Elmārs Zemgalis
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Elmārs Zemgalis (born 9 September 1923, Riga, Latvia) a Latvian-American chess master.
After the Soviets second time invaded his native Latvia, Zemgalis fled to Germany. As a D.P. (Displaced Person) after WW II he played in twelve international tournaments. In 1946, he took 2nd, behind Wolfgang Unzicker, in Augsburg. In 1946, he took 2nd, behind Fedor Bohatirchuk, in Regensburg (Klaus Junge Memorial). In 1947, he took 2nd, behind Lūcijs Endzelīns in Hanau (Matisons Memorial). In 1948, he won in Esslingen (Württemberg-ch). In 1949, he won in Rujtā (Württemberg-ch). In 1949, he tied for 1st with Efim Bogoljubow in Oldenburg. In 1949, he tied for 1st with Leonids Dreibergs in Esslingen.
In 1951, he immigrated to the United States. By 1952, Zemgalis had settled in Seattle. He was arguably the top player in the Pacific Northwest for the next fifteen years. In 1952, he won (3 : 1) a match against Olaf Ulvestad in Seattle. In 1953 and 1959, he won the Washington State championships. In 1962, he won (4.5 : 3.5) a match against Viktor Pūpol.
Zemgalis was awarded the GMH title in 2003.
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