Anton Korobov

This article is an extract from the chess website bestofchess.com.... you can read the full article by clicking on the link below.Anton Korobov, Warsaw 2013

Full name Антон Коробов

Country:  Ukraine

Born (1985-06-25) 25 June 1985 (age 28)

Kemerovo, Russia

Title Grandmaster

FIDE rating 2698 (April 2014)

(No. 46 in the December 2012 FIDE World Rankings)

Peak rating 2720 (August 2013)

Anton Korobov (born 25 June 1985) is a Ukrainian chess Grandmaster (2003). He won the 2013 European Blitz Chess Championship.

Chess career Korobov won the 2002 and 2012 Ukrainian Championships and finished second behind Andrei Volokitin in 2004. In 2011, he came first in the Nakhchivan Open. He took part in the Chess World Cup 2011, but was eliminated in the second round by Nikita Vitiugov. In February 2012, he tied for 1st–3rd with Mateusz Bartel and Pavel Eljanov in the 11th Aeroflot Open. Korobov was outright 3rd in the Ukrainian Championship (2013) behind Yuriy Kryvoruchko and Ruslan Ponomariov respectively. In the World Cup 2013 in Norway he eliminated Vasif Durarbayli, Baadur Jobava, Daniil Dubov and Hikaru Nakamura, but in the fifth round he was knocked out by former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik, after losing the first game and drawing the second. Korobov has not played for the Ukrainian national team although he has expressed interest in doing so.

“I was nearly or immediately hopeless after Move 15,” he said in a brief commentary to Susan Polgar. According to Korobov the whole strategy in the game was absolutely wrong. Tomorrow Ukrainian is White, “I think the capital punishment is waitng for me but I should do my best to cope with this situation.”

GM noted the question sounded provocative, but he replied anyways: “Maybe there were guys who were making the decision [of] who should live or die, to play or not to play, maybe they lack chess literacy, or maybe they are just [being] wise, maybe I am too unpredictable to join the team… I don’t know what the reason is. I am always ready to play and previously, last year, at the Olympiad in Istanbul they were playing with me asking all the time: “Are you ready?”, “Are you sure you are ready?” And then there was a very nice saying from the chief coach: “Good-bye.””

А.MAKSIMOV: Good evening, I just connected to GM Anton Korobov and of course my choice wasn’t accidental. As you already know Anna Ushenina, who at some point made a big stir at the Women’s World Championship,mentioned that Anton is helping her during the competition. Apart from that she also comes from Kharkov and is of the same age as Anton.

So, Anton do you know her well? Are you two connected anyhow? I mean, maybe you’ve been attending the same chess school or had the same coaches?

A.KOROBOV: I know her well. In general we aren’t connected by anything. Well, she just works in the same field with 64 squares, but we don’t interact that much. We’ve been attending the same Kramatorska chess school though. That’s it.

My name’s Evgeny Surov and we are talking to “the man from Kemerovo” – that is
Anton Korobov, however it turned out afterwards that you are you evaluate her play? Isn’t it strange to see the finalist with 2450 rating?

A.MAKSIMOV: Did her performance in Khanty-Mansiysk surprise you? How can be explained her result?

A.KOROBOV: That’s a hard topic, I mean Anna’s performance. I was more surprised by her games than by the results. For example, her game against Nadezhda Kosintseva. Any, even a great chess player would be happy to be the author of this game. That’s fabulous.

A.MAKSIMOV: Today Anna mentioned that you have been helping her during the competition. What do you say?

A.KOROBOV: Yes, we’ve been working hard with Anna before the championship, Gennady Krugovoi, our sport chief in Kharkov, initiated that.

A.MAKSIMOV: How would you evaluate her play? Isn’t it strange to see the finalist with 2450 rating?

A.KOROBOV: Well, that’s a very hard question. Women’s chess is always kind of exorcism… in the finest sense of the word which I really unexpected but he did it . This is what I can state: Anna has a huge and not fully fulfilled potential.

A.MAKSIMOV: It seems that Anna has made the least mistakes at this competition. If for instance, Antoaneta alternates brilliant moves with blunders, Anna’s play looks like Petrosian’s style… Do you agree?

A.KOROBOV: I don’t think so. Her style is closer to Reshevsky’s play in his heyday. That’s combination of universalism and optimism, energy and the instinct of the bloodsucking killer.

I can only wish Anna luck in the final. It’s all in her hands, including the victory.

A.MAKSIMOV: What do you think of today’s tie-break?

Anton Korobov, the new Champion of Ukraine, an extraordinary player and companion, will be on the air of Chess-News radio tomorrow at 20:00 MSK Time. Leave your questions below, please specify your name.

The Ukrainian Chess Federation once again gained practically the strongest composition for the championship which is scheduled to take place on June 15-26. From the top grandmasters only Vassily Ivanchuk will skip the competition.

A.KOROBOV: Today’s tie-break was a Klondike for those missing some grey hair. Anna demonstrated great preparation in the 1st game and brought the game to the conclusion. In the 2nd game, it was Chinese player’s turn to do the same, she ventured to sacrifice the exchange and then found a very strong 28.Nh6!. But then she just couldn’t cope either with her nerves or with time. Alas? Hurrah?!!!

Ukraine has voted for the best chess players of the year for the 10th time. Anton Korobov and Anna Ushenina won the the prize “Chess Hetman 2012.” As you know GM Korobov won the Ukrainian championship, Ushenina became the world champion.

The voting was held among Ukrainian chess players, journalists, coaches and experts. By the way, Anton Korobov surpassed Vassily Ivanchuk who eventually became second.

The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda Ukraine reports that executive committee of Ukrainian Chess Federation (UCF) held a meeting recognizing Ukrainian sportswomen’s performance at the World Championship as successful.