WELCOME TO LOVELY CHESS MOVES!

  This chess blog is dedicated to the chess grandmasters of present and past generations - their most lovely games will be treasured here. 

  A grandmaster is a not merely a chess title it is a showcase of great chess talent. It is the highest award a chess player can aspire for, of course aside from winning the world championship.  Federation Internationale des Eches (FIDE) began recognizing the title after World War II, by imposing rules on international titles. The FIDE General Assembly and the Qualification Committee makes the decision to whom to award the titles. In 1950, FIDE first awarded the Grandmaster title to 27 players, as listed below:

   1.   Mikhail Botvinnik, the current world champion at that time

   Those who had qualified for the inaugural 1948 Candidates Tournament:

  2.   Isaac Boleslavsky, Soviet–Jewish chess champion
  3.   Igor Bondarevsky, an International Arbiter, trainer, and chess author

  4.   David Bronstein, narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951
  5.   Max Euwe, former World Champion   
  6.   Reuben Fine, leading US Champion
  7.   Salo Flohr, leading Czech and later Soviet chess grandmaster    
  8.   Paul Keres, Estonian Chess Champion   
  9.   Alexander Kotov, prominent Russian author 
10.   Andor Lilienthal, died at age of 99 years old in 2010 (last to die among the 27)
11.   Miguel Najdorf, a Polish born Argentian chess master 
12.   Samuel Reshevsky, American champion
13.   Vasily Smyslov, future world champion
14.   Gideon Ståhlberg, Swedish chess champion
15.   László Szabó, one of Hungary's leading player

Players past their prime but still alive in 1950 and recognised as having been world class when at their peak: 

16.    Ossip Bernstein
17.    Oldrich Duras

18.    Ernst Grünfeld

19.    Borislav Kostić

20.    Grigory Levenfish

21.    Géza Maróczy

22.    Jacques Mieses

23.    Viacheslav Ragozin

24.    Akiba Rubinstein

25.    Friedrich Sämisch

26.    Savielly Tartakower

27.    Milan Vidmar

At present there are more than 1,000 living grandmasters scattered all around the world. All of them will find their way on this site.