Svetozar Gligorić claimed a record eleven Yugoslav Chess Championship titles, cementing his status as the most decorated player from his nation. His career, spanning the mid-twentieth century, saw him emerge from impoverished origins in Belgrade to become a central figure in international chess, eventually earning the Grandmaster title in 1951 through sustained tournament success across several decades.
Early Development and War
Born in Belgrade in 1923, Gligorić encountered chess as a child while watching patrons in a neighborhood tavern. Following his father's death, he learned the game from a boarder, famously carving his own pieces from wine corks. His talent became apparent by 1938 when he won the Belgrade Chess Club championship. During World War II, his progress stalled while he served in a partisan unit, though a meeting with a fellow chess-playing officer provided a reprieve from combat. In 1940, at age seventeen, he was adopted by Niko Miljanić.
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Following the war, Gligorić transitioned from journalism into full-time professional play. By 1950, he earned the International Master title, followed one year later by his Grandmaster certification, making him the second Serb to achieve this rank after Boris Kostić. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he maintained a rigorous schedule, participating in the Candidates Tournament in 1953, 1959, and 1968. He was widely recognized for his philosophy of playing the pieces rather than the opponent, a sentiment captured in his autobiography, I Play Against Pieces.
Olympiad Success
Gligorić represented Yugoslavia in fifteen Chess Olympiads between 1950 and 1982, serving as the first-board player on thirteen occasions. His contribution was vital to the team gold medal win at the 1950 Dubrovnik Olympiad. At the 1958 Munich Olympiad, he secured an individual board 1 gold medal, finishing ahead of Mikhail Botvinnik and Max Euwe. This achievement placed him among a small group of players, including Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky, to hold both team and individual gold medals from the Olympiads.
Professional Legacy
His extensive list of first-place finishes included victories at Mar del Plata in 1950 and 1953, Stockholm in 1954, and Dallas in 1957. He also competed regularly in high-profile European championships, winning six team medals and five board medals. In 1958, he received the Golden Badge, acknowledging him as the top athlete in Yugoslavia. Gligorić remained active until his death in 2012 in Belgrade, where he was buried at the Belgrade New Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1923, Belgrade
- Died: 2012, Belgrade
- Grandmaster Title: 1951
- Yugoslav Chess Championship titles: 11
- Chess Olympiad team medals: 12
- Burial site: Belgrade New Cemetery
Questions readers ask
How many times did he compete in the Candidates Tournament?
He reached the Candidates Tournament three times: in 1953, 1959, and 1968.
What was his approach to playing chess?
As titled in his autobiography, he played against the pieces rather than the opponent, focusing on the game itself without hostility.
Achievements
- Competed at 9th Chess Olympiad, 10th Chess Olympiad and 11th Chess Olympiad
- Discipline: chess
