Andor Lilienthal

Infobox chess player


playername = Andor Lilienthal
|image_size = 260px
caption= Andor Lilienthal
birthname = Andor Arnoldovich Lilienthal
country = HUN
datebirth = birth date and age |1911|5|5
placebirth = Moscow, Russia flagicon|Russia
datedeath =
placedeath =
title = Grandmaster
worldchampion =
rating =

Andor (Andre, Andrea) Arnoldovich Lilienthal (born May 5 1911) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster. In his long career, he played against ten world champions, beating Emanuel Lasker, José Raúl Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, and Vasily Smyslov. Lilienthal, who celebrated his 97th birthday on May 5 2008, is still active, in good health, driving his car, and writing articles for chess magazines. As of 2008 he is the oldest living Grandmaster.

Lilienthal was born in Moscow to Hungarian Jewish parents and moved to Hungary at age two. He played for Hungary in three Chess Olympiads, 1933, 1935, and 1937. Emigrating to the Soviet Union in 1935, he became a Soviet citizen in 1939. Lilienthal played in the USSR Chess Championship eight times, with his best result being a first place tie with Igor Bondarevsky in 1940. He qualified for the Candidates Tournament once, in 1948.

From 1951 until 1960 he was Tigran Petrosian's trainer. Lilienthal began a friendship with Vasily Smyslov in 1938, and was Smyslov's second in his world championship matches against Botvinnik. He retired from tournament play in 1965 and returned to Hungary in 1976.

Lilienthal is one of a few players who have an even record against Capablanca. Here's his win against Capablanca in Hastings in 1935:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 b6 6.f3 d5 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 Ba6 9.e4 Bxc4 10.Bxc4 dxc4 11.Qa4+ Qd7 12.Qxc4 Qc6 13.Qd3 Nbd7 14.Ne2 Rd8 15.O-O a5 16.Qc2 Qc4 17.f4 Rc8 18.f5 e5 19.dxe5 Qxe4 20.exf6 Qxc2 21.fxg7 Rg8 22.Nd4 Qe4 23.Rae1 Nc5 24.Rxe4+ Nxe4 25.Re1 Rxg7 26.Rxe4+ Kd7 1-0

References

*cite book | author=Hooper, David and Kenneth Whyld | title=The Oxford Companion to Chess | publisher=Oxford University | year=1996 | id=ISBN 0-19-280049-3

External links

*fide|id=700436
*chessgames player|id=65392
*Gorodin, Dmitri (2002). [http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles172.pdf Andor Lilienthal and His Contribution to the History of Modern Chess] . Chesscafe.com.
*Adzic, Slobodan, [http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2419 He Has Beaten Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine as well as Old Age!] , ChessBase News (May 30, 2005)
*Anzikeev, Valdimir. [http://www.64.ru/?/en/magazine/year=2006&no=5&part=202&article=768 The Last of the Chess Mohicans] , "64", May 2006