Rashid Nezhmetdinov

Rashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov (Tatar: Рәшит Һибәт улы Нәҗметдинов, [ræˈʃit næʑmetˈdinəf] Russian: Рашид Гибятович Нежметди́нов; December 15, 1912 – June 3, 1974) was an eminent Soviet chess player, chess writer, and checkers player. He is part of an elite group of players who never became World Champion, yet created chess masterpieces of enduring brilliance. According to Pishkin, the list includes Chigorin, Reti, Spielmann and especially Nezhmetdinov.[1]

Rashid Nezhmetdinov
Full nameRashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov
CountrySoviet Union
Born(1912-12-15)December 15, 1912
Aktiubinsk, Russian Empire
DiedJune 3, 1974(1974-06-03) (aged 61)
Kazan, Soviet Union
TitleInternational Master
Peak rating2455 (January 1973)

Early life

Nezhmetdinov was born in Aktubinsk, Russian Empire, in what is now Aktobe, Kazakhstan, in a Tatar family. His parents died when he was very young, leaving him and two other siblings to be raised by their brother Kavi Nadzhmi. The orphaned, impoverished family moved to Kazan, Tatar ASSR.

Nezhmetdinov had a natural talent for both chess and checkers. He learned chess by watching others play at a chess club, whereupon he challenged one of the players, won, and then challenged another player, winning that game as well. At 15, he played in Kazan's Tournament of Pioneers, winning all 15 games. He also learned to play checkers at this time. During the same month in which he learned the game, he won Kazan's checkers semi-final and placed second in the finals. In the same year, he placed sixth in the Russian Checkers Championship. He later won the Russian Checkers Championship at least once. Later, when he finally gave up checkers for chess, Nezhmetdinov commented, somewhat dismissively, that all checkers contests can be reduced to rook endgames.[2]

Checkers

During World War II, Nezhmetdinov served in the military, thus delaying the further progress of his chess career until 1946. In 1949, the Russian Checkers Semifinals were held in Kazan. Nezhmetdinov attended as a spectator, but when one of the participants failed to show up, Nezhmetdinov agreed to substitute for him even though he hadn't played checkers for 15 years. He won every game, qualifying him for the Finals, which were to be held immediately after a chess tournament in which he was also participating. He won the tournament and immediately thereafter placed second in the Russian Checkers Championship.

Chess career

Playing style

Nezhmetdinov was a fierce, imaginative, attacking player who beat many of the best players in the world. Known for his committal, aggressive, forward moving playstyle, he is occasionally referred to by the nickname, "No Reverse Gear" Rashid.

Russian Championship

Nezhmetdinov got the historical record of five wins of the Russian Chess Championship, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1957 and 1958.

International Master title

FIDE awarded him the International Master title for his second-place finish behind Viktor Korchnoi at Bucharest 1954, the only time he was able to compete outside of the Soviet Union.[3] Despite his extraordinary talent, he never was able to obtain the grandmaster title. Grandmaster Yuri Averbakh, a strong positional and endgame player, suggested a possible reason for this in his interview by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam in The Day Kasparov Quit:

Nezhmetdinov, ... if he had the attack, could kill anybody, including Tal. But my score against him was something like 8½–½ because I did not give him any possibility for an active game. In such cases he would immediately start to spoil his position because he was looking for complications.

Results against world champions

Nezhmetdinov won a number of games against world champions such as Mikhail Tal, against whom he had a lifetime plus score, and Boris Spassky. He also had success against other world-class grandmasters such as David Bronstein, Lev Polugaevsky, and Efim Geller. He achieved a plus score in the 20 games he contested against World Champions. But in addition to his aforementioned dismal score against Averbakh, he could only score +0−3=2 against excellent defenders like Tigran Petrosian[4] and Korchnoi.[5]

Memorial

Kazan Chess school is currently named after Rashid Nezhmetdinov. Rashid Nezhmetdinov is buried in the Arskoe Cemetery, in Kazan, Tatarstan Republic, Russia (memorial ID 114372566).[6]

References
  1. Alex Pishkin (2000). Super Nezh. Thinker’s Press. pp. 001–221. ISBN 0-938650-94-7.
  2. Alex Pishkin (2000). Super Nezh. Thinker’s Press. pp. 001–221. ISBN 0-938650-94-7.
  3. Donaldson, John. "Super Nezh: Chess Assassin". jeremysilman.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  4. Nezhmetdinov-Petrosian games. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
  5. Nezhmetdinov-Korchnoi games. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2020-04-13.
  6. elarpe (2013-07-25). "'Rashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov". findagrave.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.

Further reading
  • Nezhmetdinov's Best Games of Chess by Rashid Nezhmetdinov; Caissa Editions, 2000
  • Nezhmetdinov's Killer Chess Instinct by Pyshkin : ISBN 9996301184
  • Nezhmetdinov - Lezioni di fantasmagoria scacchistica dalle partite di un genio del gioco d'attacco by Mauro Barletta; Messaggerie Scacchistiche (Brescia, Italy) 2018
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