Grandmasters' Wives

Grandmasters' Wives

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Boston Lad

USA

Joined
14 Jul 07
Moves
43012
23 Mar 13

Grandmasters' Wives

(By Frank 'Boy' Pestaño, Chessmoso, Friday, February 15, 2013)

"BEHIND every successful man is a woman. I am sure most grandmasters have the support and encouragement of their wives or the marriage will not last long as chess is a difficult profession. Our article today is all about love as yesterday was Valentine’s day.

Eugene Torre is married to the former Marilyn Alano, who was the Miss Basilan in 1976 and is niece to the then Basilan governor. Eugene holds two records—Asia’s first grandmaster and for having played in the Chess Olympiad 21 times.

Rogelio “Joey” Antonio has a supportive wife, Aileen, a niece of former Manila mayor Mel Lopez. Joey has been playing in the Olympiad for a long time, mostly in board 2 behind Eugene. He is a 10-time National Champion.

Mark Paragua, the only player aside from Wesley So to have a rating of over 2600, is married to Mary Christine Joyce Dacayo.

Cebuano Richard Bitoon, the Sportswriters Association of Cebu athlete of the year in 2012, has a lifetime partner in Joyce Lee, a registered nurse and med-tech. Another Cebuano GM, Enrico Sevillano, who was a recent visitor and played in two simuls last December at the Colonnade Mall and Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu is now a resident of the USA. His wife is Rose, reportedly a nurse. Another Cebuano who is also based in the USA is Banjo Barcenilla, a nephew of Bombi Aznar. His wife is also a chess player from Iligan, Lilibeth Lee.

The executive director of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, John Paul Gomez, is married to Shiella Sorrel, a graduate of De La Salle University. Miguel Quinteros from Argentina is married to a sister of former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz, Benjie (Miss Philippines, Maid of Cotton), the prettiest of the Diaz sisters which includes Rio (Mutya ng Pilipinas).

Bobby Fischer had a marriage of convenience with the former president of the Japanese Chess Federation, Miyoko Watai, to escape imprisonment in Japan. I think she inherited Fischer’s estate estimated at $3 million.

Alexander Alekhine was married four times. In 1920 he married a Russian baroness, who was several years older. In 1921, he married Annelise Ruegg, a Swiss journalist who was 13 years older. His fourth wife, Grace Freeman Wishard (1876-1956) was a chess player and 16 years older. They were married in 1934.

Anatoly Karpov has a son from his first marriage. His second wife, Natasha, was a librarian. They were married in 1987.

All-time great Garry Kasparov has been married three times (Masha, Yulia, and Daria), and has three children.

Emanuel Lasker married Martha Bamberger Cohn at the age of 42. He was the best friend and roommate of Albert Einstein.

Mikhail Botvinnik’s wife was an Armenian named Gayane Davidovna, the daughter of his algebra and geometry teacher. She was a student at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Leningrad and later, a ballerina in the Bolshoi Theatre.

Boris Spassky married Marina Stcherbatcheff, a secretary of the French embassy in Moscow. This was his third marriage.

Jose Capablanca married Gloria Simoni Beautucourt in Havana in 1921. He had a second marriage in 1938 to Olga Choubaroff Chagodaeva, a Russian princess in Elktron, Maryland. All of those mentioned were former world champions aside from the Pinoys and Quinteros."

(boypestano@gmail.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
.

Ro

Joined
11 Oct 04
Moves
5344
23 Mar 13

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
[b]Grandmasters' Wives

(By Frank 'Boy' Pestaño, Chessmoso, Friday, February 15, 2013)

"BEHIND every successful man is a woman. I am sure most grandmasters have the support and encouragement of their wives or the marriage will not last long as chess is a difficult profession. Our article today is all about love as yesterday was Valentine’s day. ...[text shortened]... de from the Pinoys and Quinteros."

(boypestano@gmail.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
.[/b]
Just think how good Magnus Carlsen would be if he were married.

The Near Genius

Fort Gordon

Joined
24 Jan 11
Moves
13644
23 Mar 13

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Just think how good Magnus Carlsen would be if he were married.
Yes, and RJ Fischer was already World Champion before he got married and went down hill from there. 😏

Joined
14 Mar 04
Moves
176578
23 Mar 13

Originally posted by RJHinds
Yes, and RJ Fischer was already World Champion before he got married and went down hill from there. 😏
He was a skier too was he?

The Near Genius

Fort Gordon

Joined
24 Jan 11
Moves
13644
23 Mar 13

Originally posted by Great Big Stees
He was a skier too was he?
Not sure about skiing, but he could swim. 😏

The Near Genius

Fort Gordon

Joined
24 Jan 11
Moves
13644
23 Mar 13

Originally posted by Great Big Stees
He was a skier too was he?
Not sure about skiing, but he could swim. 😏

JoL
Curb Your Enthusiasm

London

Joined
04 Nov 07
Moves
4259
23 Mar 13

Boris Spassky's marriage was front page news in The Times at the time

There's a reproduction of two articles here

http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/when-we-were-kings-xiv.html



Coincidentally, the first report comes on the same day that Martina Navratilova defected.

s
Aficionado of Prawns

Not of this World

Joined
11 Apr 09
Moves
38013
23 Mar 13
2 edits

Think about it in realistic terms. The converse of this is something I've discovered in my many years. I have come to believe (but for the few exceptions to the rule) that the secret to a successful marriage is for the 2 to spend a healthy amount of time away from each other. Sort of along the lines of absence making the heart grow fonder. Again, except for the anomalies that do occur, if the husband and wife spend every possible waking moment together, they get a little tired of each other and argue a lot.

Tying this together with the chess grandmasters -- obviously the GM's spend a great deal of time in seclusion, studying diligently. This, as I contend, keeps the marriage healthy, and--as the OP contends--makes for a happier, more affective GM.

Win-Win.

But for the complete narcissist and uncaring GM, and I'm sure many have existed, a wreck of a marriage would have a detrimental effect on his gameplay. I can barely even function at all when marital problems exist.

s
Aficionado of Prawns

Not of this World

Joined
11 Apr 09
Moves
38013
23 Mar 13
1 edit

Always one to proofread and correct my posts, I just noticed above, I said "his gameplay." I went to click the edit button and change it to "his or her."

But then I realized. There's no point in it.

Why no female GM's?

j

Dublin Ireland

Joined
31 Oct 12
Moves
14235
23 Mar 13

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
[b]Grandmasters' Wives

(By Frank 'Boy' Pestaño, Chessmoso, Friday, February 15, 2013)

"BEHIND every successful man is a woman. I am sure most grandmasters have the support and encouragement of their wives or the marriage will not last long as chess is a difficult profession. Our article today is all about love as yesterday was Valentine’s day. ...[text shortened]... de from the Pinoys and Quinteros."

(boypestano@gmail.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
.[/b]
So What?

j

Dublin Ireland

Joined
31 Oct 12
Moves
14235
24 Mar 13

Originally posted by Great Big Stees
He was a skier too was he?
LOL.

The Near Genius

Fort Gordon

Joined
24 Jan 11
Moves
13644
24 Mar 13

Originally posted by sumydid
Always one to proofread and correct my posts, I just noticed above, I said "his gameplay." I went to click the edit button and change it to "his or her."

But then I realized. There's no point in it.

Why no female GM's?
You have not heard of the Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk, the 12th Women's World Champion, who beats the men in blitz chess? Here is a link where she beat the current Men's World Champion in blitz.

http://chessqueen.com/games/anand

What man would not like to be her husband?

Boston Lad

USA

Joined
14 Jul 07
Moves
43012
24 Mar 13

Originally posted by sumydid
Always one to proofread and correct my posts, I just noticed above, I said "his gameplay." I went to click the edit button and change it to "his or her."

But then I realized. There's no point in it.

Why no female GM's?
Judit Polgar's not some piece of cake.

Ro

Joined
11 Oct 04
Moves
5344
24 Mar 13
2 edits

Originally posted by sumydid
Always one to proofread and correct my posts, I just noticed above, I said "his gameplay." I went to click the edit button and change it to "his or her."

But then I realized. There's no point in it.

Why no female GM's?
I have never understood why some posters make claims like this, when we have at our disposal the most powerful and quickest tool ever created for checking facts like this.

Either you didn't know, but couldn't be bother to check. Which is lazy.

Or you did know, and thought that it doesn't matter as there are only 28. Which is lazy, potentially misleading and quite insulting to those women who have devoted their time to becoming GM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_chess_players

Boston Lad

USA

Joined
14 Jul 07
Moves
43012
24 Mar 13

Originally posted by Rank outsider
I have never understood why some posters make claims like this, when we have at our disposal the most powerful and quickest tool ever created for checking facts like this.

Either you didn't know, but couldn't be bother to check. Which is lazy.

Or you did know, and thought that it doesn't matter as there are only 28. Which is lazy, potentially misl ...[text shortened]... e devoted their time to becoming GM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_chess_players
Fascinating.