CHESS JOURNEY OF GEZA MAROCZY

GEZA MAROCZY

FULL NAME : GEZA MAROCZY

COUNTRY : HUNGARY 

BORN : 3 MARCH 1870

             SZEGED ,HUNGARY 

DIED : 29 MAY 1951 (AGED : 81)

            BUDAPEST, HUNGARY    

TITLE : GRANDMASTER (1950 )

EARLY CAREER

Geza Maroczy was born in Szeged, Hungary on 3 March 1870. He won the "minor" tournament at Hastings 1895, and over the next ten years he won several first prizes in international events. Between 1902 and 1908, he took part in thirteen tournaments and won five first prizes and five second prizes.

In 1906 he agreed to terms for a World championship match with Emanuel Lasker, but the arrangements could not be finalised, and the match never took place.

RETIREMENT AND RETURN

After 1908, Maróczy retired from international chess to devote more time to his profession as a clerk. He worked as an auditor and made a good career at the Center of Trade Unions and Social Insurance. When the Communists came briefly to power he was a chief auditor at Educational Ministry. After the Communist government was overthrown he couldn't get a job. He did make a brief return to chess after World War I, with some success, and today the Maróczy Bind (see below) bears his name. At the turn of the year 1927/8, he demolished the 1924 champion of Hungary, Geza Nagy, in a match by +5−0=3. With him at the head, Hungary won the first Chess Olympiads in London (1927).

In 1950, FIDE instituted the title of Grandmaster; Maróczy was one of several players who were awarded the title based on their past achievements.

STYLE OF PLAYING

Maroczy's style, though sound, was very defensive in nature. His successful defences of the Danish Gambit against Jacques Mieses and Karl Helling,involving judicious return of the sacrificed material for advantage, were used as models of defensive play by Max Euwe and Kramer in their two-volume series on the middlegame. Aron Nimitschzow, in My System, used Maróczy's win against Hugo Süchting(in Barmen1905) as a model of restraining the opponent before breaking through.But he could also play spectacular chess on occasion, such as his famous victory over the noted attacking player David Janowski (Munich 1900).

His handling of queen endgames was also highly respected, such as against Frank Marshall, from Karlsbad 1907, showing superior queen activity.

Concerning the relative strength of Maróczy and the best young masters of today, my opinion is that, with the exception of Botvinnik and Keres, Maróczy in his time was superior to all the other players of today.