Tribute To IM Dr. Ricardo Calvo

Commemorative Notices:
We have acquired four tributes profiling the accomplishments and character of our dear friend, Dr. Ricardo Calvo, among them, a special word from Carmen Calvo.

Republication of an article originally appearing at ChessBase.com, and reflections from the pens of Thomas H. Thomsen and Kenneth Whyld, round out the contents of this page. Parts 2 and 3 compose the remainder of a Delphi discussion on the nature of Renaissance Chess, a favourite topic of the gentleman whom we affectionately called "Sitting Bull".

Ricardo Calvo as a Historian
(A Note from Carmen Calvo - Oct. 25, 2003)

Many times I mention in jest that chess is a cruel lover who permanently absorbs anyone who falls into that trap, rewarding or mistreating the victim without pity.

The competitive chess world was the beginning of the passionate love story that Ricardo Calvo lived out with chess throughout his life.

However, because of his enormous intellectual capacity, his intense curiosity about everything and his great facility for anguages, concentrating on only one of the facets of chess could not fully satisfy him.

As a player with the Chess Club in Alcoy, his hometown, while still an adolescent he took charge of the clubÕs library, which proved to be a fertile ground for a tireless and studious mind.

Among the books which he soon discovered, one in particular, a six-volume Chess Manual entitled ÒManual of Chess for BeginnersÓ by Jose Paluzie y Lucena (a real classic in Spanish chess literature) was of capital importance. It was published in Barcelona in 1939 by Imprenta Elzeviriana and Librería Cami, which had acquired the rights from the defunct Paluzie publishing firm.

From the first tome - which starts with a tempting historical summary and copies of the treatises of Lucena, Damiano and Ruy Lopez - through the sixth, Ricardo Calvo discovered a fascinating universe dealing not only with games and openings. Before his eyes there appeared the first documents, the first simultaneous matches, the first international tournament, the first chess column, the first magazine, along with numerous curious aspects and anecdotes. One striking impression after another made a series of impacts on a young mind eager for knowledge and anxious to uncover the answer to the great universal question: Why?

But there was something that was to mark forever his inquiring mind. In that early attempt to draw up a "Spanish bibliography of chess", among the works mentioned were two that stood out like bright stars: the manuscript known as "Scachs d’amor”" and the lost incunabulum of Vicent.

The seed was planted, the study discipline that elite competition practice represented, together with the strict demands of a scientific research technique, which he followed for several years in different countries, and his knowledge of languages, including Latin and Valencian as his second mother tongue, were the basis he built on to analyse texts and weigh the phrases and commentaries that emerged after the matches played in different international tournaments, where he coincided with writers and historians such as Yuri Averbach or Ray Keene.

His interest in reading texts in their original languages lead him last year to begin studying Arabic, since at the death of the Jesuit Father Pareja there were still some manuscripts untranslated that Ricardo considered important. Ricardo always remarked that back in 1975 Averbach had pointed him in the direction of history, - because it was something in which he would not have enemies and nobody would be able to take that away from him”, prophetic words on a hard road considering that he had unfairly been declared Òpersona non grataÓ, which prevented him forever from participating the world of high competition but which led him into historical research.

His good friend Egbert Meissenburg mentions this in his marvellous obituary, published in various reviews and web pages.

The IGK group was his best sounding board, his articles in magazines and publication of his books were a permanent struggle in an attempt to show the public the many faces of chess and that the competitive aspect - in which he stood out brilliantly - is but one of those aspects, and that there is no future unless we know and appreciate the historic past.

When Ricardo finally found a publisher willing and able to bring out an encyclopedia of chess in Spanish, with the sole condition that it would not be exclusively technical so that it could - as he also wished - be accessible to all kinds of readers, a swift and cruel illness struck him.

Nonetheless, four volumes of the projected six had been completed, in addition to the technical part and many notes for the other two volumes, which will take a bit longer to finish but will also appear. The volumes already finished are the most significant of all his research and scholarly investigation.

A History of Medieval Arabic Chess (800-1250)

The Invention of Modern Chess (Kingdom of Aragon, 15th century)

Chess and Gnosticism in the Codex Alfonso X the Wise (1283)

The Overwhelming Chess of the Renaissance and Baroque Period (16th to 18th centuries). This latter tome was completed by me in the two final chapters that Ricardo left unfinished.

IM Dr. Ricardo Calvo (1943 - 2002)

IM Dr Ricardo Calvo was born on October 22, 1943, became a medical doctor, a historian and a journalist, and spoke many languages fluently. Ricardo Calvo died on September 26 2002. He was He was suffering from terminal cancer.

It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Dr Ricardo Calvo, a medical doctor, a multilingual chess historian and a journalist. He was also involved in chess politics, and his activities culminated in his being declared persona non grata in 1987, after he had written a critical article on the world chess federation. We last met Ricardo when hemoderated the Advanced Chess match in June this year. You will find pictures and links to his articles here.

We first met Ricardo twenty years ago, when he was playing in the German Bundesliga and staying with his colleague Dr Helmut Pfleger in Munich. His German was fluent and eloquent, as was his English, spoken with a pleasantly mild Spanish accent. Since 1998 we met him every year at the Super-GM in Linares, where he worked as a correspondent to Spanish newspapers, and in León, where he was the chief press officer at the Advanced Chess events held there.

As a chess historian, author and reporter, as well as a strong chess player, Dr. Calvo set forth evidence and arguments that Spain was the incubator and situs of the monumental changes that occurred in chess in the late fifteenth century, that resulted in the game we know as chess today. While many trace the introduction of the increased powers of the Queen and the Bishop to Renaissance Italy, Dr. Calvo presents a compelling case for his native homeland.

Dr Calvo was also deeply involved in chess politics. This culminated in his being declared persona non grata in 1987 after he had written a critical article on the world chess federation. In an article entitled On the Nature of FIDE Legitimacy he described his activities:

You can read this article at Ishipress.

Dr. Ricardo Calvo Minguez
Thomas H. Thomsen

"The Thinker is mortal, but his thoughts are beyond the reach of destruction."
Walter Lippmann

Our friend Ricardo, born in Alcoy, Spain, as the second of ten children, passed away on September, 26th. Many of our members will remember Ricardo from numerous conferences and CCI gatherings. Ricardo was an internationai Chess Master, Spanish juvenile champion( 1961 ), absolute champion (1970), chess columnist and eminent chess historian. He studied m e d i c i n e a n d pharmacology, practiced medicine and later worked for industry and government agencies in the drug approval process.

His rectitude and sense of lustice made him fight many a battle against corruption both in the professional field as well as against FIDE. The latter organisation declared him "persona non grata", which Ricardo contested in the courts to no avail, it cost him dearly in every respect.

He was an enthusiastic member of the 'Konigstein Group" of chess historians right from the beginning, his many contributions to the history of chess are legend. In 1987 Ricardo wrote the extensive commentary to the facsimile edition of the manuscript by King Alfonso X "The Wise" dating back to 1283. Working closely with arabists, Calvo established the year 822 as the date chess entered Europe via the then arab-occupied Spain. One of his most significant contributions, in my view, was to fix Valencia as the birthplace of modem chess. Ricardos dream, so to speak was to find a copy of the elusive incunabula by Francesch Vicent of 1495, the first treatise on modem chess. The poem "Schachs de Amor" preceded Vicents book and was published by Ricardo in 1999, using the only available copy (the Valencia-original vanished). Ricardo of course was the expert on Spanish chess literature, most remarkable is his work linking Lucena with the world famous "Celestina" by Femando de Rojas, identifying the character of the convert Calisto as being modelled after Lucena.Over many years he concerned himself with the origins of chess, his hypothesis of a Persian origin, is in my asessment, still the most plausible.

Ricardo had an inoperable cancer of the esophagus with a predicted life expectancy measured in months rather than years. This happened just around the time he found a publisher for a six volume History of Chess in his native Spanish language. He A.~;A~A any treatment and immediately went to work, mobilising incredible energy. He managed to complete four of the envisaged six volumes. Hopefully a worthy chess historian will complete his work from his notes.

Ricardo is survived by his second wife Carmen and three grown up children from his first marriage. Carmen shared his interest and was of invaluable help to him making the last part of his life more bearable and so productive. Our deep simpathy goes to Carmen and his family. 1 bow to our late friend, who was a formidable chess historian and whose untimely death was lamented by the national press and television in Spain.

Ricardo Calvo Minguez
22 October 1943 (Alcoy)-26 September 2002 (Madrid)
Ken Whyld

The CCI, and in particular the Mnigstein Group, has suffered a huge loss with the death of Ricardo Calvo. His researches into chess history were in full flow. Perhaps less well-known to our members are his earlier careers as player and campaigner.

In 1961, after winning the Spanish Junior Championship, Ricardo competed in the World Junior Championship, finishing 7~' out of 30 competitors. He played for Spain in four Clare Benedict tournaments, and five Olympiads (1966, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1978). Probably his best tournament result was =2 d at Montilla Moriles, 1976, behind Karpov. His most famous brevity is this. Havana Olympiad 1966, Calvo - Korchnoi

1. e4 c5 2. N0 e6 3. & cxd4 4. Nx& a6 5. M 13c5 6. Nb3 M 7. c4 Nc6 8. 00 Qh4 9. NI d2 Nge7 10. c5 Ne5 11. Be2 b6 12. f4 N5c6 13. Nc4 bxc5 14. g3 Qh6 15. 5 Qf6 16. fxe6 Qxe6 17. Nd6+ M8 18. 13c4 1-0.

A better example of his vision is shown in the following game.. Calvo Kurajica [A141 Osijek, 1978. 1. M3 M6 2. c4 e6 3. M b6 4. g3 Bh7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. 0 d5 8. e3 c5 9. Bb2 Na6!? 10. Qe2 M 11. M5 eA5 12. 0 Mc3 13. Bxc3 N0 14. Qb2! 4. d4 15. ex& Nb5 16. dxc5 Nxe3 17. Qxc3 M6 18. d4 Re8 19. M bxc5 20. bxc5 Bxf3 21. QM3 BA4 [21 Qxd4? 22 c6 Qxal 23 Rxal Bxal 24 Bh3!] 22. Radl Rxc5 23 R0 Q% [23 Rc4 24 Qd5!] 24 Rfd I! Rf5 25. QxS Qx5 26. Rxd4 g6 27. Bd5! Kg7 28. BW h5 29. M a6 30. R0 Kh6 31. W Q% 32. RM7 g5 33. hxg5+ Qxg5 34. Bxf7 Q% 35. W7 Kg5 36. Re6 Qd4 [36 ..Rxf7 37 Rxf6 Rxf6 38 RWI 37 Rexa6 W? [37 ..Rc8! 38 Rg6+ (38 Ra5+ M 39 R7a6 Rxa5 40 Rxa5+ Kf6 41 Bx0+- Fritz) 38 ..Kf5 39 Ra5+ Rc51 38. Rg6+ M5 39. Ra5+ 1-0. The notes (other than Fritz), are by Marjanovic from Informator.

Dr Calvo's courageous fight in 1986 against the re-election of Campomanes as President of FIDE earned him a Persona non Grata status. Having been convinced that the current regime was corrupt, Calvo undertook a gruelling tour of Latin America to campaign for the election of Lincoln Lucena. He believed that he had secured sufficient support, when added to the votes promised elsewhere, to ensure victory. Campomanes, a consummate politician, quite out-manoeuvred Calvo. The voting at Dubai was totally undermined by delegates who represented 'seventy selected countries', chosen to help poor people. In effect they represented almost nobody, but they were grateful for free air tickets and hospitality.

Ricardo's account, in New in Chess, No. 8, 1986 says it all. 'A snowball of heroic voters who wanted to help the winner grew and grew, so that the day before the election no one dared, during a big dinner, to sit at the table where Lucena and I were seated. It was an elegant gesture from Nir Littorin, president of the European Chess Union, to cross the big Saal and to invite us to join the European delegates.' When the Federation met in Spain it was proposed that Calvo be persona non grata. Professor Divinsky asked for a clarification before the vote. Did this mean that Calvo would be barred from tournaments, or simply 'not invited to dinner'? On being assured, falsely, that only the second was intended, the delegates scraped the motion through.

For us Dr Calvo will be best remembered in the field of chess history. More than anyone, he established that the 'new' chess (with queen and bishop) originated in Spain around 1470, rather than Italy around 1495.

Among his numerous articles and books are some in German or English, in which languages he was fluent, as well as Spanish. Examples are Die Hypothese von Johannes Kohe (in 'Homo Ludens' IV, 1994), Jewish gnosis and evolution, 1996, El Poema Scachs dAmor, (Siglo XV) Madrid 1999, The Oldest Chess Pieces in Europe, Seevetal 2001.

No doubt, with the help of his widow, Carmen (to whom we extend our sympathy), a full bibliography can be prepared. His research combined great imagination and intelligence with a wide cultural background. Posterity will demonstrate how sure-footed his work was, and yet he presented it with modesty-ahnost diffidence. Perhaps he simply wanted to avoid argument, for personal conflict was disagreeable to him.