Albin Planinc

Who was Albin Planinc?

Albin Planinc was a Slovenian chess Grandmaster and a brilliant attacking player. His best games were breathtakingly beautiful, with surprise attacks and piece sacrifices. He won many brilliancy prizes.

He was born in a working-class family in Briše near Zagorje in the Central Sava Valley, in German-occupied Slovenia.

Planinc won the Slovenian youth championship in 1962. He also won the full Slovenian Chess Championship in 1968 and 1971.

His earliest international success occurred at the first Vidmar Memorial at Ljubljana 1969. However, his best result was achieved at the Amsterdam 1973, where he shared first place with Tigran Petrosian, ahead of Lubomir Kavalek, Boris Spassky and László Szabó. He also tied for 2nd–4th at Čačak 1969, won at Varna 1970, shared 1st at Čačak 1970, took 9th at Vršac, tied for 2nd–3rd at Skopje 1971, tied for 3rd–5th at Wijk aan Zee 1974, took 6th at Hastings 1974/75, tied for 2nd–3rd at Štip 1978, and took 12th at Polanica Zdrój 1979.

Planinc played on fourth board for Yugoslavia in the 21st Chess Olympiad at Nice 1974, where he won a team silver medal.