How the WWII invasion of Poland created an Argentine chess powerhouse

Love this short tale from Dan Lewis, who pens the "Now I Know" daily blog on bits of history and science. In this one, he talks about the world chess championships that were going on in Argentina in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Many of the participants, particularly Polish Jews, stayed in Argentina rather than return to their homes and what ultimately would have been almost certain death.

The unanticipated outcome of this happenstance: a transfer of substantial chess prowess from Central Europe to Argentina, which would go on to become a world power in chess for two decades after the war. The U.S. got nuclear scientists and the Argentines got chess masters. It worked out for the best.