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January 20 in Chess History

16 birthdays, 2 matches, tournaments and games and 3 deaths from chess history on January 20.

January 20, 1886: World Chess Championship 1886 began, won by Wilhelm Steinitz. On this day in chess history.

1886140 years ago today

World Chess Championship 1886 began

Won by Wilhelm Steinitz

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Card photo: Schumann, Fritz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Matches, tournaments and games

1886World Chess Championship 1886Began · won by Wilhelm Steinitz
19571957 USSR Chess ChampionshipBegan · won by Mikhail Tal

Born on January 20

1901Karl GilgGerman chess International Master
1923Vitaly Georgievich TarasovSoviet chess player
1943Roel van DuijnDutch politician, political activist and writer
1948Natan SharanskyIsraeli politician
1956Erika BelleDutch chess player
1957Evgeny VladimirovKazakhstani chess player
1963Mladen MušeGerman chess player
1967Ivar BernNorwegian chess player
1969Emil AnkaHungarian chess player
1970Rania al-AbbasiAbducted Syrian chess champion
1974Marc Narciso i DublanSpanish chess player
1979Szidonia VajdaRomanian-Hungarian chess player
1983Catarina Leite OralovaPortuguese chess player
1990Wang PuchenNew Zealand chess player
1994Daniel SadzikowskiPolish chess player
2003Arseniy NesterovRussian chess player

Died on January 20

1905Josep Maria Baquero i VidalSpanish chess player
1992Paul TrögerGerman journalist and chess player
2021Apolonia LitwińskaPolish chess player

Dates from Wikidata (CC0). Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each card. Dates can differ between sources, especially before 1918 when Russia used the old calendar.

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