Paul Felix Schmidt

Infobox chess player
playername = Paul Felix Schmidt


birthname = Paul Felix Schmidt
country = EST GER
USA
datebirth = birth date|1916|8|20
placebirth = Narva Estonia
datedeath = death date and age|1984|8|11|1916|8|20
placedeath = Allentown USA
title =
worldchampion =
womensworldchampion =
rating =
peakrating =

Paul Felix Schmidt (20 August 1916 at Narva, Estonia–11 August 1984 at Allentown, USA) was an Estonian–German-American chess International Master, chess writer, and chemist.

Biography

In June 1935, he won, ahead of Paul Keres, at Tallinn. In May 1936, he drew a match against Keres (+3 –3 =1) at Pärnu. In 1936, he won the 8th Estonian Championship at Tallinn. In December 1936, he placed 2nd, behind Keres, at Tallinn. In July 1937, he had won Estonia’s first-ever international tournament at Pärnu, ahead of two world-title contenders, Salo Flohr and Paul Keres, and also Gideon Stahlberg. [ [http://www.zone.ee/pkeres/karjaar.php planet.ee - 1GB ruumi kõigest 9EEK eest kuus! ] ] In 1937, he won at Tallinn (9th EST–ch).

In August 1937, he played for Estonia (2nd board) at the 7th Chess Olympiad at Stockholm (+4 –4 =8). In June 1938, he tied for 8th-10th at Noordwijk. The event was won by Erich Eliskases. In August–September 1939, he played for Estonia (3rd board) at the 8th Chess Olympiad at Buenos Aires (+2 –5 =6). Estonia took 3rd place, behind Germany, and Poland. [ [http://www.olimpbase.org/ OlimpBase :: the encyclopaedia of team chess ] ]

Paul Felix Schmidt emigrated from Estonia to Germany in the autumn of 1939. In August 1940, he took 2nd, behind Georg Kieninger, at Bad Oeynhausen (7th GER–ch). In August 1941, he tied for 1st with Klaus Junge at Bad Oeynhausen (8th GER–ch). In 1941, he won a play-off match for the German championship against Junge (+3 –0 =1) at Bromberg. [Helmut Riedl. "Das Leben und Schaffen von Klaus Junge". Unterhaching 1995. ISBN 3-9804896-0-4] In October 1941, he tied for 1st with Alexander Alekhine at Krakow/Warsaw (the 2nd General Government chess tournament). In June 1942, he tied for 3rd-4th with Junge, behind Alekhine and Keres, at Salzburg (chess events took place in the wonderful rooms of Mirabell Palace). [ [http://www.endgame.nl/salz1942.htm Salzburg 1942 ] ] In June 1943, he took 3rd, behind Keres and Alekhine, at Salzburg (Mirabell Palace). In August 1943, he took 2nd, behind Josef Lokvenc, at Vienna (10th GER–ch).

After WW II, in May 1946, he tied for 2nd-3rd with Carl Ahues, behind Wilfried Lange, at Hamburg. In May 1947, he took 2nd, behind Efim Bogoljubow at Kassel. In 1949, he tied for 3rd-5th at Heidelberg. The event was won by Wolfgang Unzicker.

In 1949, he published the book "Schachmeister denken" (Dietmannsriel-Allgau 1949). In 1950, he was awarded the International Master title. In 1951, he earned a PhD in chemistry from Heidelberg University, and moved to Canada, then to the USA, settling in Philadelphia, where he took a job as a professor.

Notable chess games

* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1071816 Paul Felix Schmidt vs Paul Keres, Pärnu 1937, Queen's Gambit Declined, D06, 1-0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1272921 Paul Felix Schmidt vs Klaus Junge, Bad Oeynhausen 1941, 8th GER-ch, Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran Variation, D49, 1-0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1273085 Paul Felix Schmidt vs Teodor Regedzinski, Krakow/Warsaw 1941, Caro-Kann Defense, Two Knights Attack, B10, 1-0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1325248 Paul Felix Schmidt vs Gösta Stoltz, Salzburg 1942, Sicilian Defense, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation, B92, 1-0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1031118 Efim Bogoljubow vs Paul Felix Schmidt, Salzburg 1943, Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Slav, Meran Variation, D49, 0-1]

References