Background
Raud was born in Viljandi, Estonia.
Raud was born in Viljandi, Estonia.
He played several times in the Estonian championships at Tallinn. He played for Estonia on fourth board in the 6th Chess Olympiad at Warsaw 1935 (+4 –4 =7), on second board in 3rd unofficial Olympiad at Munich 1936 (+7 –8 =5), on second board in the 7th Olympiad at Stockholm (+7 –2 =8), on second board in the 8th Olympiad at Buenos Aires 1939 (+7 –5 =5). The Estonian team (Paul Keres, Raud, Schmidt, Friedemann, Johannes Türn) took 3rd place, behind Germany and Poland, in the last pre-war Chess Olympiad.
In September 1939, when World World War II broke out, Raud, along with many other participants of the 8th Chess Olympiad, decided to stay in Argentina.
He died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the age of 28. Ilmar Raud vs Fricis Apšenieks, Stockholm 1937, 7th Olympiad, French, Paulsen Variation, C10, 1-0
Erich Eliskases vs Ilmar Raud, March del Plata 1941, Queen"s Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, D61, ½–½.