Zoltan Sarosy, Chess Master, passes at 110
6/21/2017 – We celebrated his longevity just two weeks ago. It is with regret that we now share the passing away of Zoltan Sarosy, who died at the very ripe age of 110, making him not only the oldest man in Canada, but easily the oldest chess master ever. Born in Hungary in 1906, and learning chess at the age of ten, the lifelong aficionado effectively played it for 100 years, still playing in his 100s, which helped him maintain an astonishingly healthy brain until the very end.
Born in Budapest, Hungary on August 23, 1906, Zoltan Sarosy learned the game of chess at the age of 10 while visiting the parks. “I was with my mother and I saw a boy playing chess and I asked, ‘What is that?’ The next day I was back at the park. That boy’s mother wouldn’t let me play with him but I found others,” said Mr. Sarosy.
He continued playing in school and at university in Vienna, where he studied international trade. He graduated in 1928 and returned to Budapest where he continued his chess career. He was soon a grandmaster.
“In 1943, I played in the Hungarian championship and gained the Hungarian master title,” he says.
During the war (the second World War) he used his fluency in Hungarian and German to work as an interpreter, avoiding being sent to the Eastern Front, where so many perished. After the war he emigrated to Canada, though not before a length passage through Europe, from Austria then to Alsace where he drew a training match (2–2) with Alsace Champion Henri Sapin in 1950.
Zoltan Sarosy at the 1952 Toronto Championship
In 1950, he read that Canada was looking for immigrants and he went to Paris to get papers. After arriving in Halifax and then settling in Toronto, he took up correspondence chess. He was thrice Canadian Correspondence Champion (1967, 1972, 1981), and was awarded the IMC title in 1988. In 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame.
TV report by CTVNews with Zoltan Sarosy celebrating his 110th birthday
It is only fitting that the cake used to celebrate his 110th birthday was in the shape of a chess board. A chess player through and through until the very end!
It wouldn't be a proper tribute to a chess player without a game. Here is one he played against IM Lawrence Day in 1964 at the Canadian Open:
Zoltan L Sarosy vs Lawrence Day
15 years ago, at the age of 95, he purchased a computer with due chess software to continue to play chess online. He worried that the old fashioned method via mail could mean games that took 3-4 years, which he might not live to finish.
Even well into his 100s, all those in touch with him could not help but remark on his incredible lucidity and memory. Not just long-term, with memories that allow him to recall where he was when the First World War broke out, but even short-term memory such as what he had for breakfast that morning.
A segment from a documentary, Cyber-seniors, when Sarosy was 105 years old
While genetics certainly payed a roll in his incredible longevity, his unbroken relationship with chess no doubt helped him keep such a healthy mind until his very last days. On June 19, 2017, he passed away, just two months shy of his 111th birthday.
Sources: Youtube, Globe and Mail, Wikipedia, CBCnews
Links
Zoltan Sarosy, chess master, turns 110 years old
9/3/2016 – It is tempting to think that must be a typo. 110 years old? Or that the description is a generous exaggeration to link this supercentenarian (the official term for anyone reaching 110) to the noble game, but neither is the case. Zoltan Sarosy, born in Hungary in 1906, is the oldest man living in Canada, and was a professional chess player with titles from the 1920s to the 1980s, winning the Canadian Correspondence Championship three times. Here is a look at a man who has literally played chess for 100 years.
Chess master turns 110 years old
Aug 23, 2016 – With memories stretching back to pre-WW1, Zoltan Sarosy is believed to be Canada’s oldest man. By Kate McGillivray, CBC News
Study of the Month: Dancing bishops
6/5/2017 – That's the subject of this month's pick by our study expert Siegfried Hornecker. He introduces us to three prolific Soviet composers, each of whom had created around 110 studies. While researching the background for his article Siegfried hit upon a coincidence involving the number 110. It involves the Canadian Master Zoltán Sárosy, and we have included a lovely interview with him at the end of the article. Can you guess what the coincidence was?
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We all die... and yet it seems like it is never going to happen to us. We must face up to reality.
Amazing guy, he doesn't look a day over 75! I'd like to see what his lifetime Elo progression was like; did he maintain a high plateau like Lasker?
A good, long life. He probably wasn't hoping science would one day allow him to upload his consciousness into a computer. That probably won't happen for thousands of years given the rate science is progressing today.
any confirmation of the source that provided this information about his passing?
Confirmation from his grandson, Peter Mallo, via Ken MacDonald. I am Peter's wife.
Albert, thank you for a great, great article. Zoltan was indeed sharp until the end, even when his body started giving out on him.
His amazingly positive attitude and dry sense of humour made him not only a grandfather but a wonderful friend. Having helped trained him on his computer when he got it, I was amazed at what a quick learner he was. Probably shouldn't have been He was very motivated to play online.
Albert, thank you for a great, great article. Zoltan was indeed sharp until the end, even when his body started giving out on him.
His amazingly positive attitude and dry sense of humour made him not only a grandfather but a wonderful friend. Having helped trained him on his computer when he got it, I was amazed at what a quick learner he was. Probably shouldn't have been He was very motivated to play online.
thanks "tervist", I just read on Kevin Spraggetts (a Canadian grandmaster who lives in Portugal) blog that some chess news sites simply copy some of the unreliable information without checking the source. may the great man rest in peace!
Readers can play through two annotated versions of two of Zoltan's best games on the CFC Newsfeed:
- his 1951 win over Canadian Champion Frank Anderson (http://chess.ca/newsfeed/node/876)
- his 1999 postal win over Kempen (http://chess.ca/newsfeed/node/967), which Zoltan BEGAN when he was 93 years old!
(guess which one is the tactical slugfest)
- his 1951 win over Canadian Champion Frank Anderson (http://chess.ca/newsfeed/node/876)
- his 1999 postal win over Kempen (http://chess.ca/newsfeed/node/967), which Zoltan BEGAN when he was 93 years old!
(guess which one is the tactical slugfest)
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