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Aleksander Wojtkiewicz

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ALEKSANDER WOJTKIEWICZ (born Jan-15-1963, died Jul-14-2006, 43 years old) Poland (federation/nationality United States of America) [what is this?] Aleksander Wojtkiewicz (pronounced Voit-kyev-ich) was born in Riga, Latvia to a Polish father (Pavel Voitkevich) and Russian mother. He was Polish by nationality. He became a Soviet master at the age of 15. He was a member of a human rights organization in Latvia. In 1986, Wojtkiewicz was imprisoned for refusing to join the Soviet Army and was imprisoned for 1½ years. In 1986, he immigrated to Warsaw, Poland. He won two Polish championships (1989, 1995). In 1989, he became a Grandmaster. He represented Poland on first board in several chess Olympiads and European teams championships. In the late nineties, he was banned from representing Poland in international tournaments after arguments between him and former communists heading the Polish Chess Federation. In 1998, he moved to the United States. In 1999, he was on the team of Alexander Khalifman, and help him win the 1999 World Championship in Las Vegas. He won the US Grand Prix 6 times in a row (1999-2004). In 2001, he won the US Open. At the time of his death, he was leading the Grand Prix for 2006. In 2006, he won or tied for first in the Columbus Open, the National Open, the Kentucky Open, the DC Action Championship, and the World Open. He played chess in 48 states and 6 continents. He died in Baltimore on July 14, 2006 of internal bleeding (perforated intestine) at the age of 43. He never married, but in 1993 he had a son, Yosef, with Laima Domarkaite, a Lithuanian chess player. His last FIDE rating was 2562. Wikipedia article: Aleksander Wojtkiewicz Last updated: 2022-05-31 16:47:05

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page 1 of 76; games 1-25 of 1,893  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Shleifman vs A Wojtkiewicz   0-1 45 1977 Latvian Junior Championship B92 Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation 2. A Wojtkiewicz vs A Sokolov   0-1 40 1978 USSR Junior Team Championship B83 Sicilian 3. A Wojtkiewicz vs T Khasanov   1-0 22 1978 USSR Junior Team Championship C10 French 4. R Freimanis vs A Wojtkiewicz 0-1 39 1979 LAT A65 Benoni, 6.e4 5. V Terentiev vs A Wojtkiewicz 1-0 27 1979 URS B80 Sicilian, Scheveningen 6. A Wojtkiewicz vs Salov   0-1 47 1979 USSR Junior Championship B45 Sicilian, Taimanov 7. A Wojtkiewicz vs E Rajskij   1-0 26 1979 USSR Junior Championship B47 Sicilian, Taimanov (Bastrikov) Variation 8. V Sergeev vs A Wojtkiewicz   0-1 30 1979 Junior Selection Tournament A39 English, Symmetrical, Main line with d4 9. A Wojtkiewicz vs Ehlvest   0-1 73 1979 Junior Selection Tournament C15 French, Winawer 10. Salov vs A Wojtkiewicz   ½-½ 69 1979 Junior Selection Tournament B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen 11. Klovans vs A Wojtkiewicz   0-1 64 1980 Latvian Championship B83 Sicilian 12. J Saksis vs A Wojtkiewicz 0-1 37 1980 Latvian Championship B81 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Keres Attack 13. A Wojtkiewicz vs I Kivlan 1-0 49 1980 Latvian Championship B32 Sicilian 14. A Vitolinsh vs A Wojtkiewicz 1-0 37 1980 Riga B80 Sicilian, Scheveningen 15. A Wojtkiewicz vs Z Lanka   ½-½ 64 1980 Latvian Championship B62 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer 16. A Wojtkiewicz vs Y Agafonov   1-0 39 1980 Latvian Championship B05 Alekhine's Defense, Modern 17. V Zhuravliov vs A Wojtkiewicz   1-0 46 1980 Latvian Championship A48 King's Indian 18. A Wojtkiewicz vs E Priednieks   1-0 26 1980 Latvian Championship C64 Ruy Lopez, Classical 19. A Wojtkiewicz vs V Levchenkov   1-0 47 1980 Latvian Championship C93 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense 20. A Wojtkiewicz vs Ehlvest   0-1 25 1980 USSR Junior Championship B83 Sicilian 21. A Wojtkiewicz vs I Lutsko   1-0 33 1980 USSR Junior Championship B67 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 7...a6 Defense, 8...Bd7 22. A Kveinys vs A Wojtkiewicz   0-1 32 1980 USSR Junior Championship B81 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Keres Attack 23. A Wojtkiewicz vs B Asanov 1-0 24 1980 Junior Selection Tournament B77 Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack 24. A Wojtkiewicz vs I Efimov   0-1 41 1980 Junior Selection Tournament B33 Sicilian 25. A Wojtkiewicz vs Pigusov   1-0 54 1980 Junior Selection Tournament B97 Sicilian, Najdorf  page 1 of 76; games 1-25 of 1,893

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 5 OF 8 ·  Later Kibitzing> Jul-15-06    Joshka: Tragic and sad news, this guy survived a Russian prison and from what I have read had a tough life. I cherished the chats I had with him at the US Open in Florida of 2004, although I'm only a patzer, he spoke with me in dignity and didn't have that "I'm a grandmaster why should I speak with you" attitude. My heartfelt condolences to his family. Jul-15-06    whiskeyrebel: this is very sad news. I enjoyed watching his games live a few times including just last month in Vegas. He left a lot of fine games behind at least. Here's a toast to him.... Jul-15-06    Prugno: Very busy player, so much so that even I managed to lose against him once! (Lido di Camaiore 1997). As far as I remember, his character and behaviour were perhaps not 100% orthodox, perhaps as a consequence of his troubled life history, but over the board he was a strong GM with an excellent understanding of the position and a sharp tactical eye. Sad to see him leave us so soon, like other talented players of his generation (e.g. Vyzmanavin, Oll). Jul-15-06    SickedChess: from wikipedia: Aleksander Wojtkiewicz (January 15, 1963 - July 14, 2006) was an International Grandmaster of chess. He was Polish by nationality but was born in the USSR. There he was jailed for two years because he rejected to join and refused to serve in the Soviet Army. When Poland regained independence. he moved from Riga to Warsaw where he won two Polish Championships. He later resided in the United States. He was one of the most active players in the world, constantly flying around the world playing in chess tournaments. Several times he won the annual $10,000 first prize for Grand Prix chess tournaments in the United States. In his final months, he tied for first at the 2006 World Open in Philadelphia and won the 2006 National Open in Las Vegas. RIP! Jul-15-06    WannaBe: I've seen him twice in person, first time at the American Open 2005, and just recently at the National Open in Las Vegas. Such young age... =( Jul-15-06    Katrina: God bless his departed Soul. Jul-15-06    nezhmet: M Ginsburg vs Wojtkiewicz, 1990 is an exciting game I played vs Alex in 1990. He was a nice guy and will be missed. Jul-15-06    Grunfeld: I was extremely sad to hear of his passing too. RIP, Wojo. Jul-15-06    iWaNnAbAgM: He died of liver problems. Jul-16-06    whiskeyrebel: thanks CG.com for selecting A.W. as player of the day. Jul-16-06    EmperorAtahualpa: May he rest in peace! I would like to offer my condoleances to Amber Berglund, Janet and other people close to him. I'm curious, how did he become an American citizen? Did he have an American nationality too? Jul-16-06    Sneaky: I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years ago at the US Open. He just finished demolishing a young kid rated about 1900 (I knew this because the kid swindled me the previous round), and he was going over his game with him in the skittles room. I don't know if he was just being polite, but he really seemed to think it was a great game, and complimented the kid's moves at several points. <PinkPanther> My guess is that you know nothing about the situation, and you're intentionally being tactless and insensitive to satisfy some strange need to draw attention to yourself. Jul-16-06    ketchuplover: RIP Mr. Wojtkiewicz. Thank you for your contributions to chess & humanity. Jul-16-06    Reorder: Sneaky, Yes, I think Alex truly cared about the game of Chess and the young folks learning. Thanks to those who have said kind things about him. As for Alex's life, etc., now is likely not the time to over analyze the whys of things. He's gone, sadly enough, and for a bit anyway, those who knew him or loved him want to muse on all the good about him. He packed a LOT of living into those 43 years. Janet Jul-16-06    thesonicvision: these are sad times for the chess community, anf of course all of wojo's personal family members and friends. the US has lost one of its strongest, and one of its most cherished as well. i've seen wojo all over the place at tournaments, and he is certainly one of my favorite current players. Jul-16-06    Chess Classics: RIP Wojo. The chess world will miss you. Regards, CC Jul-16-06    WannaBe: <chessgames.com> Thanks for adding the National Open games for Aleks. =) Jul-16-06    keypusher: I am very sorry to hear about this. Condolences to Amber Berglund. Jul-16-06    midknightblue: my condolences to Aleks' friends and family. Jul-17-06    TheBB: <Susan Polgar> <There will be a memorial service for Aleks Wojtkiewicz 8 pm Monday at Fells Point Chess Club 1717 Aliceanna Street Baltimore, MD Donations can be sent to: Aleksander Wojtkiewicz Funeral Fund 4813 Fernley Square Halethorpe, MD, 21227 Donations are tax deductible. Any funds in excess of the funeral/burial costs will go to Tamara Wojtkiewicz, Aleksander's mother, living in Poland. Aleksander sent money home regularly.> Jul-17-06    alexandrovm: my condolences to Wojtkiewicz's familly and friends... Jul-17-06    stanleys: RIP GM Wojtkiewicz we will miss you! Jul-17-06    Chris C: This was a shock, I've been one of Aleks' students for the past year and had another lesson scheduled for just this week. Aleks had a quick, sharp chess mind many levels above my own but was still very tolerant of my lower level of play and helped me immensely. He had a gruff, serious exterior but actually was quick to laugh and had a great sense of humor. He will be missed by many. Jul-17-06    chessex: I feel so sad and shocked to hear this terrible news. I first saw Aleks at the New York Masters Tournament (held at the Marshall CC), where he ran up a streak of 30 consecutive games without a loss -- against masters and grand-masters. Aleks' contributed much to the sport of chess, as a player, as a teacher, and as a gracious human being. He was a great champion and a true gentleman. Jul-17-06    frank713: I never met Alex, but have heard him of via CXR and New York Masters as well as having reviewed his games here and else where! We will miss him! Mahalo! Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 8) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 5 OF 8 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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