OBITUARY
Klaus POHL
April 1, 1937 – January 9, 2021
Klaus POHL was born on April 1, 1937 and passed away on January 9, 2021 and is under the care of Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Century Drive.
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Services
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Memories
Klaus POHL
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ADD A MEMORYDoug Ragan
June 2, 2021
Klaus visited St. Jospeh's Middle School's Chess Club a few years ago to share his thoughts and suggestions on chess. He told the story of his youth under the Nazi regime; surviving the Dresden fire bombing; and later, escaping the communist government in East Germany. His talk became a living history lesson where you could hear a pin drop. He was very generous in sharing his time with young players and would attend the Greenville Scholastic Chess tournaments often. It was an honor to be associated with Klaus.
Mike, Franca George
February 6, 2021
To Nikki, Barbra, Ursula and family,
Our sincere condolences at this sad time.
Mike, Franca & family
Daniel Roffman
February 6, 2021
I had the pleasure and honor to see Klaus play strong and interesting chess games almost every week for 3 years. It was clear that he loved the game and was a good friend of the regular players. He will be missed.
Ehab Khalil
February 3, 2021
At the chess level, I played tens of games against SC Champion, Klaus Pohl, and, expectedly, lost most of them.
Klaus was not only brilliant in chess in terms of winning and achievements, but also he showed a deep understanding and sense of chess inherent beauty. Actually in some games, I got distracted and/or overwhelmed by his beautiful style and outstanding ideas. I remember him making a lot of deep statements about chess, such as “chess is what you see not what you think” , “the most complex position in chess is the start position” …etc.
At the human level, he was a respectful man. I really liked and respected him. He often asked me “how is life treating you?” a question that showed care and warmth.
My deep condolences to Mr. Pohl’s family.
Klaus, you played your last surprise move and you hit the clock, now it is our turn to move.
Our comfort is the clock is ticking. Farewell champ!
Randal Ferguson
February 3, 2021
I have known Klaus for44 years. I first met him in 1977 at a chess tournament in Columbia, SC. We played in the fifth and final round of the tournament to determine the winner. As was usual when we played, Klaus won. Our rivalry on the chessboard continued for the next 44 years as well. For most of those early years, he was always the number 1 ranked player in South Carolina and I was the number 2 ranked player. However, we never allowed our chess rivalry to get in the way of a true friendship. We both lived in Greenville, therefore we could get together frequently on a social basis as well. I well remember going to his home for a two or three hour blitz chess session. He also would ride his bike to my house many times for the same. We called them our Bier Schach afternoons. He did enjoy his beer and sausages -he was German, after all! I, on the other hand, mostly looked forward to his beautiful wife Uschi's homemade pound cake - hot out of the oven. She knew I loved sweets, and she always had delicious treats available.
Klaus loved his family. He was so proud of his two daughters, Nikki and Barbra. He could never stop talking about their sharp intellects and accomplishments. Our friendship did not consist entirely of only speed chess and beer. We also frequently met on the tennis courts in earlier years. We were very close competitors in those encounters as well.
I will miss my friend, rival, and fellow competitor very much. We recently played our last game together six weeks ago at the SC State Chess Championship. I never for a minute thought it would be our final game. His absence will be notable at future tournaments. He was a chess fixture at tournaments in Georgia, North and South Carolina. He will be missed by all.
Ruhe Frieden mein Freund!
William Clark
February 3, 2021
Just received this news! My prayers and condolences to the family. He was a tremendous person with a brain of brilliance; even though I thought he was much younger because he played Chess with mastermind of a younger man . He was always kind and supportive of knowledge and skill. He will be missed on the Chess board but He is with the True ChessMaster; the ONE who skillfully and strategically designed this universe. God Almighty. May God bless you all!!
Tim Rankin
February 2, 2021
Klaus was without question one of the most respected chess players in the history of South Carolina, with numerous state championship titles spanning several decades. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play dozens of games against him over the years, many times at the Greenville Chess Club but also several times during weekend tournaments.
As others have pointed out, there is much more to Klaus's life than just his chess notoriety. He will be sorely missed by those in the chess community and certainly by many outside of it as well. May he rest in peace, and my deepest condolences go out to his family.
Keith Bell
February 2, 2021
I remember Klaus personally and by reputation as a chess player. He always had a keen wit and a kind heart. My condolences go out to the Pohl family: Nikki, Barbara, Ursula and their families. Know that you will be in my thoughts.
Charles Walter
February 2, 2021
Everyone Loved Klaus Pohl. He lighted up our lives. He helped both the young and the old. He had an I can attitude. He was fun to be around. We will all miss him a lot.
John Yates
February 2, 2021
Even if Klaus had not created a remarkable life in the chess community, we would still regard him with great admiration for all his achievements after surviving the firebombing of Dresden.
May he now enjoy peace.
Srimaruthi Jonnalagadda
February 1, 2021
Me and my family are very saddened to know that NM Klaus is no more!
I vividly remember watching him play every thursday at Barnes & Nobles on Woodruff road very enthusiastically even with younger/amateur players including my kids.
He gave immense inspiration to many little kids, the kids are overwhelmed with joy at the opportunity to play chess with him. I still did not forget the day my son played him 1st time. This picture here is still his favorites. For him and many other kids 'Playing with Klaus is like playing with world chess champion'
A passionate chess lover, Klaus will always be remembered as the tallest tower of South Carolina chess for generations of chess to come!
Deepest condolences from our family to NM Klaus's family.
Regards
Sri J
Dean Creech
February 1, 2021
I will remember him for his love of the 4H program. He always donated any winnings in our fund raiser tournaments back into the program.
Aidan Fejzulai
February 1, 2021
My deepest condolences to the Phol Family,
I’d known Klaus, circumstantially and later, as my mentor, for many years. He was always willing to give me advice and check up on my chess & academic progress.
Several years ago, he took it upon himself to coach me in chess free of charge, imparting his many years of experience & knowledge, as well as sharing so many resources he personally collected over the years - I credit this to much of my success in the world of competitive chess.
Klaus was never afraid to speak his mind, and tell it like it was. His act of kindness & generosity profoundly affected me, and was an astounding exemplification of his inner character.
The news of his passing saddens me greatly. He was always sharp as a tack, and even in his later years, he was hard to keep up with both physically and mentally. Mine is only one life this amazing man touched, but rest assured Klaus lived a life of kindness and generosity that many of us hope to follow in.
Neal Harris
January 31, 2021
Ursula, Nikki, Barbara,
Please accept our deepest sympathy and condolences. I will always have pleasant memories of Klaus from playing each other is the many Chess tournaments that we drove to. Roselie and I appreciated having Klaus as our best man at our wedding. Somewhere Klaus is looking down on us and maybe reading this. I have one last message "Klaus,go ahead and press my clock,I will be along eventually and we will play another game"..
Neal Harris
Luis Lizardo
January 30, 2021
My most sincere condolences to Klaus’s family. I always looked forward to playing him on Thursdays at Barnes and Noble in Greenville. He was the fiercest competitor on the board and the sweetest grandfather type of figure asking about my small children and providing me tips on how to raise them with strong values, which of course, included chess.
Ernest Nix
January 30, 2021
Dear Ursula, Barbra, Nicola, and all of your families, I am deeply sorry for your loss in Klaus's passing. I recall struggling to keep pace with him in our walks together, and sharing in lively conversations when we traveled together to chess tournaments! He was proud of all of you, and told me so many times. So, one night in a shared hotel room during a tournament, I quietly awoke at 4AM and stared at the ceiling. From the bed across the room I heard, "So the Rook goes from b1 to b3 to attack the pawn at c3?" "No Klaus, it goes to b4, then c4, like a shark circling its prey." "That's right!" The one time I ever corrected him on a matter of chess. Then back to sleep. Sleep well, old friend.
Sue Ann Finley
January 30, 2021
So sorry. Good neighbor, will miss seeing you on your walks in neighborhood.