foto · Ron Kroon / Anefo · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Portrait · IM
Nikola
Karaklajić
A Yugoslav champion, chess commentator and music editor who could both play an interesting game and bring it to an audience.
Years
1926-2008
Title
IM
City
Belgrade
Games in the archive
1
Nikola Karaklajic (1926–2008) combined competitive chess with radio, journalism and music. Born in Belgrade, he brought major chess events closer to many listeners. He understood how much a clear explanation of one good idea could mean to someone without a grandmaster's knowledge.
He was a music editor at Radio Belgrade and the first editor of Džuboks magazine. Those varied interests make his biography distinctive: he could interest the same audience in a new record and a move from an important tournament.
Karaklajić won the 1955 Yugoslav Championship. The following year, in the Yugoslavia - Soviet Union match in Belgrade, he had Black against Efim Geller.
Efim Geller - Nikola Karaklajić · Yugoslavia - USSR match, Belgrade, 1956.06.17
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Geller–Karaklajic, Belgrade 1956: active rooks prepare the queen's entry, and the final checks draw White's king into the centre.
Karaklajic was a serious competitor too: he won the Yugoslav Championship in 1955. The following year, he beat Efim Geller with Black in the Yugoslavia–Soviet Union match in Belgrade. Follow Black's knights in the sharp middlegame, then the rook entering the second rank.
At Vrnjačka Banja in 1963, Karaklajić had White against Vasja Pirc, a meeting of two players whose names also appear in opening books.
Nikola Karaklajić - Vasja Pirc · Yugoslav Championship, Vrnjacka Banja, 1963.??.??
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Karaklajic–Pirc, Vrnjačka Banja 1963: the queens leave the board, but rook and bishop continue the attack, culminating in 30.Rb8+.
His name is also associated with the development of the Belgrade Gambit, a sharp variation of the Four Knights Game. His taste for active play is evident against Vasja Pirc in Vrnjačka Banja in 1963. With White, Karaklajic plays f4 and f5, opens lines and keeps the pressure after exchanging queens.
The final arrangement against Pirc is especially appealing: White's bishop on d5 covers g8 as the rook reaches the eighth rank with check. The game ends before mate, but the mating threat explains the resignation. Karaklajic also drew on such experience as an author, captain and chess teacher.
His story illustrates the many ways to contribute to chess. A tournament win, a good commentary and a conversation that draws someone to the board each have their value. Karaklajic made his mark in all those roles, and these two wins introduce the player behind the familiar voice.