Andor Lilienthal
A Hungarian-Soviet chess grandmaster who holds the unique distinction of defeating seven different world champions in tournament play.
1911–2010 (age 99)·Soviet-Hungarian chess grandmaster·Birthday: May 5·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Andor Lilienthal lived a life that spanned the tumultuous chess history of the 20th century. Born in Moscow to Hungarian parents, he moved to Budapest as a child and honed his aggressive, combinative style in the vibrant café chess scene. His career was peripatetic, taking him from Hungary to the Soviet Union and back, playing a role in the development of chess in both nations. While he never challenged for the world title himself, Lilienthal carved out an immortal niche as a giant-slayer. His victories over titans like Capablanca, Lasker, and Alekhine are the stuff of legend, a testament to his explosive tactical genius. In his later decades, he became a revered trainer, most famously assisting a young Tigran Petrosian on his path to the world championship.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Andor was born in 1911, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andor Was Born
The biggest hits of 1911
Andor's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1911Born
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1916Started school
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Became a teenager
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1927Could drive
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1929Could vote
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1932Turned 21
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1941Turned 30
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 40
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 50
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 60
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 70
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 80
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2010Died at 99
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Defeated seven world chess champions (Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, and Vera Menchik) in tournament or match games.
- Served as a second and trainer to World Champion Tigran Petrosian in the early 1960s.
- Won the Hungarian Chess Championship in 1946 after returning from the Soviet Union.
- Awarded the title of International Grandmaster by FIDE in 1950, in its inaugural list.
Did You Know?
He was a close friend of World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik and lived in the Soviet Union for nearly two decades.
At the time of his death at age 99, he was the oldest living chess grandmaster.
One of his most famous games is a stunning sacrificial victory against Capablanca in Moscow in 1935.
He was the subject of a documentary film titled 'Lilienthal – A Living Legend of Chess' released in 2010.
“Chess is my life, but my life is not only chess.”
