László Szabó vs Max Euwe
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
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The record, side by side
| László Szabó | Max Euwe | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1917 | 1901 |
| Died | 1998 | 1981 |
| Country of birth | Hungary | Netherlands |
| Star sign | Pisces | Aries |
Who they are
László Szabó
In the spring of 1950, chess's governing body FIDE organized the first official World Championship Candidates Tournament in Budapest — and it was played on Hungarian soil, in front of Hungarian crowds, with a Hungarian player competing seriously for the right to challenge world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. That player was László Szabó, and while he finished fifth in a field containing the greatest players alive, his presence alone announced something unmistakable: Hungarian chess had arrived at the summit of the game, and Szabó had carried it there.
Full biography of László Szabó →
Max Euwe
In December 1935, in a match played across fifteen Dutch cities, a mild-mannered Amsterdam schoolteacher and mathematician accomplished one of the most stunning upsets in chess history. Machgielis "Max" Euwe defeated Alexander Alekhine — the dazzling, terrifying, seemingly invincible World Champion — by a score of 15.5 to 14.5, claiming the title of 5th World Chess Champion. The chess world was stunned. Alekhine was widely considered the strongest player alive; Euwe was a respected amateur — gifted, studious, but surely not in Alekhine's category. The match proved otherwise. For two years, the most powerful chess…
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: Hungary and Netherlands.
- 16 years separate their births (1917 and 1901).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, László Szabó or Max Euwe?
- Max Euwe. László Szabó was born in 1917, Max Euwe in 1901.
- What field is each of them in?
- László Szabó is filed under Sports (Chess). Max Euwe is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.