ZNOSKO-BOROVSKY, Eugene (16.08.1884-31.12.1954)

Russian-born, Paris-domiciled master.

His great lucidity as a lecturer and writer had made him one of the greatest teachers the game has known. Such works as The Middle-game in Chess (a pioneering exposition of the fundamental concepts of time, space, and material), How Not to Play Chess, How to Play Chess Openings, and The Art of Chess Combination have long been universal favourites.

Born in St. Petersburg on 16 August 1884. He learned chess as a boy, developed rapidly, and entered the international arena in Ostend in 1906. However, no outstanding successes followed, and political upheavals upset his career. He was severely wounded in his right hand in Mukden in 1905 (the Russian-Japanese War). In the First World War, he was wounded again; he finished up with Denikin’s army and finally made his way to Paris in 1920, where he made his home.

In the following years, he made frequent visits to Broadstairs in 1922; Stratford-on-Avon in 1925; Edinburgh in 1926 and Folkestone in 1933. The pages of the B.C.M. have several valuable contributions from his pen. His writings no less than his personality bore witness to a scholarly, cultured man.