Honorary Grandmaster
Which title was conferred to Alexander Konstantinopolsky in 1983?
Alexander Konstantinopolsky Alexander Markovich Konstantinopolsky ( ; 19 February 1910 – 21 September 1990 ) was a Soviet chess player , trainer and writer . He was a five-time champion of Kiev , and trained the world title challenger David Bronstein from a young age . He was awarded the title of International Master ( IM ) by FIDE in 1950 , won the first Soviet Correspondence Chess Championship in 1951 , earned the IM title at correspondence in 1966 , and earned the title of Honorary Grandmaster in 1983 . Ukrainian master . Born in Zhytomir , Ukraine ( then Russian Empire ) , Konstantinopolsky was nearly 20 when he learned the game . This makes him one of the oldest top players in terms of learning the moves of the game . At the beginning of his career , Konstantinopolsky won the Kiev championships five consecutive times from 1932 to 1936 . He played in seven Ukrainian SSR championships . In 1931 , he tied for 3rd-5th in Kharkov ( 6th UKR-ch ) . In 1933 , he took 3rd in Kharkov ( 7th UKR-ch ) . In 1936 , he took 4th in Kiev ( 8th UKR-ch ) . In 1937 , he tied for 3rd-4th in Kiev ( 9th UKR-ch ) , which was won by Fedor Bohatirchuk . In 1938 , he took 3rd in Kiev ( 10th UKR-ch ) , which was won by Isaac Boleslavsky . In 1939 , he took 3rd in Dnepropetrovsk ( 11th UKR-ch ) . In 1940 , he tied for 8th-9th in Kiev ( 12th UKR-ch ) . Boleslavsky also won in both 1939 and 1940 . Konstantinopolskys early games from this period are largely missing from games databases . ( portrait photo from his later years at bidmonta.com under Konstantinopolsky heading ) In 1936 , Konstantinopolsky played in a Leningrad Young Masters tournament , scoring 7½/14 in a strong field which played a double round robin format . Konstantinopolsky played several times in Soviet Chess Championships . In 1931 , he tied for 3rd-5th ( 7th URS-ch semifinal ) , in Moscow . In 1934 , he tied for 11th-13th in Tbilisi ( 9th URS-ch sf ) . In April/May 1937 , he tied for 2nd-3rd with Viacheslav Ragozin , behind Grigory Levenfish , in Tbilisi ( 10th URS-ch ) , with a score of 12/19 . In 1938 , he tied for 11th-12th in Kiev ( URS-ch sf ) . In 1940 , he tied for 4th-7th in Kiev ( URS-ch sf ) , with a score of 9½/16 . In September/October 1940 , he tied for 13th-16th in Moscow ( 12th URS-ch ) , with a score of 8/19 . Theorist and trainer . During the late 1930s , Konstantinopolsky trained young players and amateurs in Kiev , at the Palace of Young Pioneers . He was widely regarded as a friendly and kindly man . His prize pupil was the young David Bronstein , who eventually challenged for the World Championship title in 1951 , drawing the match against Mikhail Botvinnik . Konstantinopolsky and Bronstein were close friends , and Konstantinopolsky served as Bronsteins second for the 1950 Candidates playoff match in Moscow , against Isaac Boleslavsky , which Bronstein won by 7½-6½ . He was one of the Ukrainian pioneers who developed the Kings Indian Defence into prominence , along with Boleslavsky and Bronstein . The variation had been considered suspect until the mid-1930s . During this time , he played one of the earliest games in the Yugoslav Attack against the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defence , a line which would become very popular about 20 years later . He also defended the Dutch Defence with success at a time when it was rarely played by top players . Konstantinopolsky had a very wide opening repertoire with both colours , a very valuable attribute which he passed on to his prize pupil Bronstein . He was also a formidable strategist and tactician , as the games selection shows . Grandmastership denied . He played in the tournament Leningrad / Moscow 1939 , scoring an excellent 8½/17 against an exceptionally strong field . During World War II , he played in national tournaments . In 1940 , he took 3rd in Lvov ( Lviv , Lwów , Lemberg ) , which was won by Abram Khavin . The war then seems to have stopped his chess activity for about three years . In February 1943 , he won in Kuibyshev . In April/May 1943 , he took 6th in Sverdlovsk , a very strong tournament , with 6½/14 ; the event was won by Botvinnik . In August/September 1943 , he took 2nd , behind Boleslavsky , in Kuibyshev . In 1943 , he won a match against Yakov Rokhlin ( +7 –0 =1 ) . In 1944 , he won a match against Lev Aronin ( +6 –1 =5 ) . In 1944 , he moved to stay in Moscow . He played in the 1945 Moscow City Championship , probably on average the strongest such event in the world , scoring 9/16 . After the war , he played in several more Soviet championships . In 1945 , he tied for 1st-3rd in Baku ( URS-ch sf ) , with Alexander Kotov and Iosif Rudakovsky , each scoring 10½/15 . In June 1945 , he tied for 4th-6th in Moscow ( 14th URS-ch ) , with 10½/18 ; the tournament was won by Botvinnik . In 1947 , he tied for 3rd-4th in Moscow ( URS-ch sf ) . In 1948 , he tied for 6th-9th in Moscow ( 16th URS-ch ) , with 9½/17 ; the tournament was won jointly by Bronstein and Alexander Kotov . In 1950 , he tied for 2nd-4th in Tartu ( URS-ch sf ) , with a score of 10/15 . In 1950 , he tied for 5th-6th in Moscow ( 18th URS-ch ) , with 7½/14 ; the tournament was won by Paul Keres . In 1952 , he took 16th in Moscow ( 20th URS-ch ) , with 7/19 ; the tournament was won jointly by Botvinnik and Mark Taimanov . He played in the Soviet Team Championship , Riga 1954 , scoring 5½/10 ; this was his last really strong performance . His over-the-board play seems to have largely stopped about 1955 , as he concentrated more on correspondence chess and on his job as a trainer and coach . He did play occasionally over-the-board in later years . The website Chessmetrics.com , which provides retroactive ratings for older players , ranks him as 11th in the world in 1945 . So , his best results in the Soviet national championships , which during that period were the strongest tournaments in the world , were four times in the top six ( 1937 , 1945 , 1948 , 1950 ) . In any virtually other nation in the world during that period , he would have been its national champion , and an almost certain Grandmaster . Because the Soviet chess talent was so deep , he never earned the highest chess title . His best games show he could hold his own with anyone in the USSR , with victories over Botvinnik , Keres , Kotov , Boleslavsky , Grigory Levenfish , Vasily Smyslov , Salo Flohr , Alexander Tolush , Viacheslav Ragozin , Andor Lilienthal , Viktor Korchnoi , Yuri Averbakh , Ratmir Kholmov , Boris Verlinsky , and others . Later years . In 1948–1951 , Konstantinopolsky won the 1st Soviet Correspondence Chess Championship . He was awarded the title of International Master ( IM ) in 1950 , that of International Master of correspondence chess ( IMC ) in 1966 , and that of Honorary Grandmaster ( HGM ) in 1983 . According to his game files , he only had one chance to play over-the-board in an international tournament outside the Soviet Union , the B section of Amsterdam 1966 , when he was well past his prime at age 56 . Even so , he scored a creditable 5/9 . He continued to work as one of the Soviet Unions most respected trainers well into his 70s . He introduced an opening which is named for him as the Konstantinopolsky Opening ( 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 ) , against Viacheslav Ragozin at Moscow 1956 . He published two chess books after age 70 . Konstantinopolsky died in Moscow on September 21 , 1990 , at age 80 . Notable chess games . - Mikhail Botvinnik vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , USSR Championship semi-final , Moscow 1931 , Dutch Defence ( A90 ) , 0-1 Konstantinopolsky defeats that years Soviet champion . - Ilia Kan vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , USSR Young Masters tournament , Leningrad 1936 , Dutch Defence , Stonewall Variation ( A95 ) , 0-1 Another Dutch game shows a definite flair for this sharp defence . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Viacheslav Ragozin , USSR Young Masters tournament , Leningrad 1936 , Kings Indian Attack / Reversed Grunfeld ( A07 ) , 1-0 Black goes for complications and gets outcombined . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Alexander Tolush , Moscow 1936 , Queens Pawn Game ( A47 ) , 1-0 Tolush gets too greedy , grabs material with his King in the centre , and gets demolished . - Vladimir Alatortsev vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , USSR Championship , Tbilisi 1937 , Dutch Defence , Stonewall Variation ( A91 ) , 0-1 Konstantinopolsky again shows his virtuosity with the Dutch . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Ilia Kan , USSR Championship , Tbilisi 1937 , Sicilian Defence , Dragon Variation , Yugoslav Attack ( B76 ) , 1-0 One of the first games with this dangerous plan of long castling by White . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Samuel Reshevsky , Leningrad / Moscow 1939 , Neo-Grunfeld Defence ( D78 ) , 1-0 Reshevsky was one of the very top players outside the USSR ; this was one of the few games where Konstantinopolsky got the chance to meet a non-Soviet player . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Salo Flohr , USSR Championship , Moscow 1945 , Caro-Kann Defence , Two Knights Variation ( B10 ) , 1-0 Flohr was a guru with the Caro-Kann , but meets his match here . - Boris Verlinsky vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , Moscow Championship 1945 , Kings Indian Defence , Fianchetto Variation ( E67 ) , 0-1 One of the influential games using the Kings Indian Defence from this period , as the line was rising in popularity . - Grigory Levenfish vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , Leningrad 1947 , Caro-Kann Defence , Bronstein-Larsen Variation ( B16 ) , 0-1 An exchange sacrifice sets up a very deep trap winning Whites Queen ; this line was eventually jointly named for Konstantinopolskys pupil Bronstein . - Paul Keres vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , USSR Championship , Moscow 1948 , Caro-Kann Defence , Panov-Botvinnik Attack ( B14 ) , 0-1 Blacks strong Kingside attack outwits the formidable tactician Keres , the #3 player in the world at the time . - Alexander Kotov vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , USSR Championship , Moscow 1948 , Kings Indian Defence , Fianchetto Variation ( E67 ) , 0-1 Another dandy with the Kings Indian to defeat that years Soviet co-champion . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Andor Lilienthal , USSR Championship , Moscow 1948 , Grunfeld Defence , Exchange Variation ( D85 ) , 1-0 Lilienthal was one of the worlds strongest players during the 1940s . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Vasily Smyslov , USSR Championship , Moscow 1948 , Semi-Slav / Grunfeld-Schlechter Defence ( D30 ) , 1-0 Smyslov had finished second in the World Championship tournament earlier that year . - Ratmir Kholmov vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , USSR Championship , Moscow 1948 , Queens Pawn Game / London System / Kings Indian Defence ( A46 ) , 0-1 White avoids main-line Kings Indian theory to no avail . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Isaac Boleslavsky , USSR Championship , Moscow 1950 , Kings Indian Defence , Fianchetto Variation ( E68 ) , 1-0 This game has Konstantinopolsky on the White side of the Kings Indian scoring a win over the worlds #3 player that year ! - Yuri Averbakh vs Alexander Konstantinopolsky , USSR Championship , Moscow 1950 , Ruy Lopez , Closed ( C92 ) , 0-1 Future Soviet Champion Averbakh gets deposed here . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Viktor Korchnoi , USSR Championship , Moscow 1952 , Queens Pawn Game ( D03 ) , 1-0 By some accounts , Korchnoi is the #6-ranked player of all time , so any win over him is noteworthy . - Alexander Konstantinopolsky vs Alexei Suetin , USSR Championship , Moscow 1952 , Grunfeld Defence , Russian Variation ( D95 ) , 1-0 This method of play in the opening was just being developed then , so this was one of the important early games . Writings and further reading . - The Caro-Kann Defence by Alexander Konstantinopolsky and Aron Weiz , Heidelberg ( Schmaus 1982 ) , ISBN .. . ( in German ) - Vienna Game , by Alexander Konstantinopolsky , London ( Batsford 1986 ) , - The Sorcerers Apprentice by David Bronstein and Tom Furstenberg , London ( Cadogan 1995 ) ,