Alexander Tolush

Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush (1 May 1910–3 March 1969) was a Soviet Russian chess grandmaster. He was one of Boris Spassky's mentors. Tolush was born and died in Saint Petersburg (in 1969 called Leningrad). He earned the title of International Master (IM) in 1950, Grandmaster (GM) in 1953, and International Master of Correspondence Chess (IMC) in 1965.

Tolush won the Leningrad Championship in 1937 (joint), 1938, 1946, and 1947 (joint).He played in the USSR Championship ten times.His best result was second place (+8=6−3 shared with Aronin and Lipnitsky) behind Keres in 1950.He finished fourth in 1952 (+8=7−4, equal with Boleslavsky and behind Botvinnik, Taimanov, and Geller) and fourth 1957 (+10=6−5 equal with Spassky and behind Tal, Bronstein, and Keres).

His best international result was first place (+10=8−1) at Bucharest 1953, ahead of Petrosian, Smyslov, Boleslavsky, and Spassky.In 1968 he was second at Keszthely +7=3−1 behind Portisch.Tolush never played in the Olympiads, but represented the USSR in two European Team Championships.

Although he never reached the very highest level of chess, Tolush was an imaginative attacking player.He worked as a chess journalist and was a noted trainer whose pupils included Keres and Spassky.His biography "Alexander Tolush" (1983) was compiled by his wife Valentina and includes 92 games.

Tolush introduced the Tolush-Geller Gambit of the Slav Defense to master play in the games Tolush–Smyslov USSR Championship 1947 and Tolush–Levenfish Leningrad Championship 1947.

References

*citation
last=Brace | first=Edward R.
year=1977 | title=An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess
publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group
isbn=1-55521-394-4
page=288
*citation
last=Gaige | first=Jeremy | author-link=Jeremy Gaige
year=1987 | title=Chess Personalia, A Biobibliography
publisher=McFarland
isbn=0-7864-2353-6
pages=427–8
*citation
editor-last=Golombek | editor-first=Harry | editor-link=Harry Golombek
year=1977 | title=Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess
publisher=Crown Publishing
isbn=0-517-53146-1
last=Hartston | first=William R. | author-link=William Hartston
contribution=Tolush, Alexander Kazimirovich
page=324
*citation
last1=Hooper | first1=David | author1-link=David Vincent Hooper
last2=Whyld | first2=Kenneth | author2-link=Kenneth Whyld
year=1992 | title=The Oxford Companion to Chess | edition=2
publisher=Oxford University Press
isbn=0-19-280049-3
pages=151, 424, 425

External links

*
* [http://www.olimpbase.org/playerse/bpprdvrh.html Tolush, Alexander] at Olimpbase.org (European Team Championship results)

Further reading

*citation
periodical=British Chess Magazine
year=1969
page=116
*citation
periodical=Shakhmatny Byuletin
year=1969
pages=146–150