We are saddened to announce the death of Milan Vukadinov on November 13, 2002. He was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer this past summer. Vukidinov, of Windsor, Ontario, was one of Canada's leading players for a long time, holding a USCF Senior Master rating for much of his chess career. Vukadinov often participated in Michigan and other USA chess tournaments, and was a regular player in Detroit's Metro League. His gentlemanly demeanor and engaging personality won him many Michigan friends over the years. The Michigan chess community extends its deepest sympathy to his wife Ruth and others in the Vukadinov family. (The following biographical information about Milan Vukadinov is furnished courtesy of his friend Ray Stone.) Milan was 66, born in 1936 in the provice of Voyvodina in the former Yugoslavia. He was a Canadian. Although he had strong ties to the substantial Serbian community in Windsor, the ethnic divisions in his homeland were a source of pain to him. Milan spoke English, German, Russian and Serbo Croatian and held a master's degree in Slavic Studies from the University of Waterloo. He worked in the Languages department of the Windsor Public Library for 20 years. Milan was a relentless fighter at the chess board with a dynamic style and a transcendent grasp of the initiative. His fighting spirit, uncanny positional judgement and an unerring eye for tactical oppportunities made him a formidible opponent even for world class players such as Smirin and Epishin. As for lesser masters, he would routinely chew them up and spit them out. Although his results in individual competitions were very creditable, he preferred team competitions where he revelled in the camaraderie. Milan played on the Canadian Olympic Chess Team at the Malta Olympiad in 1980. He was the heart and soul of the Windsor I chess team that dominated the Detroit Metro Chess League and other local team tournaments for more than 20 years. As a member of that team, I remember we always expected to win regardless of the opposition. His outstanding contribution to the chess world, however, was his coaching. Milan loved working with young players and shared his gift generously. He was personally responsible for virtually all the good players who developed in the Windsor chess community. His students whom he called the Young Lions included, Ray Stone, Vlado Drkulec, Dennis Hart, Brian Profit, Meng Lou, Lou Byer, Mike Stroud, Tyler Johnson, David London, Nelson Marcelino and Patricia Chiriou. |