Vladas Mikėnas [SEP] country of citizenship
Vladas Mikėnas
Vladas Mikėnas (17 April 1910 – 3 November 1992) was a Lithuanian chess player and journalist. He was awarded the titles of International Master and Honorary Grandmaster by FIDE.
Early career.
Vladas Mikėnas played for Lithuania at first board in five official and one unofficial Chess Olympiads.
- In July 1931, he played at the 4th Chess Olympiad in Prague (+7 –5 =6).
- In July 1933, he played at the 5th Chess Olympiad in Folkestone (+5 –3
Moscow, URS-ch12), he performed exceptionally well for 3rd place with 13/19, finishing ahead of the reigning champion Mikhail Botvinnik. This tournament was the strongest Soviet final up to that time, as it included several players, such as Paul Keres and Vladas Mikėnas, from countries annexed by the USSR, as part of the Nazi–Soviet Pact of 1939.
The Soviet Federation held a further tournament of the top six from the 1940 event, and this was called the 1941 Absolute Championship of the USSR, one