Bernstein Osip Samoilovich (20.09.1882 – 30.11.1962)
French Grandmaster (1950), International Arbiter (1952) born in Ukraine. Bernstein graduated from the legal faculty of Berlin at the end of 1906 then became a doctor of law in Heidelberg. When he had lost his property in 1917 with the revolution, Bernstein together with his family escaped to Paris and became wealthy again which probably was connected to his talent as he was equally an excellent jurist and a successful bank clerk and finance businessman. With the big finance collapse of 1929-1930 he lost all his possessions again, and again began and lost practice like property the third time in 1940 with the entry of the German troops in France. Bernstein fled to Spain, and returned after the war to Paris to build the fourth existence. He played at chess events for 60 years. Best results in the tournaments before World War I: Won Hanover Championship 1901, Berlin Championship in 1902, second in the All Russia Championship in 1905 behind Mikhail Chigorin, Stockholm in 1906, 1-2nd; Ostende in 1907, 1-2nd. In 1914 in St. Petersburg Bernstein hit the great Emanuel Lasker, however, he was behind Capablanca, Lasker, Tarrasch, Alekhine and Marshall on the 6th place and with this result he was not in the winner’s group. Emigrated from Russia in 1920, lived in Paris and did not take part in any tournaments for a long period of time. In 1933 he drew a friendly match with Alexander Alekhine +1-1=2. After a long interruption due to WWII he had a great comeback in London 1946, 2nd; Montevideo 1954, 2-3rd . In the matches, he beat Oskar Negeli 3-1 1932, drew with Wolf 3½-3½. Was the captain-player of the French team at the Olympiad of 1954. His last play was the IBM tournament in 1961 at Amsterdam, the following year he died in a sanatorium in the French Pyrenees. Bernstein was considered as one of the strongest amateurs in the history of the chess game. “Original talent…has got a rare ability to find original ideas”said Emanuel Lasker.
Historical ELO: 2590