Leon Tuhan-Baranowski

Who was Leon Tuhan-Baranowski?

Leon Tuhan-Baranowski was a Polish-Belarusian chess player and composer.

Born in Sankt Petersburg into a Roman Catholic family with noble roots. After the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Stolpce near Novogrodek, and then to Warsaw. In 1925, he took 10th in Warsaw. In 1925–26, he tied for 7–8th in Warsaw. The event was won by Abram Blass and Paulin Frydman. In 1930s, his activity concentrated in a few areas. Among others he participated in the 2nd Polish Team Chess Championship at Katowice 1934.

Tuhan-Baranowski was also a composer and author of chess books. His debut took place in 1924 when he published on columns of Deutsche Schachzeitung. He co-operated with L’Echiquier, Kagans Neueste Schachnachrichten, Die Schwalbe, Dzień Polski, Strzelec, Czas, etc.

During World War II, Tuhan-Baranowski had declared Belarusian nationality and became an interpreter for the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. Then, in 1943–1944, he lived in General Government. He played as Lisse in several chess tournaments in GG. In December 1943, he tied for 5–6th in Krynica. In February 1944, he took 4th, behind Efim Bogoljubow, Fedor Bogatyrchuk, and Hans Roepstorff, in Radom.