Dragoljub Čirić was a notable Yugoslav and Serbian chess grandmaster. He was born on February 21, 1935, in Novi Sad, and died on May 17, 2014, in Belgrade. Throughout his career, he won numerous domestic and international tournaments.
Čirić became a chess grandmaster in 1965, and he was a seven-time finalist of the Yugoslav Chess Championship, winning the title in 1965 and 1971. He participated in six Chess Olympiads from 1966-1978 and notably won the silver medal in 1966 while representing Yugoslavia.
In 1972, he was part of World vs USSR radio match, playing board number 14 against USSR Grandmaster Alexander Zaitsev. He also emerged victorious in different international tournaments such as beating World Chess Champion Mikhail Tal in a tournament game in 1964.
As a player, Čirić was described as an expert in handling complex tactical positions and he was known for his creativity and unpredictability.
Apart from his playing career, Čirić was also a chess journalist and writer, contributing to various Yugoslav chess magazines. Following his retirement from chess, he served as an inspector for the Yugoslav Chess Federation and a member of the Belgrade Chess Union.