Milan Vukcevich

In the arena of problem composition, Milan Vukcevich has no contemporary peer and stands co-equal with Sam Loyd in the beauty and sophistication of his art. He began his career, however, as a fairly successful player. Born in Belgrade, he won the 1955 Yugoslav Junior Championship and represented Yugoslavia in the 1960 Leipzig Olympiad. After immigrating to the U.S. and settling in Ohio in the early 1960s, he tied with Pal Benko and Robert Byrne as joint winner of the 1969 U.S. Open and finished third in the 1975 U.S. Championship. During the late 1970s, he participated in the National Telephone League, earning wins against Yasser Seirawan, Nick de Firmian, Leonid Shamkovich, and Arthur Bisguier.

However, after moving to the United States, Vukcevich devoted his chess efforts chiefly to analysis and composition. Awarded the title of International Composition Grandmaster by FIDE, an achievement requiring the publication of 70 published problems in FIDE albums, he is the first and only U.S. player to be so honored. His books, 1981’s Chess by Milan: Problems and Games of Dr. Milan R. Vukcevich and 2003’s My Chess Compositions, also demonstrate his penchant for composition. Vukcevich composed in all genres, and his 1998 induction into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame for his contributions to this area testifies to his lasting impact on the game.