Georgios Makropoulos

Photo: karpidis from Piraeus, Greece — CC BY 2.0Source

Georgios Makropoulos

chess player

Born
September 29, 1953
Died
September 15, 2026
Age
72 years
Nationality
Greece

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Georgios Makropoulos, 72, Greek chess player.

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Georgios Makropoulos (Greek: Γεώργιος Μακρόπουλος; 29 September 1953 – 15 September 2026) was a Greek chess player. He achieved the title of International Master (IM) in 1979 and was a seven-time Greek Chess Championship winner (1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1985).

Chess player career

As a player, Makropoulos belonged to the Greek chess elite in the 70s and 80s. He twice participated in World Junior Chess Championship (1969, 1971). Between 1971 and 1985, Makropoulos won the Greek Chess Championship seven times. He was International Master since 1979 and achieved a Grandmaster norm in the 1980 Banco di Roma tournament.

Makropoulos played for Greece in the Chess Olympiad:

He played for Greece in the European Team Chess Championships:

  • In 1989, at sixth board in the 9th European Team Chess Championship in Haifa (+3, =2, -2).

Makropoulos played for Greece in the Men's Chess Balkaniads:

  • In 1971, at third board in the 3rd Men's Chess Balkaniad in Athens (+0, =1, -0) and won individual bronze medal,
  • In 1973, at fourth board in the 5th Men's Chess Balkaniad in Poiana Brașov (+2, =0, -2),
  • In 1978, at first board in the 10th Men's Chess Balkaniad in Băile Herculane (+1, =0, -3),
  • In 1979, at first board in the 11th Chess Balkaniad in Bihać (+1, =2, -2),
  • In 1981, at first board in the 13th Chess Balkaniad in Athens (+0, =0, -4),
  • In 1983, at fourth board in the 15th Chess Balkaniad in Băile Herculane (+1, =3, -0) and won individual silver medal,
  • In 1985, at sixth board in the 17th Chess Balkaniad in Irakleio (+2, =2, -0) and won individual silver medal.

Chess official career

Makropoulos worked from 1977 as a journalist for the Athens daily newspaper Eleftherotypia. He was President of the Greek Chess Federation from 1982 to 2021, after which he became its Honorary President. Numerous international chess events took place in Greece under his aegis, including the two Chess Olympiads in Thessaloniki: 1984 and 1988.

After the President of FIDE Florencio Campomanes awarded the Chess Olympiad 1986 to Dubai in 1984 and the organizing Chess Federation of the United Arab Emirates then announced that it would not invite the Israeli team, Makropoulos together with Raymond Keene and Don Schultz was member of a negotiation commission, which from the end of 1984 was supposed to find solutions to the crisis that had arisen on behalf of FIDE. Despite international protests and despite the commission's efforts, the Israeli team did not take part in the Dubai Olympics. At the FIDE Congress in Dubai, the statutes were changed in such a way that future refusal by the hosts of individual associations to FIDE events should only be possible with the consent of a three-quarters majority of the FIDE General Assembly.

In 1986, Makropoulos became Vice President of FIDE. In 1990, he moved to the position of Secretary General of the organization, a position he held until 1996. After that Makropoulos was Deputy President of FIDE until 2018. In 2006, Makropoulos supported the renewed candidacy of the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who prevailed at the congress in Turin against Bessel Kok with 96:54 votes. In 2018, Makropoulos himself ran unsuccessfully against Arkady Dvorkovich. He returned to FIDE leadership in 2022, when he was elected as one of four elected Vice Presidents and became a member of the FIDE Council. He remained a FIDE Vice President until his death in September 2026. At the time of his death, he was also an approved candidate for re-election as an elected Vice President at the 2026 FIDE General Assembly.

Personal life and death

Makropoulos died on 15 September 2026, at the age of 72. Following his death, the Greek Chess Federation adopted a formal resolution honouring his contribution to Greek and international chess. Among the measures announced in his memory were the naming of the federation’s board meeting room as the “Georgios Makropoulos Hall” and the consideration of an annual event or other institutional initiative in his memory. His memory was also honoured with minutes of silence at several official chess events; among them, the fourth round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad began with a minute of silence in his memory. His widow is the chess player Marina Makropoulou, Romania’s first Woman Grandmaster and a nine-time Greek Women's Chess Champion, with whom he had two children.[citation needed]

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Sources

Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions

Questions drawn from Georgios Makropoulos's archived record and the sources above.

  1. 1.What was the date of birth of Georgios Makropoulos according to the biography?

    • A.29 September 1953
    • B.23 October 1953
    • C.29 October 1953
    • D.23 September 1953correct

    The biography explicitly lists 23 September 1953 as the birth date for Georgios Makropoulos.

    Source: biographical header

  2. 2.How many times did Georgios Makropoulos win the Greek Chess Championship?

    • A.Six times
    • B.Seven timescorrect
    • C.Five times
    • D.Four times

    Georgios Makropoulos was a seven-time winner of the Greek Chess Championship.

    Source: chess player career section

  3. 3.In what year did Georgios Makropoulos achieve the title of International Master?

    • A.1989
    • B.1979correct
    • C.1985
    • D.1971

    Georgios Makropoulos achieved the title of International Master in 1979.

    Source: chess player career section

  4. 4.What position did Georgios Makropoulos hold in the Greek Chess Federation starting in 1982?

    • A.Secretary General
    • B.Treasurer
    • C.Executive Director
    • D.Presidentcorrect

    Georgios Makropoulos served as the President of the Greek Chess Federation from 1982 to 2021.

    Source: chess official career section

  5. 5.Which of these events did Georgios Makropoulos play in representing Greece in 1989?

    • A.17th Men's Chess Balkaniad
    • B.World Junior Chess Championship
    • C.9th European Team Chess Championshipcorrect
    • D.24th Chess Olympiad

    In 1989, Georgios Makropoulos played at the sixth board in the 9th European Team Chess Championship in Haifa.

    Source: chess player career section

  6. 6.What was the result of the individual medal Georgios Makropoulos won at the 1985 Men's Chess Balkaniad?

    • A.No medal
    • B.Gold
    • C.Silvercorrect
    • D.Bronze

    At the 17th Balkaniad in 1985, Georgios Makropoulos won an individual silver medal.

    Source: chess player career section

  7. 7.Which newspaper employed Georgios Makropoulos as a journalist starting in 1977?

    • A.To Vima
    • B.Kathimerini
    • C.Eleftherotypiacorrect
    • D.Avgi

    Georgios Makropoulos worked from 1977 as a journalist for the Athens daily newspaper Eleftherotypia.

    Source: chess official career section

  8. 8.In which city were the Chess Olympiads held that took place under the aegis of Georgios Makropoulos in 1984 and 1988?

    • A.Thessalonikicorrect
    • B.Patras
    • C.Heraklion
    • D.Athens

    Numerous international chess events occurred in Greece under his aegis, including the two Chess Olympiads in Thessaloniki: 1984 and 1988.

    Source: chess official career section

  9. 9.Who was the FIDE President that Georgios Makropoulos supported during the 2006 congress in Turin?

    • A.Florencio Campomanes
    • B.Bessel Kok
    • C.Arkady Dvorkovich
    • D.Kirsan Ilyumzhinovcorrect

    In 2006, Georgios Makropoulos supported the renewed candidacy of FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

    Source: chess official career section

  10. 10.Who did Georgios Makropoulos run against in the 2018 FIDE presidential election?

    • A.Bessel Kok
    • B.Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
    • C.Raymond Keene
    • D.Arkady Dvorkovichcorrect

    In 2018, Georgios Makropoulos ran unsuccessfully against Arkady Dvorkovich.

    Source: chess official career section

  11. 11.What is the name of the wife of Georgios Makropoulos?

    • A.Marina Makropouloucorrect
    • B.Elena Makropoulou
    • C.Maria Makropoulou
    • D.Sophia Makropoulou

    The widow of Georgios Makropoulos is the chess player Marina Makropoulou.

    Source: personal life and death section

  12. 12.At what age did Georgios Makropoulos die in 2026?

    • A.70
    • B.72correct
    • C.68
    • D.74

    Georgios Makropoulos died on 15 September 2026, at the age of 72.

    Source: personal life and death section

  13. 13.Which room was renamed in honor of Georgios Makropoulos by the Greek Chess Federation?

    • A.The training library
    • B.The board meeting roomcorrect
    • C.The entrance lobby
    • D.The grandmaster lounge

    The Greek Chess Federation announced the naming of the federation’s board meeting room as the “Georgios Makropoulos Hall”.

    Source: personal life and death section

  14. 14.Who was part of the negotiation commission tasked with the 1984 FIDE crisis regarding the Dubai Olympics?

    • A.Arkady Dvorkovich
    • B.Bessel Kok
    • C.Don Schultzcorrect
    • D.Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

    Georgios Makropoulos, along with Raymond Keene and Don Schultz, was a member of the FIDE negotiation commission.

    Source: chess official career section

  15. 15.What was the outcome of the 1971 Balkaniad for Georgios Makropoulos at the third board?

    • A.Individual bronze medalcorrect
    • B.Individual silver medal
    • C.No individual medal
    • D.Individual gold medal

    In 1971, at the 3rd Men's Chess Balkaniad, Georgios Makropoulos played at the third board and won an individual bronze medal.

    Source: chess player career section

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