Alexander Konstantinopolsky

Alexander Markovich Konstantinopolski (Russian Александр Маркович Константинопольский, scientific transliteration Aleksandr Markovič Konstantinopol'skij; born February 19, 1910 in Zhitomir, † September 21, 1990 in Moscow) was a Soviet chess master and theoretician.

Konstantinopolski counted in the 1930's to the best chess players of Ukraine. He was five times in a row (1932-1936) Master of Kiev, and took part in the championship five times of the Ukrainian SSR. For its first participation at the USSR championship in 1937, he shared in common with Vyacheslav Ragozin behind Grigori lion fish second place. Konstantinopolski still took part in five other USSR Championships. After moving to Moscow in 1944, he participated in numerous competitions around the Soviet capital, with him in 1954 with the split runner-up in this competition scored his best result. FIDE awarded him the title of International Master in 1950 and 1983 retrospectively for his significant achievements in the 1930s to honor Grandmaster title.

Konstantinopolski counted since the 1940s of the strongest Soviet correspondence chess players: He won the first official championship of the Soviet Union in correspondence chess, played from 1948 to 1950. In 1961 he won the third Correspondence Chess Olympiad with the USSR selection. In 1966, the ICCF awarded him the title of International Correspondence Chess Master.

Until the outbreak of World War II Konstantinopolski was one of the most respected coach of the Ukraine. Among his students from this period include, among others, the Vice World Champion 1951 David Bronstein. Later, he spent over 20 years coach of the Soviet Women's National Team. Konstantinopolski also was the author of numerous opening theoretical and publisher major tournament books of USSR Championships.