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
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.

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JOSEF SMOLIJ (born 1921) Poland (citizen of Canada) [what is this?] 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...

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. F R Anderson vs J Smolij   1-0 44 1959 Canadian Championship C31 King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit 3. I Zalys vs J Smolij   1-0 49 1959 Canadian Championship C70 Ruy Lopez 4. J Smolij vs Yanofsky   0-1 37 1959 Canadian Championship B57 Sicilian 5. J Smolij vs H R Jung   0-1 57 1976 Midwest Classic B90 Sicilian, Najdorf

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...

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