Aleksander Wojtkiewicz

Aleksander Wojtkiewicz
Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, 2005
Full name	Aleksandrs Voitkevičs
Country	Poland (before 2000) United States (after 2000)
Born	(1963-01-15)January 15, 1963 Riga, Latvia
Died	July 14, 2006(2006-07-14) (aged 43) Baltimore, Maryland
Title	Grandmaster (1990)
Peak rating	2595 (July 1998)

Aleksander Wojtkiewicz (Latvian: Aleksandrs Voitkevičs; January 15, 1963 – July 14, 2006) was a Polish chess grandmaster. He was born in Latvia. In his early teens he was already a strong player; a student of ex-world champion Mikhail Tal whom he assisted in the 1979 Interzonal tournament in Riga. He won the Latvian Chess Championship in 1981.^[1] His promising chess career was interrupted when he refused to join the Soviet Army. For several years he went undercover but in 1986 he was sentenced to two years in prison. After one year he received an amnesty after the meeting of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. Following his release he moved from Riga to Warsaw where he won two Polish Chess Championships. He played for Poland in the Chess Olympiads of 1990 and 1992.^[2]

He later resided in the United States, whereupon he became one of the most active players on the tournament circuit, constantly flying around the world. Several times he won the annual $10,000 first prize for Grand Prix chess tournaments in the United States.

Wojtkiewicz played in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. In his final months, he tied for first at the 2006 World Open in Philadelphia and won the 2006 National Open in Las Vegas. He died on the evening of 14 July 2006 from a perforated intestine and massive bleeding.^[3]

In 2000 and 2002, Wojtkiewicz tied for first place at the U.S. Masters Chess Championship.

Wojtkiewicz's strategies have been investigated in the online series "How Wojo Won" by chess master Jonathan Hilton. The six-part series began in December 2006^[4] and continued until April 2008.^[5] Hilton has also co-authored a book, Wojo's Weapons: Winning with White, Volume I, focusing on Wojtkiewicz's opening play.^[6]

Notable games

• Aleksander Wojtkiewicz vs Robert Kuczynski, Biel 1990, Slav Defense: Modern Line (D11), 1-0
• Aleksander Wojtkiewicz vs Spyridon Skembris, Novi Sad 50/521 1990, English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense (A13), 1-0
• Aleksander Wojtkiewicz vs David Filipovich, 29th World Open 2001, Queen Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation (D02), 1-0
• Jennifer Shahade vs Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, 114th New York Masters 2004, Sicilian Defense: Hyperaccelerated Dragon (B35), 0-1

References

1. Championship of Latvia- Riga 1981 - Standings
2. "Men's Chess Olympiads: Aleksander Wojtkiewicz". OlimpBase. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
3. "GM Aleksander Wojtkiewicz dies at 43". ChessBase. July 16, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
4. "How Wojo Won: Part I". Chess Life Online. December 22, 2006. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
5. "How Wojo Won: Part VI". Chess Life Online. April 30, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
6. "Wojo's Weapons: Winning with White, Volume I". Mongoose Press. December 1, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2010.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

External links

• US Tournament Record for Aleksander Wojtkiewicz
• Aleksander Wojtkiewicz player profile and games at Chessgames.com
• Obituary by GM Alexander Shabalov
• His Elonumbers from 1990 to present