American Chess Captain Weds a Soviet Champion
AP Published: November 27, 1988
LEAD: The captain of the American Olympic chess team secretly married a Soviet woman ranked second among the world's woman chess players and left with her for the United States today.
The captain of the American Olympic chess team secretly married a Soviet woman ranked second among the world's woman chess players and left with her for the United States today. John Donaldson, 31 years old, and Yelena Akhmilovskaya, 32, were wed in this Greek port during a major tournament Friday, according to American players.
''It's a real love match - a marriage, not a defection,'' said Inna Izrailov, a Soviet who plays for the American women's team.
The couple's elopement deprived the United States men's team of its captain at a crucial stage in the Olympiad, a biannual world team championship that began in Salonika earlier this month. With three rounds remaining, the men's team is fourth.
''We really do mind losing our team captain, but we couldn't think of a finer reason why we should,'' said Yasser Sierawan of Seattle, America's top player and Mr. Donaldson's closest friend.
Mr. Sierawan said the couple hoped that Ms. Akhmilovskaya's daughter would eventually be allowed to join them in the United States. The 7-year-old girl is staying with her grandmother in the Soviet Union. Mr. Donaldson, an international master also from Seattle, and Ms. Akmilovskaya met three years ago at a world championship event in Havana.
The loss of Ms. Akhmilovskaya, a women's grandmaster, may make a bigger difference in the women's championship. The Soviets are slightly ahead of Hungary, whose remarkable three sisters - including Judit Polgar, the highest-ranked 12-year-old player ever - threatens to break three decades of Soviet domination.
Mr. Donaldson and Ms. Akmilovskaya were married in a civil ceremony at City Hall here, then returned to the playing hall to watch the United States women's team hold the Soviets to a draw.
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The rest, as they say, is history. Here are some excerpts from Cathy Forbes' book "The Polgar Sisters: Training or Genius?", covering the events at the Thessaloniki Olympiad in 1988:
"In the event, the sisters [Polgars] did not disappoint, although the event was far from being a one-sided affair. Thessaloniki 1988 was the strongest and most dramatic women's Olyumpiad ever. It soon developed into a two-filly race between Hungary and the Soviets in which the lead fluctuated and outside events had a strong impact on the chess.
"The first of these was news of the tragic death of Bela Perenyi, euphemistically described as a 'close friend' of third board Ildiko Madl. This had a depressing effect on the Hungarian camp; Madl had to be rested for a few rounds, Sofia Polgar was in poor form and after en rounds Hungary was one and a half points behind the Soviets. Despite the absence of Gaprindashvili (who had scored 10/10 in the previous Olymmpiad in Dubai) it looked as though the experience of the Soviet team would tell in their favour. After all, their board two, world title challenger Elena Akhmilovskaya, was doing splendidly for them with 8 1-2/9...
"Round 11 - no Akhmilovskaya! The biggest story evr to hit an Olympiad broke. The Soviet board two had married the American team captian, IM John Donaldson, eloped with him, and defected to the United States! "
This extraordinary event was a major blow to Soviet hopes of the gold medal. Had Akhmilovskaya delayed her romantic flight for a few more rounds, it is more than possible that 'Polgaria' would have been trounced. As it was, news had leaked out of the Donaldsons' wedding in Greece and John and Elena feared her departure would be obstructed by the Soviet authorities if they got word of what had happened. Therefore both felt compelled to leave their teams in the lurch.
"Now the Hungarians seized their chance, drawing level with the Soviet Union by the end of the penultimate round. So all depended on the fourteenth and final round of matches. In a tense and nail-biting situation the Soviets could only manage a draw against the surprising Dutch team. Hungary, however, was not having things all its own way against Sweden. Judith won, taking her personal score to 11 1-2/13, but Madl could only draw. Susan was struggling, a pawn down, against Pia Cramling and it looked as though calculators would be required to work out the tie-break. In the event Susan fought back to hold the draw and so Hungary came home by half a point."
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