Włodzimierz Schmidt is a prominent Polish chess grandmaster, born on 27th March 1943.
His most distinguished accomplishments include winning the Polish Chess Championship five times, between 1973 and 1980. Schmidt also represented Poland in ten Chess Olympiads from 1970 to 1988, earning four bronze individual medals and one silver team medal. He was also a part of the team that came out victorious in the 1979 European Team Championship, which was a first for Poland.
Throughout his career, he had multiple successes in international tournaments, notable ones include victories at Wijk aan Zee (1980) and Polanica-Zdrój (1975 and 1977).
Schmidt remained professionally active in the world of chess even after his retirement from competitive play. He occupied the role of the President of the Polish Chess Federation, from 2002 to that of 2006, and was even published as a writer in esteemed chess magazines.
His trademarked opening is the Schmidt Variation of the Sicilian Defence, contributing to his legacy in the field of chess.