Nikola Spiridonov (; 28 February 1938 – 13 March 2021) was a Bulgarian chess player, who was awarded the title of grandmaster (GM) by

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( , ), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the Spor ...

in 1979. He was the Bulgarian national champion in 1969.

Biography

From the early 1960s to the mid-1980s Spiridonov was one of the leading Bulgarian chess players. In 1969, he won

Bulgarian Chess Championship The Bulgarian Chess Championship is an event inaugurated in 1933 to crown the best chess player in Bulgaria. The championship has been held on a nearly annual basis since, with only a few years missed. In recent years some of the very best Bulgaria ...

. He finished second on two occasions, in 1975 and 1982. He was winner of many international chess tournaments, including shared first place with

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(1971). Spiridonov played for Bulgaria in the

Chess Olympiad The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in FIDE Onli ...

: * In 1964, at second reserve board in the

16th Chess Olympiad The 16th Chess Olympiad (, ''Olimpiadat ha-shachmat ha-16''), organized by Fédération Internationale des Échecs, FIDE and comprising an openAlthough commonly referred to as the ''men's division'', this section is open to both male and female ...

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(+4, =3, -2). He played for Bulgaria in the

European Team Chess Championship The European Team Championship (often abbreviated in texts and games databases as ''ETC'') is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of European nations whose chess federations are located in zones 1.1 to 1.9. This more ...

s: * In 1970, at eighth board in the 4th European Team Chess Championship in

Kapfenberg Kapfenberg () is a city in the Bruck-Mürzzuschlag district of the Austrian state of Styria. It lies in the valley of the Mürz river in central Austria. With an estimated population of 22,080 individuals in 2024, it is the third largest city in S ...

(+0, =3, -2), * In 1980, at second reserve board in the 7th European Team Chess Championship in

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(+3, =0, -2) and won individual bronze medal, * In 1983, at eighth board in the 8th European Team Chess Championship in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

(+2, =3, -1) and won individual bronze medal. Also Nikola Spiridonov four times played for Bulgaria in the World Student Team Chess Championships (1961, 1964, 1965, 1966) and won individual gold medal (1965). He was awarded the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) in 1970 and Grandmaster (GM) in 1979.

References

External links

*
Nikola Spiridonov
chess games at 365chess.com 1938 births 2021 deaths Chess players from Pleven Chess Grandmasters Chess Olympiad competitors Place of death missing Bulgarian chess players {{Bulgaria-chess-bio-stub