user11749: I am interested in the History of chess and looking at old FIDE ranking lists I am a bit puzzled by the lack of information about some very good players.
For instance, in the list of July 1972:

Shmit, from Soviet Union, and ranked #95 in the world with 2480 Elo https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Shmit.html
Zurakov, from Soviet Union, and ranked #275 in the world with 2415 Elo
https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Zurakov.html
Abaharov, from Soviet Union, and ranked #285 in the world with 2410 Elo
https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Abaharov.html

Does anyone know them?
The complete list offers other examples
https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo197207e.html
I am also looking to know more about a player called Donnelly, from Ireland, and ranked #416 in 1970 with FIDE rating of 2240 (a very decent rating at that time!)
https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Donnelly.html

user16689: Perhaps the others are:
Vladlen Yakovlevich Zurakhov
http://www.chessgames.com/player/vladlen_yakovlevich_zurakhov.html
and
Jarullakh  Abakarov
https://www.365chess.com/players/Jarullakh_Abakarov

user19441: From Jeremy Gaige's Chess Personalia: a biobibliography (2005 paperback edition (originally from 1987), MacFarland), if no other source is given.
1) Shmit

Anatoly Shmit, a pseudonym, actual name is Anatolijs Šmits, p. 389

Anatolijs Šmits, born 1941.09.02 in Pskov gov., URS, p. 397

Pskov is a city in Russia very close to Estonia.

Likely
I found Anatolijs Šmits in wikipedia, where it's said he died on January 30, 1998.
2) Zurakov

Vladen Yakovlevich Zhurakov, born 1930.05.19, URS, p. 482

Possibly
3) Abaharov

Jarullakh Ibadullakh Ogli Abakarov, born 1934.05.10, URS, p. 1

Possibly
On page 280 of Gino Di Felice's Chess Results 1956-1960 (MacFarland, 2010), Abakarov is said to be from Azerbaijan.
4) Donnelly

4.1) B. Donnely, IM in 1982, Zimbabwe, p. 97

4.2) Ruth Donnelly, born 1929.01.19, USA, p. 97

Unlikely
Next I looked at Edward Winter's Chess History website and found a Donnelly in his 1997 article War Crimes on Karlis Alexandrs Ozols. A game is given Karlis Ozols – Donnelly from the  1987 Correspondence Olympiad. It was a KID Ozols won in 24 moves.

Then I looked up the ICCF Chess Olympiad in 1987 and the preliminaries (no earlier records), but without success.
David McAlister's Blog Irish Chess History has a page about Irish Junior Championship. A F. Donnelly competed in 1954 in the Dublin Chess Club, but was not too successful (last place with 0/5).

user16679: I found one in Big Database 2016.  Anatoly Shmit, born 1941 in Latvia, with 157 games between 1959 and 1989, all played within the USSR.  Many strong Soviet players never got the chance to play outside the Soviet Union, and Shmit does not seem to have ever been awarded a FIDE title, although he was undoubtedly a very strong player, having beaten a number of well known players including Mikhail Tal.
According to chessgames.com, his name was more accurately Anatolijs Šmits.  He won the Soviet Junior Championship in 1960, and was Latvian Champion in 1969 and 1975.  He died in 1998, aged 56.

11749: <p>I am interested in the History of chess and looking at old FIDE ranking lists I am a bit puzzled by the lack of information about some very good players.</p>

<p>For instance, in the list of July 1972:</p>

<ol>
<li>Shmit, from Soviet Union, and ranked #95 in the world with 2480 Elo <a href="https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Shmit.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Shmit.html</a></li>
<li>Zurakov, from Soviet Union, and ranked #275 in the world with 2415 Elo
<a href="https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Zurakov.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Zurakov.html</a></li>
<li>Abaharov, from Soviet Union, and ranked #285 in the world with 2410 Elo
<a href="https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Abaharov.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Abaharov.html</a></li>
</ol>

<p>Does anyone know them?</p>

<p>The complete list offers other examples
<a href="https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo197207e.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo197207e.html</a></p>

<p>I am also looking to know more about a player called Donnelly, from Ireland, and ranked #416 in 1970 with FIDE rating of 2240 (a very decent rating at that time!)
<a href="https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Donnelly.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Donnelly.html</a></p>
 16689: <p>Perhaps the others are:</p>

<p>Vladlen Yakovlevich Zurakhov
<a href="http://www.chessgames.com/player/vladlen_yakovlevich_zurakhov.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.chessgames.com/player/vladlen_yakovlevich_zurakhov.html</a></p>

<p>and</p>

<p>Jarullakh  Abakarov
<a href="https://www.365chess.com/players/Jarullakh_Abakarov" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.365chess.com/players/Jarullakh_Abakarov</a></p>
 19441: <p>From Jeremy Gaige's <em>Chess Personalia: a biobibliography</em> (2005 paperback edition (originally from 1987), MacFarland), if no other source is given.</p>

<p>1) Shmit
<br>
Anatoly Shmit, a pseudonym, actual name is Anatolijs Šmits, p. 389
<br>
Anatolijs Šmits, born 1941.09.02 in Pskov gov., URS, p. 397
<br>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pskov" rel="noreferrer">Pskov</a> is a city in Russia very close to Estonia.
<br>
<strong>Likely</strong></p>

<p>I found Anatolijs Šmits in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolijs_%C5%A0mits" rel="noreferrer">wikipedia</a>, where it's said he died on January 30, 1998.</p>

<p>2) Zurakov
<br>
Vladen Yakovlevich Zhurakov, born 1930.05.19, URS, p. 482
<br>
<strong>Possibly</strong></p>

<p>3) Abaharov
<br>
Jarullakh Ibadullakh Ogli Abakarov, born 1934.05.10, URS, p. 1
<br>
<strong>Possibly</strong></p>

<p>On page 280 of Gino Di Felice's <em>Chess Results 1956-1960</em> (MacFarland, 2010), Abakarov is said to be from Azerbaijan.</p>

<p>4) Donnelly
<br>
4.1) B. Donnely, IM in 1982, Zimbabwe, p. 97
<br>
4.2) Ruth Donnelly, born 1929.01.19, USA, p. 97
<br>
<strong>Unlikely</strong></p>

<p>Next I looked at Edward Winter's <a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/index.html" rel="noreferrer">Chess History</a> website and found a <em>Donnelly</em> in his 1997 article <a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/ozols.html" rel="noreferrer">War Crimes</a> on Karlis Alexandrs Ozols. A game is given <em>Karlis Ozols – Donnelly</em> from the  1987 Correspondence Olympiad. It was a KID Ozols won in 24 moves.
<br>
Then I looked up the <a href="https://www.iccf.com/tables" rel="noreferrer">ICCF Chess Olympiad</a> in 1987 and the preliminaries (no earlier records), but without success.</p>

<p>David McAlister's Blog <a href="https://irishchesshistory.wordpress.com/" rel="noreferrer">Irish Chess History</a> has a page about <a href="https://irishchesshistory.wordpress.com/restricted/irish-junior-championship/" rel="noreferrer">Irish Junior Championship</a>. A <em>F. Donnelly</em> competed in 1954 in the Dublin Chess Club, but was not too successful (last place with 0/5).</p>
 16679: <p>I found one in Big Database 2016.  Anatoly Shmit, born 1941 in Latvia, with 157 games between 1959 and 1989, all played within the USSR.  Many strong Soviet players never got the chance to play outside the Soviet Union, and Shmit does not seem to have ever been awarded a FIDE title, although he was undoubtedly a very strong player, having beaten a number of well known players including Mikhail Tal.</p>

<p>According to chessgames.com, his name was more accurately Anatolijs Šmits.  He won the Soviet Junior Championship in 1960, and was Latvian Champion in 1969 and 1975.  He died in 1998, aged 56.</p>
