Trifunovic Dr. Petar (31.12.1910 – 08.12.1980)

Yugoslavian International Grandmaster (1953). Author, journalist and editor of the magazineShakhovski Pregled during the period 1938-40. A lawyer by profession and government official.  He began playing chess at the age of 16. His first success was a solving competition in 1926; then he succeeded at the eighth Amateur Championship in Banja Luka where he obtained the title of the national master. He played well at some the pre-war tournaments like the third place at the first Yugoslav Championship in 1935 and second place in 1936. After World War II, he became one of the strongest players of Yugoslavia.  Five times he became the champion of the country in 1945, 1946, 1947 equal with Gligoric, 1952 and 1961. Played in seven Olympiads during the period 1935-62, with a gold medal in 1950 with the National Team when he performed the first at board 3. Participated in the FIDE Zonals: in Hilversum1946 where he was equal second, and Vageningen 1957 where he was sixth-seventh; in the Interzonal in Saltsjobaden in   1948, he scored the tenth place. In 1949 in Opatija, he played a match with Najdorf which ended 6-6. He took part in many international tournaments where he finished first or was equal first as in Zlin 1945, Lima 1950, Sarajevo 1959, Natanya 1961 and Beverwijk 1962. He had also a good performance in Prague 1946 being equal second, at Hilversum in 1947 second-third, he finished the second with Pirc and Stahlberg, at Mar del Plata in 1952 and in 1953, he was equal third and fourth, in Rio de Janeiro 1953; and second, in Belgrade 1954, Milwaukee 1962 and New York 1965. He was a very strong player, and it was quite difficult to beat but his positional and very cautious style of play did not often lead him to success; once in the Leipzig Tournament in 1965, he drew all the 15 games he played. He wrote Sahovski bukvay (1960), Fischer ante portas (1972), Yugoslavian Triumphs (with Gligoric, Janoseivc, (1976).