Aleksandr Grischuk

This article is an extract from the chess website bestofchess.com.... you can read the full article by clicking on the link below. The Russians have always been acclaimed for their dominance in the world of chess. From the great Mikhail Botvinnik and Alexander Alekhine to Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparaov, the chess champions from Russia have always dominated the world. One such Russian champion, though not as the same pedigree as the aforementioned names, happens to be Aleksandr Igorevitch Grichtchouk (or Alexander Igorevich Grischuk).Born in Moscow on the 31st of October 1983, this grand master was taught to play chess by his father at the age of 4. He was then coached by Mikhail Godvinsky till he turned 7 and then until the age of 10, Maxim Blokh took up the reins as a coach. The mentor who truly turned him into a chess champion was Anatoly Bykhovsky. It was under Bykhovsky’s tutelage that he won the title of International Master at the tender age of 14. In his youth, he had the unique distinction of winning the under 10, 12, 14 and the under 16 Russian chess championships but never the World Junior Chess championship. This Russian grand master who specializes in blitz chess has cited many chess greats like Aron Nimzowitsch, Robert James Fischer and Anatoly Karpov as his influences. He is currently ranked 6th in the FIDE world chess rankings and is ranked 2nd in the Russian rankings behind Vladimir Kramnik. Aleksandr Grichtchouk was bestowed the title of Grand Master by the FIDE in the year 2000 at the age of 17. His first international title was the Lausanne Young Masters in the year 2000 and he quickly lapped up that performance by reaching the semi finals of the FIDE world chess championship in the same year and he did all this at a very young age of 16. He was defeated by the eventual runner up of the tournament, Alexey Shirov.

In 2001, Aleksandr Igorevitch stood 2nd in the prestigious Linares International Chess tournament, which is often considered the Wimbledon of chess, behind his compatriot Garry Kasparov who won the tournament with a far greater points tally. He was also a part of the Russian Chess team that won the Gold medal at the World Chess Olympiad during the years 2000 and 2002. While he struggled to over come his Russian compatriots in the normal chess tournaments, he was fast building a reputation as a rapid chess player. Often regarded as one of the best Blitz players in the world, he won his first rapid chess tournament in 2003 at the 10th Ordix open. He won the World Blitz Championship in 2006 and by then had a notorious reputation of finishing matches very quickly, even in the slower formats of chess. Grichtchouk had once famously quoted that all the chess matches must have shorter time frames and that the usual chess formats were quite slow and boring. At this point he was often criticized for his blitzkrieg tactics and was largely regarded as a blitz chess champion who could rarely have an impact in the normal chess realm. He went on to disprove this and proved his pedigree in the 2009 Linares International where he won the tournament by narrowly beating the Ukrainian player Vassily Ivanchuk by seven points. He came second in the following Linares International edition in 2010 behind the Bulgarian Vaselin Topalov, which incidentally happened to be the last Linares tournament ever to be held. 2009 was another great year for the Russian as he won the Russian Chess Championship the same year.The year 2011 however, continued to be a near miss for the Russian as he again stood second in the World Chess Championship behind the eventual winner and compatriot Sergey Karjakin. Gold in 2011 eluded him yet again as he only could manage a Silver in the World Team Chess Championships. The only shining moment of the year 2011 was him winning the individual Gold in the European Team Championship where Russia stood 5th overall.

Aleksandr Grichtchouk won the World Blitz Chess Championship in 2012 which made him the only chess player to have won the prestigious tournament twice. This win totally enhanced his reputation as a Blitz chess player and made him a legend in the Blitz chess circuit. Blitz chess on the other hand has always been looked down upon by the serious chess players. It does not require long hours of concentration like the normal formats and this could be the primary reason why Grichtchouk’s reputation as a serious chess player usually takes a hit. Compared to his esteemed compatriots he is not a well known name in the media. Though this accusation may largely be hearsay his reputation among serious chess followers is huge, considering the fact that he has been in the world top 10 rankings of the FIDE for the past decade, which is no mean feat for a Blitz player. He has won many open tournaments and was also a record holder for the highest rating achieved at the Internet Chess Club. He even won the Amber Blindfold tournament in the year 2010. His most noted game came in 2001 where he beat a top player called Evgeny Bareev in just 17 moves. This goes to show that the Russian is definitely not a one trick pony and at the age of 30, he still is a young player with a long way to go in the world of chess.

In Russia, Aleksandr Igorevitch has continued to live in his birth city of Moscow. His passion for chess moved into his love life as he married the Ukrainian Grand Master Natalia Zhukova, who happens to be a top chess player in her own right. Apart from the world of chess, Grichtchouk happens to be a professional Poker player who has participated in the top poker championships. Born in a family of atheists he claims to be agnostic. When asked if Poker has deteriorated his chess game, Aleksandr Igorevitch simply answered that chess was not the only thing in life. All this definitely adds to the allure of a personality that is.