Aleksander Wojtkiewicz
{{Short description|Polish chess grandmaster (1963–2006)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox chess biography
| name = Aleksander Wojtkiewicz
| image = Aleksander Wojtkiewicz 2005.jpg
| caption = Wojtkiewicz in 2005
| country = {{ubl|Poland (until 2000)|United States (from 2000)}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1963|01|15}}
| birth_place = Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|07|14|1963|01|15}}
| death_place = Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
| title = Grandmaster (1990)
| peakrating = 2595 (July 1998)
}}
Aleksander Wojtkiewicz ({{langx|lv|Aleksandrs Voitkevičs}}; January 15, 1963 – July 14, 2006) was a Polish chess grandmaster.
Life
Wojtkiewicz was born in the Latvian SSR. By his early teens, he was already a strong player, and was a student of the former world champion Mikhail Tal, whom he assisted in the 1979 Interzonal tournament in Riga. He won the Latvian Chess Championship in 1981.[http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_repub/1981/ch_lat81.html Championship of Latvia- Riga 1981 - Standings]
His promising chess career was interrupted when he refused to join the Soviet Army. For several years, he went undercover, but in 1986 he was sentenced to two years in prison. After one year, he received an amnesty after the meeting of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. Following his release he moved from Riga to Warsaw, where he won two Polish Chess Championships. He played for Poland in the Chess Olympiads of 1990 and 1992.{{cite web|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/players/4s6wkgcn.html|title=Men's Chess Olympiads: Aleksander Wojtkiewicz|publisher=OlimpBase|accessdate=18 September 2011}}
He later resided in the United States, where he became one of the most active players on the tournament circuit, constantly flying around the world. Several times he won the annual $10,000 first prize for Grand Prix chess tournaments in the United States. In 2000 and 2002, he tied for first place at the U.S. Masters Chess Championship, and in 2004 he played in the FIDE World Chess Championship. In his final months, he tied for first at the 2006 World Open in Philadelphia and won the 2006 National Open in Las Vegas.
He died on the evening of 14 July 2006 from a perforated intestine and massive bleeding.{{cite web|url=http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3234|title=GM Aleksander Wojtkiewicz dies at 43|date=2006-07-16|publisher=ChessBase|accessdate=2009-07-08}}
Playing style
Wojtkiewicz's strategies have been investigated in the online series "How Wojo Won" by chess master Jonathan Hilton. The six-part series began in December 2006{{cite web|url=http://main.uschess.org/content/view/6366/159/|title=How Wojo Won: Part I|date=2006-12-22|publisher=Chess Life Online|accessdate=2009-08-11}} and continued until April 2008.{{cite web|url=http://main.uschess.org/content/view/8395/446/|title=How Wojo Won: Part VI|date=2008-04-30|publisher=Chess Life Online|accessdate=2009-08-11}} Hilton has also co-authored a book, Wojo's Weapons: Winning with White, Volume I, focusing on Wojtkiewicz's opening play.{{cite web|url=https://mongoosepress.com/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&catid=1 |title=Wojo's Weapons: Winning with White, Volume I |date=2009-12-01 |publisher=Mongoose Press |accessdate=2010-06-18 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Notable games
- [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1149095, Aleksander Wojtkiewicz vs Robert Kuczynski, Biel 1990, Slav Defense: Modern Line (D11), 1-0]
- [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1149148, Aleksander Wojtkiewicz vs Spyridon Skembris, Novi Sad 50/521 1990, English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense (A13), 1-0]
- [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1172418, Aleksander Wojtkiewicz vs David Filipovich, 29th World Open 2001, Queen Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation (D02), 1-0]
- [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1321951, Jennifer Shahade vs Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, 114th New York Masters 2004, Sicilian Defense: Hyperaccelerated Dragon (B35), 0-1]
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlTnmtHst.php?12528454 US Tournament Record for Aleksander Wojtkiewicz]
- {{Chessgames player|15164}}
- [http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3256 Obituary by GM Alexander Shabalov]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110905091659/http://www.benoni.de/schach/elo/his_e.html?id=1100025 His Elonumbers from 1990 to present]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wojtkiewicz, Aleksander}}
Category:Latvian chess players
Category:American chess players
Category:Chess players from Riga