Henrique Mecking
Henrique da Costa Mecking ( born January 23, 1952 in Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil) is a Brazilian chess master and clergyman.
Henrique Meckings ancestors came from Germany. His paternal grandfather Heinrich Mecking ( born June 3, 1881 in Geisenheim ) pulled even in the 1880s to Brazil.
Mecking, the first born in Latin America FIDE Chess Grand Master - he was awarded the title of 1972 - began his chess career as a child prodigy: 6 years old, he learned the game as a 11- year-old he won the championship his state. 1965, when 13 - year-old, he became the first -time champions of Brazil. He won the Brazilian championship again in 1967, but took no further part in the national championships more. Through a shared victory in the zone tournament in Buenos Aires in 1966, Mecking qualified for the Interzonal in Sousse in 1967, with whom he shared 11 - 12th been. The same rank he finished the next Interzonal in Palma de Mallorca in 1970. Three years later, in 1973, when the interzonal tournament in Brazil Petrópolis was organized, he won with 12/ 17 without defeat and blew the candidates fighting for the world championship before. In 1974 discharged in Augusta / USA quarterfinal match of the candidates he defeated Viktor Korchnoi with 5.5-7.5. Also, the recent run-up to the candidate struggles succeeded Mecking well: he won the Interzonal in Manila 1976 13 / 19th But this time he was already retired in the quarterfinals of the candidates fighting out: 1977, in Lucerne, he was defeated Lew Polugajewski with 5.5-6.5.
End of the 1970s ended Mecking his chess career, since doctors diagnosed him a severe muscle disease ( myasthenia gravis ). Mecking discovered after he had hung up his career on the nail, a new field in theology, which opened up to him by his newly awakened religiosity. In this he attributes also to overcome his illness. For several years he was trained as a Catholic priest.
In 1991 he began playing chess in public again. He defeated Grandmaster Predrag Nikolic in a contest in São Paulo just with 2.5-3.5 ( 0, -1, = 5). In 1992, he was defeated by Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, also in a contest in São Paulo, with the same result ( 0-1 = 5). He entered upon his return to the chess board at the zone tournaments of São Paulo in 1993 ( 20th place ), 1995 (4th place ), 2003 (3rd place) and 2005 (2nd place after Tie ), in which he for the first time since 1976 could qualify for the next stage in the World Cup qualification again. Mecking played for Brazil at the Chess Olympiads in Bled 2002 and Calvia 2004.
Meckings best Elo rating was 2635th This he reached in January 1977. At the time he was number 4 in the world rankings. His current Elo rating is 2565 (as of October 2007), that he is # 4 on the Brazilian ranking.