Samuel Reshevsky: An Incredible Former Chess Prodigy From Poland

Samuel Reshevsky was a chess prodigy from Poland. Starting from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, he remained a contender for WCC (World Chess Championship). Later on, he became an American chess grandmaster. This chess prodigy was extremely talented. It can be proven true through his achievements. Samuel secured third place in the tournament of World Chess Championship in 1948, whereas he came second in the Candidates Tournament in 1953. His accomplishments don’t end here. Scroll down to know more about him.

Birth and early life

Samuel was born on 26th November 1911 at Ozorków and belonged to a Jewish family. His full name is Samuel Herman Reshevsky. When he was just four years old, he started learning to play chess. Very soon, he emerged as a child prodigy. The mind-blowing skills of playing chess earned him great recognition. He used to defeat many players easily when he was just 8.
After some years of birth, his parents move to the States. They wanted to make a living by showing Samuel’s talent. Moreover, he was probably the youngest player at the stage of the New York Masters Tournament in 1922.

Schooling and education

It is a little strange to know that he didn’t go to school while he was young. But to complete the secondary education, he kept himself far from chess and various competitions. He used to compete in small events during that course of time. His graduation degree is in accounting that he pursued from the University of Chicago in 1934. Therefore, by profession, he is an accountant. To support his family, Samuel continued to work as an accountant. Although, his career as a chess player started after some time.

His achievements

The international career in chess started when he went trip to England. In 1931, he won the US Open Chess Championship. Samuel is the winner of the US Chess Championship seven times. He has been the winner of various competitions and tournaments where he defeated many former world champions. It was in 1950 when he received the title of International Grandmaster by FIDE. He has been to the Chess Olympiad eight times. Vasily Smyslov got defeated by Samuel while playing in a tournament game in 1991.
There are several books of him, including Reshevsky on Chess, Great Chess Upsets, and many others.

Samuel Reshevsky died at the age of 80 on 4th April 1992 in New York City.

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