ELO2000.com

The oldest living chess grandmaster Andre Lilienthal died yesterday. He passed away at the age of 99.

He played and won games with several chess champions like Emanuel Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov and the first women champion Menchik. Lilienthal received the title of chess grandmaster in 1950, where the first group of chess players was awarded by this title.

Andre Lilienthal was born in 1911 in Moscow, Russia into the Hungarian family. They moved to Hungary soon and he lived there until 1935 when he emigrated “back” to Soviet Union. In 1976 he returned back to Hungary.

In 1940 he tied first place in the Soviet Championship, which was probably his biggest chess success. Later on he was a trainer of Tigran Petrosjan or the second of Vasily Smyslov during his matches against Botvinik for the crown of the world chess champion.