Eugene Znosko-Borovsky

Making his international chess tournament debut at Ostend in 1906, where he won the brilliancy prize for his game against Amos Burn, Znosko-Borovsky's playing career was frequently interrupted by other events in his life.

Between 1909 and 1912 he was a prominent critic of the Modernist Apollo magazine, befriended many Russian poets and writers of the Silver Age, and was Nikolay Gumilev's second in his 1909 duel against Maximilian Voloshin.

He did have some notable results in international competition, including Paris 1930, where he finished first without loss, ahead of Savielly Tartakower, Andor Lilienthal and Jacques Mieses, and first prize in the premier tournament at Folkestone 1933.

Success often came in individual encounters with his more distinguished peers; he won impressive games against José Raúl Capablanca, Akiba Rubinstein, Max Euwe and Efim Bogoljubov as well as a short match with Edgard Colle in 1922.

In conversation and as a lecturer, teacher or writer of chess, his abilities were widely acknowledged, particularly in Russia and France where he contributed regular articles and columns to magazines and newspapers.