Finnish chess player (1950–2021)
Yrjö Aukusti Rantanen (23 April 1950 – 14 January 2021) was a Finnish chess player, who was awarded the title of grandmaster by FIDE in 1981. He was a two-time Finnish chess champion, and won three medals at the Chess Olympiad.
Biography.
Born in Tampere, Rantanen learned to play chess at the age of six from by his father, Matti Rantanen.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Rantanen was one of the top Finnish chess players. He has twice won gold medals at the Finnish Chess Championships (1978, 1986), three times won silver medals (1976, 1982, 1990) and won bronze medal in 1972. Yrjö Rantanen was the winner of many international chess tournaments, including 3rd place in Helsinki (1981), and won in Järvenpää (1982).
Yrjö Rantanen played for Finland in the Chess Olympiads:
Yrjö Rantanen played for Finland in the European Team Chess Championship:
Yrjö Rantanen played for Finland in the Nordic Chess Cups:
In 1977 he was awarded the title of international master (IM) and in 1981 that of international grandmaster (GM). Rantanen became the second Finnish chess grandmaster after Heikki Westerinen.
References.
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