Chess - The Scotsman 17/08/2012

SERBIAN president Tomislav Nikolic led the national tributes to Svetozar Gligoric. In a message sent to the Serbian chess federation, he said: “Serbia and our citizens will forever remember the Grandmaster, the King on the chess-board of Serbia, the remarkable man who left a historic mark in his country and in the whole world.”

Gligoric, the world’s second oldest Grandmaster died of a stroke at his home on Tuesday at 89. His funeral takes place today in the hallowed Alley of the Greats at Belgrade’s New Cemetery, and it is believed president Nikolic will be in attendance.

Gligoric was the best player ever to emerge from Yugoslavia – he won his national championship 12 times and nearly 50 international tournaments. He played top board for Yugoslavia for 30 years, won ten medals at the European championships and 14 Olympiad medals. He was also voted as the Yugoslavian Sports Personality of the 20th Century.

One of Gligoric’s impressive haul of tournament victories was won here in Scotland. In 1967 he won the Dundee Centenary International, held to commemorate the anniversary of the great Dundee International of 1867 (with first world champion-to-be, Wilhelm Steinitz). Gligoric dominated the field to top-score on 6.5/9 as he took the title by a full point ahead of rival Grandmasters Bent Larsen and Fridrik Olafsson.

S Gligoric - B Larsen

Dundee, 1967

Nimzo-Indian Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 c5 5 Bd3 0–0 6 Nf3 d5 7 0–0 Nc6 8 a3 dxc4 9 Bxc4 Ba5 10 Qd3 a6 11 Rd1 b5 12 Ba2 Bb7 13 dxc5 Bxc3 14 Qc2 Qe7 15 Qxc3 Rfd8 16 Bd2 Ne4 17 Qc2 Nxc5 18 Be1 e5 19 Qf5 Qf6 20 Qh5 g6 21 Qh6 Qg7 22 Qh4 h6 23 Bc3 g5 24 Qg4 Rxd1+ 25 Rxd1 Bc8 26 Qh5 Be6 27 Bxe6 Nxe6 28 h4! a5 29 Rd5 b4 30 Bxe5 Nxe5 31 Nxe5 gxh4 32 Qxh4 Qg5 33 Qxg5+ hxg5 34 axb4 axb4 35 Rb5 Ra1+ 36 Kh2 f6 37 Ng4 Kf7 38 Rxb4 Rb1 39 Rb5 Ng7 40 Rb6 Nh5 41 g3 Kg7 42 Kg2 f5 43 Nh6 f4 44 Nf5+ Kf7 45 exf4 gxf4 46 g4 Nf6 47 g5 1–0