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Robert O'Donnell

Number of games in database: 63
Years covered: 1971 to 2004
Last FIDE rating: 1920
Highest rating achieved in database: 2202
Overall record: +22 -30 =11 (43.7%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games.

Repertoire Explorer
Most played openings
E12 Queen's Indian (4 games)
E97 King's Indian (4 games)
B57 Sicilian (3 games)
A70 Benoni, Classical with 7.Nf3 (3 games)
D85 Grunfeld (3 games)
B23 Sicilian, Closed (3 games)
B64 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack (2 games)
B89 Sicilian (2 games)
D47 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav (2 games)
A34 English, Symmetrical (2 games)

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FIDE player card for Robert O'Donnell

ROBERT O'DONNELL
(born 1950) United States of America

[what is this?]
1984 Michigan Champion.

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 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 63  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. R O'Donnell vs W B Riley 1-0231971O'Donnell-Riley MatchD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
2. R Wendling vs R O'Donnell  0-14119713-Ring CircusC28 Vienna Game
3. C Carlson vs R O'Donnell  0-1361971Denver OpenB29 Sicilian, Nimzovich-Rubinstein
4. R O'Donnell vs E Formanek  0-129197172nd US OpenB56 Sicilian
5. E Marchand vs R O'Donnell  1-023197172nd US OpenD15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
6. R Shean vs R O'Donnell  1-0301972Denver OpenB57 Sicilian
7. R O'Donnell vs C Carlson  ½-½331972Colorado OpenE45 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Bronstein (Byrne) Variation
8. R O'Donnell vs R Wendling 1-0241973Denver OpenB80 Sicilian, Scheveningen
9. R O'Donnell vs J Hursch  1-0341973Denver OpenB33 Sicilian
10. R O'Donnell vs C Carlson  0-1291973Wyoming OpenB90 Sicilian, Najdorf
11. P Biyiasas vs R O'Donnell  1-033197980th US OpenA42 Modern Defense, Averbakh System
12. R O'Donnell vs E Martinovsky  0-1251982Ann ArborA29 English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto
13. R O'Donnell vs K Schmuggerow  0-1621986Midwest MastersA10 English
14. R O'Donnell vs Y Gruenfeld  0-1441986Midwest MastersA14 English
15. J Concini vs R O'Donnell  ½-½441986Midwest MastersB59 Sicilian, Boleslavsky Variation, 7.Nb3
16. S Ahlstrom vs R O'Donnell  0-131198614th World OpenD47 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
17. R O'Donnell vs E Schiller  ½-½24198614th World OpenD47 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
18. S Surak vs R O'Donnell  0-1281988National opB67 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 7...a6 Defense, 8...Bd7
19. R Stone vs R O'Donnell  1-0341988Midwest MastersD44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
20. J Bradford vs R O'Donnell  ½-½191988Midwest MastersA14 English
21. R O'Donnell vs K P Thomas  0-1381988Midwest MastersA27 English, Three Knights System
22. R O'Donnell vs R Avery  1-0291988Midwest MastersA30 English, Symmetrical
23. D Lee vs R O'Donnell  ½-½531988Midwest MastersB23 Sicilian, Closed
24. R O'Donnell vs W A Naff  0-1331988Midwest MastersA70 Benoni, Classical with 7.Nf3
25. R O'Donnell vs E Martinovsky  0-13219897th Midwest MastersD85 Grunfeld
 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 63  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | O'Donnell wins | O'Donnell loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Sep-06-13  parisattack: I am guessing this is Robert ('Bob') O'Donnell of Boulder, CO. Nice kid, always polite and friendly; bright, a bit quiet and kept mostly to himself at college.

His coach Eugene Salome hailed him as the next Bobby Fischer when O'Donnell was in high school. Perhaps not quite - but good enough to beat me in the final round of the state junior championships. My excuse was that I had learned the game not quite 12 months earlier.

Sep-07-13  DoctorD: A Robert E O'Donnell was also Champion of Colorado in 1973:

http://www.colorado-chess.com/Histo...

Same person? If so, that would place him in the class of individuals who have won championships of multiple states.

Sep-07-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: <parisattack> <DoctorD> Here's Robert O'Donnell in 1984:

http://206.130.103.122/interim/maga...

That was the year he was probably most active in Michigan, and he simply blew everyone away while pumping his rating over 2300.

My impression was a quiet person and player. Perhaps he lacked not so much confidence as the arrogance so common in the best players.

If you have a minute to look, you might also enjoy the amusing picture(s) of Leon Stolzenberg on page 14.

Sep-07-13  parisattack: Yes, same Bob <Phony Benoni> My recollection was his positional understanding was extremely high but perhaps his calculation/visualization was not quite to that level.

Bob and my best pal Moon had a bit of a rivalry at the college chess club. My recollection is that Moon pretty much had his number at 5-minute.

I think he won a national tourney mid-seventies and was on the cover of Chess Life, also? He seems to have come into his own after I became inactive in 1973.

Sep-07-13  parisattack: <DoctorD: A Robert E O'Donnell was also Champion of Colorado in 1973: http://www.colorado-chess.com/Histo...

Same person? If so, that would place him in the class of individuals who have won championships of multiple states.>

Not sure how he wound up in Michigan. He was a Physics major but I believe changed to something else his junior year.

Sep-07-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: <parisattack> Robert E O'Donnell is the same guy:

http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlTn...

Note the occasional trip to Colorado in his tournament listings.

Clearly the 1980s were h is best decade. The national tournament you're thinking of may be the US Amateur that he won it in 1980.

http://archive.uschess.org/CL_2006_...

He settled in the Ann Arbor area, so there may be some connection to the University of Michigan. In my active days, Ann Arbor wss consistently one of the strongest chess centers in Michigan, though the best players were generally adults rather than students.

Sep-07-13  parisattack: Hi <Phony Benoni> - Yup, that's him and the tourney I had in mind; thanks.

I know he told me his new major - but have forgotten. No idea his career.

He was actually something of a loner tho as mentioned, always friendly and willing to engage a bit. Had some interesting body language. When surprised he'd throw up his arms slowly in sort of a faux startle.

Eugene Salome was very big on him early on. I later became great friends with Eugene - quite a renaissance man! A bit about him on the Robert Wendling page.

Sep-10-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  cwcarlson: O'Donnell won the 1973 Denver Open with a perfect 5-0, not the Colorado Open, so he wasn't champion of CO that year. I played him in my first rated game, the first round of the 1969 Denver Open (won by Jude Acers, 7-0). We played seven times from 1969-76 and each won three. He was White all but once. Good player, nice guy, solid 2100 and sometimes 2200. In 1968 (?) when he was 1600 he upset master NJ master Marvin Sills. He could easily have been 2300.
Sep-10-13  parisattack: <cwcarlson> If you have records of any of your games against the Colorado 'oldtimers' it would be great to see them uploaded here - Koehler, Wendling, Traibush, Petters, Naylin.

I had two wins against Traibush but threw out all my games when I moved to Hawaii in 1979. I do still have a handwritten article Wendling did on the Ponziani. I've never before-or-since seen such tiny handwriting! I also have a large box of 'Bookford's' Syzygy books from the 70s-80s-90s.

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