Legendary GM Gligoric passed away at 89

Preminuo Svetozar Gligorić
Izvor. B92, Tanjug | JT
Poznati šahovski velemajstor Svetozar Gligorić preminuo je u utorak u Beogradu u 89. godini.

Gligorić je umro u beogradskom Urgentnom centru od posledica moždanog udara.

Detalji o mestu i vremenu sahrane biće naknadno saopšteni.

Gligorić je bio višestruki šahovski šampion bivše Jugoslavije, a titulu velemajstora dobio je 1951. godine.

Osvojio je deset medalja na Evropskim prvenstvima, od kojih četiri zlatne.

Gligorić je i na šahovskim Olimpijadama osvojio 14 medalja.

Gligorić je rođen 2. februara 1923. godine u Beogradu. Pohađao je osnovnu školu “Kralj Petar Prvi”, a zatim Prvu mušku gimnaziju, studirao je tehniku.

Za šahovsku tablu prvi put je seo kao 11-godišnjak. Prvi šahovski komplet napravio je rezbareći čepove sa flaša vina.

Proglašen je za sportistu Jugoslavije 1958. godine. Te godine je osvojio pojedinačnu zlatnu olimpijsku šahovsku medalju.

Bio je pobednik 12 državnih prvenstava Jugoslavije. Dokazao se pre i posle toga kao novinar Borbe, NIN-a i dve decenije Radio Beograda gde je dobio priznanje “Zlatni mikrofon”.

Gligorić je 1975. godine dobio Nagradu AVNOJ-a, odlikovan je Ordenom bratstva i jedinstva sa zlatnim vencem i Ordenom Nemanje Prvog reda.

Njegova knjiga o Meču stoleća Spaski-Fišer u Rejkjaviku 1972. je prevedena sa engleskog na nekoliko jezika, dostigla je tiraž od nekoliko stotina hiljada primeraka.

Najbolji šahista Srbije svih vremena zimus je objavo prvi muzički CD pod nazivom “Kako sam preživeo 20. vek”, a reč je o 12 kompozicija svih muzičkih pravaca.

Kako je Tanjugu rekao generalni sekretar Šahovskog saveza Srbije, Zoran Peković, Gligorić je umro u beogradskom Urgentnom centru od posledica moždanog udara.

Detalji o mestu i vremenu sahrane biće naknadno saopšteni.

Ministarka omladine i sporta u vladi Srbije Alisa Marić uputila je Šahovskom savezu Srbije saučešće povodom smrti poznatog velemajstora Svetozara Gligorića.

Source: http://www.b92.net

From Chessdom.com

Legendary Grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric passed away in Belgrade at the age of 90 after suffering a stroke.

Gligoric was the best Yugoslav and Serbian chess player of all time, having won a record 12 national championships and 13 medals in Chess Olympiads (2 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze). From the European championships he won 4 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze medal.

He was three-times Candidate for the World Championship (1953, 1959 and 1968).

Gligoric was born on 2nd February 1923 in Belgrade. He learned to play chess by watching the games through the window of the local shop. Then he made his first chess set by carving the pieces from cork.

He won the master title at the age of 16, but the competitions ceased with the Second World War. Gligoric joined the partisan forces and was nearly killed in his first fight.

After the war he was given a task to restore the chess life in Yugoslavia. He helped the organization of the first post-war national championships. He was one of the founders of the famous Red Star Sports Society, although he later spent most of his club career playing for the rival Partizan. In the 90′s he returned to Red Star and played there for a few seasons.

Gligoric’s official profession was journalist. He used his travels to chess tournaments to provide legendary contributions (not only chess related) for the magazines Borba and NIN and for Radio Belgrade.

As chess players were among the few that were in position to travel abroad after the WWII, Gligoric and the late IM Nikola Karaklajic were bringing music records to Yugoslavia, introducing the western culture and music through the waves of Radio Belgrade.

Gligoric received high national Awards and Orders of Yugoslavia and Serbia.

His books on the Match of the Century Spassky-Fischer and “I play against pieces” reached circulation of several hundred thousand copies, educating generations of young chess players.

He attributed greatly to the opening theory of Ruy Lopez, Sicilian defence, Nimzo-Indian defence and King’s Indian defence, where he practically invented the popular system known as Mar del Plata variation.

In the recent years he revived his old love for music. He studied the theory and finally published a CD “How I survived the 20th century”, with 12 compositions of various genres.

Minister of Youth and Sports Alisa Maric sent condolences to the Serbian Chess Federation on the death of Svetozar Gligoric, “a noble man and role model for generations of young players”.