Nikolai Krogius
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2007) |
Nikolai Krogius | |
---|---|
USSR | |
Died | 14 July 2022 New York City, U.S. | (aged 91)
Title | Grandmaster (1964) |
Peak rating | 2575 (July 1971) |
Nikolai Vladimirovich Krogius (
Early years
Nikolai V. Krogius scored 4.5/15 for a tied 13th–14th place at
Krogius was selected for the Soviet team for Oslo 1954, the World Student Olympiad, where he scored 7.5/9 (+7 =1 -1) on board three, and won team silver. At Leningrad 1955–56, a Soviet semi-final, Krogius scored 9/18 for a tied 11th–14th place in an excellent field. He was gradually working his way up through the deep Soviet chess hierarchy. In the Soviet semi-final at Tbilisi 1956, he scored 11/19 for seventh place, and missed advancing to the final by half a point.
First Soviet final
Krogius qualified for his first Soviet final by scoring 11.5/19, for a tied 5th–7th place, in the semi-final at Leningrad 1957. The final was at
Krogius earned his first international opportunity for
Grandmaster
Krogius scored his most impressive triumph with clear first at the
In URS-ch34 at Tbilisi 1966, Krogius scored 11/20 for 8th place, as Leonid Stein won. A sure sign of favour in high circles was his first trip to Western Europe for an individual tournament, Le Havre 1966, which celebrated the 900th anniversary of the voyage which led to the Norman Conquest of England. Since the Soviet Chess Federation controlled all foreign invitations, opportunities outside the Soviet bloc were highly sought, and many players with better results, such as Ratmir Kholmov, never received one during their prime years. Krogius performed well with a shared 2nd–3rd place on 7/11; the winner was Bent Larsen.
Krogius scored 10/15 at
Krogius scored his career peak rating around this time.
Coaches the World Champion
Krogius earned his doctorate in psychology and specialized in sports psychology. He served as part of Boris Spassky's team for his second world title match against Tigran Petrosian at Moscow 1969, where Spassky won a tight struggle. For the 1972 World Championship in Reykjavik, Krogius was again selected to assist Spassky prepare for what is referred to as the Match of the Century[1] against Bobby Fischer.[2] In a conversation at the event, Fischer quoted Krogius' observation that "[m]istakes are often made when a player persists in his delusions", to which Krogius replied: "Perhaps this thought guided you when you were preparing for the match? We saw a completely new Fischer in Reykjavik, very different from the old one."[3] The match was won 12½ to 8½ by Fischer.[4]
Krogius himself was still keeping up an active and successful tournament schedule during these years. He tied 2nd–5th places at
Later years
Krogius scaled back his tournament play by the mid-1970s, playing only in occasional lower-level events. He began important contributions as a chess author, eventually writing or co-writing five chess books. He moved into chess administration as well. He was the captain of the USSR team for the
Krogius returned to high-class tournament play at the Senior level in the 1990s. In the 1991 World Senior Championship at
There is a file of 741 of his games at mychess.com; chessbase.com has 692 of his games, while chessgames.com has 248 of his games. Many of these games would be duplicated between sites.
Personal life
Krogius was born in Saratov on 22 July 1930.[3] He was married to Irina and they had two daughters.[3] He died in New York City on 14 July 2022 at the age of 91.[5][3]
Legacy
Krogius was somewhat of a late bloomer by Soviet standards, although this was not that uncommon for players who lived through the Second World War during their formative chess years; other examples are Efim Geller and Semyon Furman, both of whom eventually became formidable players by their late 20s. Krogius had several failed attempts at reaching the Soviet final, and did not make his first one until age 27. His graduate studies were the priority until he finished his doctorate. However, when he did get opportunities at high level, he usually made the most of them, and scored several notable tournament victories in high-standard events during his peak years in the 1960s. He was a middle-range player at the perilous Soviet finals level. Krogius is a very interesting and unusual figure in chess history, since he chose the career of a professional sports psychologist, concentrating on chess, and may have been the first to follow this precise path. In his role as coach, he was undoubtedly an important part of Boris Spassky's team for the world title matches of 1969 and 1972, and maintained a successful tournament program himself during this period. His own playing style was often highly tactical in nature, and he defeated many acknowledged masters of tactical play. By his mid-40s, Krogius appeared less frequently in major events, and moved on to writing and chess administration, also with notable success. He returned to the board after age 60, with some impressive results in Senior events.
Notable chess games
- Nikolai Krogius vs Leonid Shamkovich, Russian Championship, Yaroslavl 1951, Blumenfeld Gambit (E10), 1-0 It's a sharp game between two rising young Masters.
- Nikolai Krogius vs Efim Geller, USSR 1955, Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation (B76), 1-0 Geller was never afraid of a theoretical duel, but here he meets his match.
- Nikolai Krogius vs Viktor Korchnoi, USSR Championship semi-final, Tbilisi 1956, French Defence, Tarrasch Variation (C05), 1-0 These two contemporaries would be destined to meet many more times, and Korchnoi gradually established superiority, but not on this day.
- Mark Taimanov vs Nikolai Krogius, USSR Championship, Riga 1958, Modern Defence, Averbakh Variation (A42), 0–1 Here Krogius, normally a model of probity in the opening, takes up a rare sharp variation with success.
- Paul Keres vs Nikolai Krogius, USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1959, Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation (B48), 0-1 Keres would finish second in the World Championship Candidates' tournament a few months later.
- Nikolai Krogius vs David Bronstein, Tbilisi 1967, Modern Defence, Gurgenidze Variation (B06), 1-0 Bronstein is known for his sharp, creative play, but he has to concede here.
- Nikolai Krogius vs Raymond Keene, Hastings 1970–71, King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation (E67), 1-0 Keene was one of the best of the rising British generation.
- Yuri Balashov vs Nikolai Krogius, USSR Team Championship, Riga 1975, Sicilian Defence, Richter-Rauzer Variation (B63), 0-1 Another young Master has to tilt his King to the older chess sage.
Writings
- Notes on the endgame, by Nikolai Krogius, 1973.
- Krogius, Nikolaĭ Vladimirovich (1976). Psychology in chess. New York: R.H.M. Press. OCLC 16499565.
- Marshall-Angriff, by Nikolai Krogius and Andrei Matsukevich, Sportverlag Berlin, 1989 (German).
- Schach fur Aufsteiger. 33 Lektionen, by Nikolai Krogius, 1997 (German).
- ISBN 1-889323-15-2
References
- ^ Koshnitsky, Gary (July 10, 2022). "From the Archives, 1972: The Match of the Century". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ Perhaps the best-selling book on the match was subtitled The New York Times Report on the Chess Match of the Century (Roberts, Schonberg, Horowitz & Reshevsky 1972). Gligorić's book on the match was also subtitled The Chess Match of the Century (Gligorić 1972).
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Schonberg, Horowitz & Reshevsky 1972, p. 194
- ^ "Nikolai Krogius (1930-2022)". FIDE. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
External links
- Nikolai Krogius player profile and games at Chessgames.com