Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf, born Mojsze Mendel Najdorf in 1910 in Poland, was one of the world’s top chess players from the 1940s to the 1960s. He became famous for the Najdorf Variation in the Sicilian Defense, one of the most popular openings in chess.
Najdorf learned chess from strong teachers in Poland and quickly rose through the local chess scene. He played for Poland in several pre-World War II Olympiads. In 1939, at the Buenos Aires Olympiad, World War II began. Najdorf, who was Jewish, chose to stay in Argentina and later became an Argentine citizen in 1944. His family suffered terrible losses in the Holocaust.
While in Argentina, Najdorf became a leading international player. He set world records for blindfold chess, playing 40 opponents at once in 1943 and 45 in 1947. He won many important tournaments in the 1940s and 1950s and was rated among the world’s best. In 1947–1949, he was rated as the No. 2 player in the world by Chessmetrics.
In 1950, Najdorf was one of the first people named a Grandmaster by FIDE. He competed for a world championship spot but never qualified. He also worked for many years in the insurance business, not just as a full-time professional player.
Najdorf remained active well into his later years. He won tournaments such as Mar del Plata in 1961 and Havana in 1962, and he played in famous events like the Piatigorsky Cup in the 1960s. In 1970, he even took part in the USSR vs. Rest of the World match, holding his own against former world champion Mikhail Tal.
He represented Argentina in Chess Olympiads eleven times (1950–1976) and earned multiple medals. He was known for his sharp wit and for sharing his knowledge as a chess journalist in Buenos Aires.
Najdorf’s personal life was marked by both joy and tragedy. He married Adela in 1947, and they had two daughters, Mirta and Liliana. Adela died in 1977. He later married Rita. Najdorf’s long career showed his love of the game, his resilience after hardship, and his enduring influence on how people play and study chess.
Miguel Najdorf passed away in 1997 in Málaga, Spain, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of chess.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:05 (CET).