“I am not Zürich 1953 and 12-12”,

he said in an interview in 2001.

Yet, most chess players associate the name of David Bronstein with two things:

• His famous book about the Candidates tournament 1953 held in Zürich
• His match against Botvinnik in 1951 which he deserved to win, but in which Botvinnik barely escaped with 12-12 draw

However, David Ionovich was much more than this.

• He was one of the early champions of the King’s Indian defence, responsible for establishing this opening in a tournament praxis for a long time.
• He was one of the first players to play against the engine and summarize his philosophy in his book David vs Goliath.
• But above it all – he was an incredibly witty man, whose remarks always hit the nail. His nickname wasn’t Cunning Devik for no reason.

For instance, in the same interview mentioned above, he said:

“Chess is an intellectual trap. The career span of most players now is ten years. In these ten years, you can finish two studies and be a doctor or whatever. Instead, they think quite something of themselves… And why? Because they push a pawn from e2 to e4”

On another occasion, when asked about his World Championship match, he commented:

“If I became a World Champion, they would have all listened to me with their mouths agape”

Oh, but David Ionovich, even if you didn’t become a champion, I still read your quotes with my mouth agape.

If he lived, he would be 95 today.

(If you like posts as these, check our complete list of Chess Birthdays )