Urlich Jahr, first class player and chess arbiter, was born on the 12 of August 1939 in Bydgoszcz. He started playing chess at the age of 14 and three years later, he was the second in rank among senior players in Bydgoszcz.

Only a year after winning a vice-champion title of Bydgoszcz, he joined an athletic section of Bydgoszcz sports club ‘Polonia”. He was even the sixth in the 200 meters hurdles and the 400  meters hurdles at the Junior Championships of Poland -for the young beneath eighteen years old. He stopped practising sport as soon as he started his evening studies at Technical College in Bydgoszcz. After receiving the title of an engineer, he returned to playing chess as a chess player of ‘Caissa’ club.

Professional attitude to chess allowed him to become the secretary of the Board of District Chess Union in Bydgoszcz in 1970. Then, in 1970, he was elected the Chairman and held the post till 1980. For many years, he co-organized chess events and refereed them at a high professional level. Among such events, it is worthy to mention National Championships of Poland for men in fast and rapid chess in 1976 in Bydgoszcz, the  Team Championships Finals of Poland, and five international chess festivals known as Bydgoszcz Chess Days as well as women’s zone tournament in Bydgoszcz in 1980.

In 1974 he was awarded a national first class arbiter. In 1978, as one among other fifteen Poles ever he was granted a title of FIDE international arbiter. Between 1992 and 1995 he was a vice-chairman  of Polish  Chess Union. He was also chosen  the first chairman of  Kujawsko-Pomorski Chess Union between 1999 and 2003.   
Awards

In recognition of his achievements in chess popularization and development of that discipline he was awarded a  Silver Cross of Merit in 1983 and a Gold Cross of Merit in 1997. Since 1997 he has been a honorary member of Polish Chess Union.