The chess games of Josef Smolij

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Josef Smolij

Number of games in database: 5
Years covered: 1956 to 1976
Overall record: +1 -4 =0 (20.0%)*
* Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games.

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JOSEF SMOLIJ
(born 1921) Poland (federation/nationality Canada)
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Josef (Joe - "kill as you go") Smolij was a chess hustler that would play all night on Toronto's Gould street tables (near Ryerson University's Garden district) for a few quarters/game. "I'm poor in the pocketbook but rich in the mind" has also been uttered by him with his thick Polish accent. He moved out at age 14 and migrated to Canada in 1954, working as a machinist for the next 2 decades - until his boss would no longer allow his chessboard nearby him at work. He won the Ontario chess championship in 1959.
References: Montreal Gazette, January 28th, 1978, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/va...

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page 1 of 1; 5 games

Game	Result	Moves	Year	Event/Locale	Opening
1. J Smolij vs D Coyne	1-0	30	1956	Canadian Open	A03 Bird's Opening
2. J Smolij vs Yanofsky	0-1	37	1959	Canadian Championship	B57 Sicilian
3. F R Anderson vs J Smolij	1-0	44	1959	Canadian Championship	C31 King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit
4. I Zalys vs J Smolij	1-0	49	1959	Canadian Championship	C70 Ruy Lopez
5. J Smolij vs H R Jung	0-1	57	1976	Midwest Classic	B90 Sicilian, Najdorf

REFINE SEARCH: White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Smolij wins | Smolij loses

Feb-22-12		wordfunph: <In Toronto, the most famous chess hustler was Polish native Josef Smolij. He played chess on the sidewalk along the Gould Street. He would lose a game maybe once every two weeks. He would unleash a barrage of Polish-accented bravado that infuriated his opponents, but entertained all those that stopped by to watch. When his opponent would make a blunder, Smolij would say, "In Russia they send you to Siberia for that one. Yes, is true. Player scared to make bad move in Russia." The games provided Smolij his sole source of income.> sorry again, i forgot my source :(

Dec-13-12		GrahamClayton: Smolij was best-known for being arguably the best chess hustler in Toronto in the late 70's and early 80's, playing blitz chess against all-comers outside the Sam the Record Man store: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikon-...

Dec-13-12		Shams: 1978 Montreal Gazette piece on Smolij-- he was a character: http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...

Jun-07-21		login: '.. Oh, Smolij is one tough critter. Born in Poland 58 years ago, he left home at 14 to wander through Europe, learning to speak English, Spanish, German and Russian along the way. He arrived in Canada in 1954 and worked hard for 20 years. Eventually his 5'8", 150-pound body was spent. When a hernia operation and a case of lead poisoning made him unfit for manual labor, he retired to devote himself to chess. "Poor in the pocket, rich in the mind," he says. ..' https://vault.si.com/vault/1979/09/... from Sports Illustrated, Sept 03 1979 by Jim Kaplan '.. Seldom does he lose (maybe once a week, more likely once every two weeks) and with each gambit and eventual checkmate that occurs, he unleashes a barrage of Polish-accented bravado that infuriates his opponent and entertains those who have stopped to watch. When the opposition makes a particularly bad blunder, Smolij lets him have it. “In Russia,” he will boldly state, “they send you to Siberia for that one. Yes, is true. Player scared to make bad moof [sic] in Russia.” ..' https://torontoist.com/2010/08/hist... from Torontoist by Jamie Bradburn, 2010 Photograph 1984 (himself) https://static.torontopubliclibrary... Caption: It's a miracle of miracles; Toronto's streetcorner chess master said on learning of the whereabouts of his sister; whom he lost track of 40 years ago. Photograph 1992 (as your dad) https://static.torontopubliclibrary... Caption: At 71, a former world chess champion, is moving to Berlin to live with his sister. Fiction https://classic.esquire.com/article... https://yearsofbass.blogspot.com/20...

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