cultural and historical knowledge of chess and chess players

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  • #31
    It was probably 1971. Sounds like a great game against a strong IM. Donald Byrne had an auto immune disease and his life was cut short at age 45. A great tragedy.
    Last edited by Hans Jung; Sunday, 12th April, 2026, 03:36 PM.

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    • #32
      https://en.chessbase.com/post/european-ch-2026-r11

      Have to add IM Roman Dehtiarov to this cultural segment. Previously unknown strong player from Kharkiv in the Ukraine. When the war broke out he could have gone to England but chose to remain in Kharkiv with his father and amongst the fighting and terrors of war continued on his path to GM and now we see the fruits of his strife and labour. What a story!

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      • #33
        https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=3126626 This should be titled: "Taking care of the F-pawn".

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        • #34
          https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=3126400 Delightful pawn play!

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          • #35
            IM Donald Byrne (1930-1976) died of lupus; at that time there was no cure for this, although in more modern times, scientists and medical professionals have made some progress with it. I had a high school classmate who suffered from it for years, and she eventually recovered significantly, and has gone on to a near-normal life, being able to become pregnant and to deliver her healthy baby.

            Donald, two years younger than his brother, GM Robert Byrne, was for a time the stronger chess player of the brothers. He, his brother, Raymond Weinstein, and Bobby Fischer, among others, were students of the legendary Master John Collins, a most deserving member of the USA Chess Hall of Fame.

            According to the chessmetrics data, Donald was at his peak strength, #38 in the world, right around the time of the 1954 match with the Soviets in New York, where he made the best American score, 3/4.

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