Echesspedia

Excavations of chess pieces from ages X-XII were found in Szczecin, Gdansk and Sandomierz, would suggest that chess was played in Poland in the XII century. Chess becaomepopular in Poland in the XVI century, when the country spread from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. It was played at castlesn monasteries, and minor houses. In 1564 Jan Kochanowski, a poete, create his awesome poem called Chess., while in the XVII century a first chess books is published by Jan Ostrog, governor of Poznan.

In the land of Poland, current and historical, in the XIX and XX centuries, many outstanding players were born. Many of them been Jewish: Rosenthal, Rubinstein, Przepiorka, Flamberg, Em. Lasker, Reshevsky, Najdorf, Flohr…etc.

The Polski Zwiazek Szachowy has been established in 1926 and its first championship started few weeks later. The federation has participated in 35 Olympiads since 1928 winning in 1931, second in 1931 and 1939 and third in 1928, 1935 and 1937.
The women’s team won the European Women Team Championship in 2005 and finished second in 2011.

In 2011 the country lists 32 IGMs, 97 IMs and a total of 324 titled players.

The Women’s European Champion Team in 2005

The national champions were:

1926 Dawid Przepiórka, 1927 Akiba Rubinstein, 1935 Savielly Tartakower, 1937 Sawieli Tartakower, 1946 Bogdan Sliwa, 1948 Kazimierz Makarczyk, 1949 Kazimierz Plater, 1950 Wiktor Balcarek, 1950 Bogdan Sliwa, 1952 Bogdan Sliwa, 1953 Bogdan Sliwa, 1954 Bogdan Sliwa, 1955 Józef Gromek, 1956 Kazimierz Plater, 1957 Kazimierz Plater, 1959 Stefan Witkowski, 1960 Bogdan Sliwa, 1960 Alfred Tarnowski, 1962 Witold Balcerowski, 1963 Jacek Bednarski, 1964 Zbigniew Doda, 1965 Witold Balcerowski, 1966 Jerzy Kostro, 1967 Zbigniew Doda, 1968 Romuald Grabczewski, 1969 Jerzy Lewi 1970 Jerzy Kostro, 1971 Wodzimierz Schmidt, 1972 Krzysztof Pytel, 1973 Krzysztof Pytel, 1974 Wodzimierz Schmidt, 1975 Wodzimierz Schmidt, 1976 Aleksander Sznapik, 1977 Ryszard Skrobek, 1978 Adam Kuligowski, 1979 Jan Przewoznik, 1980 Aleksander Sznapik, 1981 Wodzimierz Schmidt, 1982 Jan Adamski, 1983 Zbigniew Szymczak, 1984 Aleksander Sznapik, 1985 Jan Adamski, 1986 Marek Hawelko, 1987 Robert Kuczyñski, 1988 Wodzimierz Schmidt, 1989 Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, 1990 Wodzimierz Schmidt, 1991 Aleksander Sznapik, 1992 Jacek Gdañski, 1993 Tomasz Markowski, 1994 Wodzimierz Schmidt, 1995 Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, 1996 Klaudiusz Urban, 1997 Robert Kempiñski, 1998 Tomasz Markowski, 1999 Tomasz Markowski, 2000 Micha Krasenkow, 2001 Robert Kempiñski, 2002 Micha Krasenkow, 2003 Tomasz Markowski, 2004 Bartomiej Macieja, 2005 Radoslaw Wojtaszek, 2006 Mateusz Bartel, 2007 Tomasz Markowski, 2008 Bartosz Soćko, 2009 Bartomiej Macieja, 2010 Mateusz Bartel, 2011 Mateusz Bartel.