Rudolph Pokorny

Rudolph (Rudolf) Pokorny (1880 in Tišnov, Moravia – ?) was an Austro–Mexican chess player.

Born in Tischnowitz (now Tišnov), he moved to America (Mexico and the United States). He was a manager of the hair-dressing parlors of Rudolph Pokorny & Co. Pokorny was Moravian Czech.

The July 1909 Chess Weekly reported: "Before sailing for Havana on board the steamship Mérida yesterday, José R. Capablanca, the Cuban chess champion, announced the receipt by him of a challenge from Rudolf Pokorny, the new chess champion of Mexico, who is desirous of playing him a match of 15 games in New York next October." The same item, reproduced from the Brooklyn Eagle, reported Capablanca's reaction: "Within six weeks, I will be back to get in shape for my matches with Pokorny and Rubinstein."

The November 1909 American Chess Bulletin reported: "The failure of Mr Pokorny of Mexico, in consequence of an accident sustained by him, to appear in this country for the proposed match with Capablanca, has been a source of general disappointment. In some quarters the Mexican expert, for it seems the title of "Champion" has been applied to him erroneously. Through Mr Louis Uedemann of Chicago we learn that the Austro-Mexican had been a resident of that city some years ago and was well known to chessplayers there."[1]

He took 6th at New York 1920 (Oscar Chajes won), and took 11th at New York 1920 (Dawid Janowski and R.T. Black won).[2]

References
  1. The Capablanca-Pokorny Fiasco by Edward Winter
  2. http://www.anders.thulin.name/SUBJECTS/CHESS/CTCIndex.pdf Name Index to Jeremy Gaige's Chess Tournament Crosstables, An Electronic Edition, Anders Thulin, Malmö, 2004-09-01


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