament success was the Augsburg tournament in October/November 1946, which he won with a score of 14/16. Source: Anthony Wright "Australian Chess - 1949 to 1960", Melbourne, 2004 |
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| Jun-26-09 | | furrer: There is a mistake in his bio: its Olympiad not Olypiad. |
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| Jun-26-09 | | whiteshark: unforgotten
R.I.P. Wolfgang |
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| Jun-26-09 | | WhiteRook48: R.I.P. Unzicker |
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| Jun-11-10 | | Cushion: It is a shame so few people have gone here. |
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| Jun-26-10 | | wordfunph: Anatoly Karpov called Wolfgang Unzicker "The World Champion Among Amateurs".. |
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Oct-08-10
 | | Eric Schiller: Here is a great game on video, not yet in the database.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Gl... |
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| May-23-12 | | RookFile: Wolfgang sounds like the coolest name ever to me.
He was an extremely strong player, of course. |
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| Jun-26-12 | | LoveThatJoker: GM Unzicker, today you are remembered!
LTJ |
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Jun-26-12
 | | eternaloptimist: Wolfgang Unzicker was w/o a doubt a very strong player, a legend of the game & was very knowledgable in the Ruy Lopez (especially the open variation) & the Sicilian defense.
He defeated several strong GMs including Tal, Saemisch, Keres, Fischer, Stein, Stoltz, Hort & Gallagher. Like LTJ said he will be remembered. |
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| Jun-26-13 | | brankat: Always fondly remembered. |
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| Jun-26-13 | | SimonWebbsTiger: I had the very great pleasure of playing against and chatting with Dr. Ferdinand Unzicker at Politiken Cup 2010. Ferdinand is the youngest son, a strong player himself (2300+) and pleasant chap. He told me a cute story of how Paul Keres and Wolfgang immediately started analysing the Ruy Lopez before their match in 1956, a veritable Spanish treat! They were great friends. |
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Jun-26-14
 | | Penguincw: R.I.P. World Chess Championship Candidate GM Wolfgang Unzicker. |
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Jun-26-15
 | | dgm1214: He beat me good that game, hats off to a master! |
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| Jun-26-16 | | brankat: R.I.P. GM Unzicker. |
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| Jun-26-16 | | TheFocus: Happy birthday, Wolfgang Unzicker. |
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| Jun-18-17 | | whiteshark: From his son <Alexander Unzicker :<The Higgs Fake. How Particle Physicists Fooled the Nobel Committee. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013 >> https://www.amazon.de/Higgs-Fake-Pa... There are only 2 games of him available: https://www.365chess.com/players/Al... |
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| Apr-28-20 | | Chessist: <<he was West German Champion in 1948, 1950, 1952, 1959, 1963 and 1965 (joint)>>
That is not correct. In 1965 the title was not awarded after four draws in the play-off. |
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| Jun-26-20 | | Ironmanth: Enjoyed your games for many years. RIP Grandmaster. |
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