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| Apr-24-06 | | Halldor: <Koster> Saw your post now, so I checked the book. No, I was wrong, it was mate with knight and bishop, sorry! |
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Apr-25-06
 | | WTHarvey: Here are some crucial positions from his early games: http://www.wtharvey.com/unzi.html |
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| Apr-26-06 | | BIDMONFA: Wolfgang Unzicker UNZICKER, Wolfgang
http://www.bidmonfa.com/unzicker_wo...
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| Apr-29-06 | | lopium: Yes it's very sad to hear that news. |
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May-01-06
 | | gawain: Yes, the world's greatest amateur! Thanks to Chessgames.com for commemorating his passing with the 1956 puzzle-like finish against Keres. Nigel Short has a respectful tribute to Unzicker with an annotated game at http://sport.guardian.co.uk/chess/s... |
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May-01-06
 | | plang: The references to amateur status in chess seem a little strange. Since when is there a distinction between amateur and professional in chess? Botvinnik had a job away from chess. I never have seen him referred to as an amateur. Taimanov was a pianist but was a great chess player. I think it would be a better tribute to Unzicker to remember him for the high quality of his chess and leave it at that. |
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May-03-06
 | | LIFE Master AJ: << Wolfgang Unzicker, 1925–2006
24.04.2006 After the war, until around 1970, he was the strongest German chess grandmaster. But Wolfgang Unzicker, seven times German champion, never made chess his profession, practicing law instead. He played in thirteen Olympiads and represented his country on the national team 400 times. Unzicker died of heart failure during a holiday in Portugal on April 20, 2006. In memoriam. >> (http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail...) < Apr-24-06 walker: Unzicker died of heart failure during a holiday in Portugal on April 20, 2006. > It was truly too bad. He was a fine chess player. We have lost another link to a time - and a generation - that soon will be forgotten forever. (I hope not.) |
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| May-03-06 | | twinlark: Unzicker was one of those rare players who attracted universal respect and admiration for his activities on and off the board. Some people's passing are noticed and felt more than you would expect and Unzicker's passing was one such. A rare person indeed. |
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May-03-06
| | LIFE Master AJ: < May-01-06 plang: The references to amateur status in chess seem a little strange. Since when is there a distinction between amateur and professional in chess? Botvinnik had a job away from chess. I never have seen him referred to as an amateur. Taimanov was a pianist but was a great chess player. I think it would be a better tribute to Unzicker to remember him for the high quality of his chess and leave it at that. > I have to agree completely. Some refer to players as amateurs. With many of these, that distinction is blurred. Real amateurs are guys like Anderssen, who went long periods being unable to play chess ... because of his job as a teacher. Guys like Lasker and Euwe, often spent long periods of their life where they mostly played chess, did so at the highest level, and were paid handsomely for it. Additionally, they got paid to travel, lecture and talk about chess ... plus give chess exhibitions. Morphy was so fixated with even the possibility of being labeled a professional, that he gave up the one thing he did far better than anything else. Personally, I see no shame in either label, some with aristocratic airs might think it "high-minded" to label themselves as an amateur. Today - amateur athletes go to great lengths to avoid the "pro" tag. They have to abide by very complex rules to avoid a label. Let's say a guy is an Olympic Boxer or Cyclist. He would constantly be in training and competing in meets, all with the aim of winning the Olympics, which is held only once every four years. To me - an amateur is someone who cycles for fun. (On the weekends.) A guy who spends all of his time doing something ... and is one of the best in the world ... is a PRO, no matter how you slice it. I would have to say - that for a period of nearly 30 years - Unzicker was simply a very good player, and easily in the "Top 100," if not the "Top Fifty" for most of that period. (http://db.chessmetrics.com/CM2/Sing..., see number # 14.) I have also read - through a variety of sources - that Unzicker was a fine man. A good person, a great chess player ... what better compliments can I offer? RIP, honored GM. |
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| May-04-06 | | Sleepdeprived: It seemed to me that Herr Unzicker remembered everything he read. I remember his passion for history and languages. His spoken English was eloquent and precise. When I would visit, he would ask me to clarify what puzzled him from his review of the English dictionary! He even read old English poetry. Herr Unzicker was a true "renaissance GM". He leaves behind a family as amazingly accomplished and talented as he himself. Danke Herr Unzicker! |
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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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