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Milan Velimirović
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MatPlus.Net  Forum General Milan Velimirović IN MEMORIAM |
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| | Page: [Previous] [Next] 1 2 3 | | (1) Posted by Marjan Kovačević [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 17:11]; edited by Marjan Kovačević [13-02-26] | Milan Velimirović IN MEMORIAM
Dear friends,
Milan Velimirović passed away this morning. The terrible news came much faster then a possible medical help he had avoided till the last days. His problems with health were obvious at the end of last year, soon after concluding the monumental work „Themes & Terms“, in a collaboration that he enjoyed so much, with his Finish friend Kari Valtonen. The last months he spent at home. In January, he had an idea to recover for his favourite solving competition ISC, but he couldn’t make it. Before that, in December, he participated in the last round of the Serbian League of Solvers 2012, that he won in a convincing way.
Only two weeks ago, Milan had a feeling of complete recovery and the plans to rearrange the Mat Plus website. However, he couldn’t stand sitting by computer. Instead, Milan enjoyed sports on TV, the game of Barcelona and Milan being among the last ones. With the complete care of his sister Vojka, it seemed he wasn’t suffering the pain, nor he was aware of the heavy illness. In this respect, his decision to avoid hospital helped him during the last days.
Milan Velimirović was born April 21st 1952. He used to say his first Lacny #2, in a high school, changed his life completely. Already as a teenager, he began working for a chess magazine MAT, and at 22 took over the problem part of it. As the main redactor, he created the high-class problem chess magazine MAT in the period 1974-85, offering new standards to the whole world.
Milan loved problem chess more than anyone else. His driving force was to reveal the beauty of chess and it’s art to everyone, from a visitor in a chess club to mature masters. With his articles in MAT, since 1974, he was the real creator of the contemporary problem chess in Serbia, and the successor of the work of Nenad Petrović in ex-Yugoslavia. This mission of his had been extended with Mat Plus, and many books he had edited, or completely redacted, always taking care of the smallest details, up to the final lay-out. The long list of his books began with the one devoted to his late friend Miroslav Stošić, 1979. His philanthropic motivation gave him more pleasure in publishing the complete work of one of his idols, Touw Hian Bwee, than presenting his own opus in chess composition – that he never did. In the yearly international gatherings of problemists Milan was a most prominent and a most loved participant.
Milan’s ideas had always run ahead of it’s time, and against the common opinions. This brought him many disputes, and often left him dissatisfied, without the social recognitions he deserved. And, there were too many accomplishments to assure him much wider recognition.
Milan was the first international master of chess composition, and the first grandmaster solver in Serbia. He was the key solver in many medals won by the national team in World Solving Championships, including the gold one, 1982.
As a grandmaster of chess composition, Milan aimed the highest goals and the crystal-clear mechanisms, crowned by the complex cyclic change, his Queen of the Themes. No wonder he composed the first 3x3 Lacny #3, and the first, miraculous, Lacny-Tura #3. The later one was composed in one of the periods of Milan’s dissatisfaction with the situation in problem chess, that lasted a whole decade, 1985-1994.
These periods were the reason his grandmaster title in composing came so late, but each comeback brought him a new enthusiasm. The last comeback, in 2007, began with his idea to live the rest of his life from the problem chess activities. Milan left the profession of a programmer and turned to various Mat Plus projects. He even accepted being director of both WCSC and ECSC, and not once. The road was rainy, especially after being a successful programmer, including a good work for IBM at the end of 90-es, but Milan loved chess composition so much.
His spirit lives transparently in the construction of Mat Plus website, created for the pleasure and education of the whole problem chess world. The world he wanted to be much better than it is now.
Our condolences go to his sister Vojka and so many chess friends around the world. This note is only the beginning of the Post on Milan’s site, to be completed by many of his friends and admirers, especially with the compositions that will make Milan live as long as good people and good chess compositions live.
| | | (2) Posted by Sven Hendrik Lossin [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 17:22] |
Very sad news. May he rest in peace.
| | | (3) Posted by Marcos Roland [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 18:24] |
I have no words. Shocking news. I can hardly believe it. I lost an idol and a friend. Rest in peace, great, sweet Milan.
| | | (4) Posted by Kostas Prentos [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 19:41] |
Very sad, terrible news. Knowing that Milan was in a hospital was very worrying, but I was hoping he would recover. Milan was a great composer, solver, friend. He was the heart of the party; it was always fun to be around him. With this forum, the Mat Plus magazine and his books, he made a huge contribution in popularizing chess composition. We will remember him fondly.
| | | (5) Posted by Michel Caillaud [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 21:11] |
Terrible news. A great man and true lover of chess composition. Immense sadness.
| | | (6) Posted by seetharaman kalyan [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 21:16] |
So unexpected and shocking. What a man. I enjoyed his writing in Matplus Review. Every problem lover will miss him.
| | | (7) Posted by Abdelaziz Onkoud [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 21:37] |
Une très triste nouvelle. Tous mes sincères condoléances à sa famille , à ses amis et à la famille de des compositeurs de problèmes d'échecs.
| | | (8) Posted by Axel Gilbert [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 21:39] |
Terrible news. The chess problem community has lost one of its greatest figures.
But one is never really dead when one's still remembered, and Milan's memory will last for a long time in our minds.
| | | (9) Posted by Boško Milošeski [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 21:39] |
Terrible news. Sadness immense - for my friend Milan
| | | (10) Posted by Eric Huber [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 21:59] |
The news of Milan's decease is certainly a shock and a grief for us all. Milan was such a generous and active person, such an impressive and deep composer, such a devoted and hard-working editor, that it is hard to imagine him lifeless.
Sincere condolences to his family and close friends.
| | | (11) Posted by Vlaicu Crisan [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 22:59] |
Very sad to hear this terrible news. I will remember Milan as a very humorous, generous and kind person to everybody.
He was always funny, joking and with a large smile on his face. Could not understand why he was never tired, in spite of relentless work.
It is amazing what he has succeeded to realize with Mat Plus and Mat Plus Review. Will miss him a lot.
| | | (12) Posted by Diyan Kostadinov [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 23:21] |
A terrible news! Great composer, great man... Rest in peace Milan!
| | | (13) Posted by Jacques Rotenberg [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 23:33] |
A huge talent and a huge working capacity. A deep understanding of the chess problem. A great loss.
Sad, terrible and shocking news.
| | | (14) Posted by Rauf Aliovsadzade [Monday, Feb 25, 2013 23:54] |
We all are mortal.
Milan Velimirovic's passing away is a great loss to our community.
No words to describe how great this loss is.
God bless his soul.
| | | (15) Posted by Mihail Croitor [Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 01:22] |
Milan Velimirović helped me to make my first pass on chess composition. Rest In Peace
| | | (16) Posted by Zalmen Kornin [Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 02:10] |
Shocking news. One of the greatest is gone. His work will live
| | | (17) Posted by Marjan Kovačević [Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 02:56]; edited by Marjan Kovačević [13-02-26] |
Mike Prcic sent the following note:
The editors of StrateGems join the rest of the chess-composition community in expressing sincere condolences to Milan's family. Milan worked tirelessly in promoting chess composition, solving as well as composing. He was a perfectionist. His magazine, Mat Plus was number one in quality. His Mat Plus web site was the most popular. It seems to unite the composing world.
My last communication with Milan was quite recently. He sent me entries for WCCI-2010-2012 and told me that he was bedridden for the last month. I was naturally surprised, but did not expect such a terrible outcome.
"Milan, we will all miss you very much. Rest in peace."
Mike Prcic
| | | (18) Posted by Ian Shanahan [Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 05:36] |
This is an absolute CATASTROPHE! Although living here in Sydney, Australia, I never had the opportunity to know Milan personally, I could tell from his writings and correspondence with me that he was a wonderful person with the keenest of minds - and a true artist. The world in general - and the chess-problem community in particular - is considerably poorer without him. Heartfelt condolences to his family and his Serbian colleagues, from problemists 'Down Under'.
| | | (19) Posted by Rajendiran Raju [Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 08:02] |
Please I Request all Re - Read the thread "Milan the new Grand Master "especially Post 7 & 20,21,& 22 ( Forum > General )
(20) Posted by Jean-Marc Loustau [Tuesday, Nov 30, 2010 11:20]
Well... Something is really missing: a book with all the Milan's works! I am waiting for such a book for several years!!!
Milan, please, write it!
21) Posted by Milan Velimirović [Tuesday, Nov 30, 2010 12:10]
@Marjan:
Actually, my main intention was to show a cyclic triple avoidance
(a true, well ordered cycle, not just a triple separation) as shown
in the following table:
defence continuation defeated by
1... Ke3! defeated by
1... Kxe5!
1... Qh5 2.Sd2+! 2.Sb2+? 2.Sxd6+?
1... Qh4 2.Sb2+! 2.Sxd6+? 2.Sd2+?
1... Qh3 2.Sxd6+! 2.Sd2+? 2.Sb2+?
@Jean-Marc:
I hope I'll write it eventually. However, I hesitate because I don't want it
to be without by best problem(s) - hopefully the best is yet to come :-)
22) Posted by shankar ram [Friday, Dec 3, 2010 17:11]
Ahem! Actually, Jean-Marc anticipated what I wanted to say -- about a book on Milan's problems!
Just imagining -- something like Rudenko's "Presledovanie Temy". . . It would be an equally great book.
Thanks to Miodrag and Milan for quoting those 2 three-movers.
| | | (20) Posted by Frank Richter [Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:21] |
Terrible. I have no words ...
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