Miguel Najdorf

Miguel Najdorf was born on April 15, 1910 in Warsaw, Poland. The Najdorf variation in the Sicilian Defense is named after him. He also contributed to the theory and praxis of other openings such as the King's Indian Defense. By the age of 20, he was already an International Master. He was tutored by Savielly Tartakower, whom he always referred to as "my teacher". He was representing Poland in the 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires when World War II broke out in 1939. Being Jewish, as were the other members of the Polish team, he correctly interpreted the world events of the time and decided to stay in Argentina, suffering considerable personal and familial loss as a result.

Najdorf worked in the insurance business for many years, and although he was not a full-time chess professional, he was one of the world's leading chess players in the 1950s and 1960s. He also excelled at playing blindfold chess. In 1950, he became an International Grandmaster and played in the Candidates Tournament to select a challenger for the World Chess Championship. He finished in 5th place, and three years later, in the Zurich Candidates Tournament of 1953, he finished in 6th place.

Najdorf won important tournaments such as Mar del Plata (1961) and Havana (1962 and 1964). He also played in several Chess Olympiads representing Argentina, their best result being 2nd place in Helsinki of 1952. Despite his advancing age, he participated in the 1970 "USSR vs. Rest of the World" match, achieving an even score against the former World Champion Mikhail Tal. He died on July 4, 1997 in Mlaga, Spain.

Download 1129 chess games by Miguel Najdorf

Back to Famous Chess Players