In 1950, while still at school, Gunnar Uusi competed in his first Estonian championship, finishing in equal fourth place.
[1] In 1951 he graduated from Võru secondary school, and then studied at Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics, and Informatics.
[2] In 1954 he finished equal sixth in the Moscow Chess Championship and was awarded the title of Master of Sport.
[3] After completing his studies in 1956 he returned to Estonia and worked in a Tartu agricultural machinery plant as an economist, later becoming a director (1966-1972).
[15] Tartu now regularly hosts the Gunnar Uusi memorial tournament for young chess players.