Grünfeld Ernst Franz (23.11.1893 – 03.04.1962)

One of the most successful Austrian Grandmasters, especially in the third decade of the XX century when he played in most of the great international tournament of the period.
For a brief period in the 1920s, he was one of the world top ten players. He had some good results in the early and mid-1920s but he was inconsistent.

Best results: first at Vienna 1920, 2nd at Budapest 1921, 3rd at Teplitz Schonau 1922, 4th at Pitsyan 1922, 1st at Margate 1923, equal 4th at Carlsbad 1923, 3rd at Mahrisch Ostrau 1923, 1st at Meran 1924, equal 1st at Budapest 1926, equal 1st Vienna 1928 but only 9th at Carlsbad 1929. He was 1st at Mahrisch Ostrau in 1933 and after a long absence, he was 8th at Beverwijk in 1961.

The author of:  Queen Pawn Game and the Queen’s Pawn Openings (1924), Teplitz-Schonau Tournament book (1922) and Taschenbuch der Eroffnungen im Schach (1953).

He is supposed to have played 1 e4 only once (vs. Capablanca, Carlsbad 1929). When asked why he avoided 1 e4, he said: ‘I never make a mistake in the opening!’

Grünfeld lost a leg in early childhood and was desperately poor all of his life. These defects had a major impact on his personality. He was uneducated, unsophisticated, superstitious and almost primitive. Chess gave him his only opportunity to taste life deeply. He died in Vienna of obesity.