1991 in chess
Encyclopedia
Top players
FIDE top 10 by Elo rating - January 1991- Garry KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
2800 - Anatoly KarpovAnatoly KarpovAnatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
2725 - Boris GelfandBoris GelfandBoris Abramovich Gelfand is a Belarus-born Israeli chess Grandmaster. He won the 2011 Candidates Tournament and will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Chess Championship 2012.-Biography:...
2700 - Vassily Ivanchuk 2695
- Evgeny BareevEvgeny BareevEvgeny Bareev is a Russian chess Grandmaster and chess coach. In October 2003, he was in fourth place in the world rankings, with an Elo rating of 2739....
2650 - Mikhail GurevichMikhail Gurevich (chess player)Mikhail Naumovich Gurevich is a Soviet chess player. He lived in Belgium from 1991 to 2005 and since then resides in Turkey....
2650 - Jan Ehlvest 2650
- Leonid YudasinLeonid YudasinLeonid Grigoryevich Yudasin is a prominent chess grandmaster and trainer, now living in New York City.Awarded the International Master title in 1982, he secured the International Grandmaster title in 1984, the year he became Leningrad Champion...
2645 - Valery SalovValery SalovValery Salov is a Russian chess grandmaster.Salov was awarded the International Master title in 1984 and the Grandmaster title in 1986. He was the World under-17 Champion in 1980 and European Junior Champion in 1983-84...
2645 - Alexander BeliavskyAlexander Beliavsky-External links:...
* 2640
(*) Beliavsky was tied with Ulf Andersson, Alexander Khalifman and Gata Kamsky
Chess news in brief
- The World Championship Candidates' quarter-final line-up comprises Viswanathan AnandViswanathan AnandV. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
, Boris GelfandBoris GelfandBoris Abramovich Gelfand is a Belarus-born Israeli chess Grandmaster. He won the 2011 Candidates Tournament and will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Chess Championship 2012.-Biography:...
, Vassily Ivanchuk, Anatoly KarpovAnatoly KarpovAnatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
, Viktor KorchnoiViktor KorchnoiViktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
, Nigel ShortNigel ShortNigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
, Jan TimmanJan TimmanJan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"...
and Artur YusupovArtur YusupovArtur Mayakovich Yusupov is a German International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess writer.-Chess career:...
. All matches are played in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where Anand comes close to defeating Karpov, but loses 3½-4½, Gelfand is beaten by Short 3-5, Ivanchuk loses out to Yusupov 4½-5½ after two tie-break games and Timman convincingly beats an out-of-form Korchnoi 4½-2½. - The Women's Candidates' Tournament requires a tie-break to separate joint winners Xie JunXie JunXie Jun is a chess grandmaster from China. She had two reigns as Women's World Chess Champion, from 1991 to 1996 and again from 1999 to 2001. Xie is only the second woman to have two reigns, the other being Elisabeth Bykova....
and Alisa MarićAlisa MaricAlisa Marić is a Serbian chess player, who holds the FIDE titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master. She is living in Belgrade, capital of Serbia . She has dual citizenship, Serbian and American...
. In a match that moves from BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Xie Jun wins 4½-2½ and advances to face Maia ChiburdanidzeMaia ChiburdanidzeMaia Chiburdanidze is a Georgian chess grandmaster, and the seventh Women's World Chess Champion. She is the only chess player in history who has won nine Chess Olympiads....
for the Women's World Chess ChampionshipWomen's World Chess ChampionshipThe Women's World Chess Championship is played to determine the women's world champion in chess. Like the World Chess Championship, it is administered by FIDE....
in ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The Chinese challenger continues to impress and captures the world title by a score of 8½-6½. - Garry KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
wins a strong double-round TilburgTilburgTilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
event with 10/14, one-and-a-half points clear of second placed Short. - Ivanchuk wins at the Linares tournamentLinares chess tournamentThe Linares International Chess Tournament , is an annual chess tournament, usually played around the end of February, takes its name from the city of Linares in the Jaén province of Andalusia, Spain, in which it is held...
with 9½/13, ahead of Kasparov on 9/13. - Valery SalovValery SalovValery Salov is a Russian chess grandmaster.Salov was awarded the International Master title in 1984 and the Grandmaster title in 1986. He was the World under-17 Champion in 1980 and European Junior Champion in 1983-84...
and Short share victory at AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
's 5th EuweMax EuweMachgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...
Memorial with 6/9, ahead of Karpov and Kasparov with 5½/9. All four players go through the tournament unbeaten. - In the first tournament of the second World Cup, Ivanchuk and Karpov are winners at ReykjavikReykjavíkReykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
with 10½/15. The World Cup is then abandoned, when Kasparov and Karpov are refused their requests for appearance fees and create an impasse. It is a sad conclusion to an exciting new series of events and heralds a decline in the fortunes of the Grandmasters Association (GMA). The World Cup branding is however resurrected much later. - Karpov finishes on top at the double-round, 33rd Reggio Emilia tournamentReggio Emilia chess tournamentThe Reggio Emilia chess tournament is a chess tournament played in Reggio Emilia, Italy. In Italian the tournament is called Torneo di Capodanno , as it starts just after Christmas and ends on the day of Epiphany...
, held at the 1990/91 year end. His winning score of 7½/12 narrowly eclipses Lev PolugaevskyLev PolugaevskyLev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
in second place, with 7/12. - Gelfand is victorious at BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
with 7½/11, ahead of Gata KamskyGata KamskyGata Kamsky is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster, and the current World Rapid Chess Champion. He is also the current United States Chess Champion. As of September 2011, he is rated No. 1 in the United States and No...
and John NunnJohn NunnJohn Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
on 7/11. - A double-rounder at Biel is won by Alexei ShirovAlexei ShirovAlexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
(9½/14), with Evgeny BareevEvgeny BareevEvgeny Bareev is a Russian chess Grandmaster and chess coach. In October 2003, he was in fourth place in the world rankings, with an Elo rating of 2739....
in second place on 8½/14. - Nunn wins at Wijk aan ZeeWijk aan ZeeWijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament formerly Corus chess tournament and before that called Hoogovens tournament takes place there every year.Due...
, in the 53rd 'Hoogovens' tournament, with 8½/13. It is Nunn's second successive win. Second place (8/13) is shared by Michael Adams, Alexander KhalifmanAlexander KhalifmanAlexander Valeryevich Khalifman is a Soviet and Russian chess Grandmaster of Jewish descent; he is also a former FIDE champion.When Khalifman was 6 years old, he was taught chess by his father....
, Alexander CherninAlexander CherninAlexander Mikhailovich Chernin is a prominent chess master and a former Soviet Champion now living in Hungary.-Tournaments and championships:...
and Curt HansenCurt HansenCurt Hansen is a Danish chess Grandmaster and a former World Junior Champion.A strong junior player, he had major successes in international youth competitions, commencing with the then Groningen based European Junior Chess Championship, where he finished first in 1982 and second in 1983...
. - Larry Christiansen is successful at a strong tournament in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, his 9½/13 being a clear point-and-a-half ahead of second place. With wife Natasha, he moves to Germany to set up a temporary base, as he is spending increasing time playing in Europe. His Munich winning margin is later repeated at the ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
International, where he finishes with 7½/9, ahead of Vladimir EpishinVladimir EpishinVladimir Epishin is a Russian chess grandmaster with an Elo-rating of 2610.He finished third in the 58th USSR Chess Championship...
on 6/9. - Bareev completes the first of three memorable, consecutive victories at the Hastings International Chess CongressHastings International Chess CongressThe Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year. The main event is the Hastings Premier tournament, which was traditionally a 10 to 16 player round-robin tournament. In 2004/05 the tournament was played in the...
. - Timman wins the 2nd Trophée Immopar, held in Paris. The tournament comprises a rapid chess format of 25 minutes per player for the entire game.
- Grigory SanakoevGrigory SanakoevGrigory Konstantinovich Sanakoev is a Russian chess grandmaster of correspondence chess, most famous for being the 12th ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess between 1984 and 1991....
becomes the 12th World Correspondence Chess Champion. - Vladimir Akopian of Armenia becomes the 30th World Junior Chess ChampionWorld Junior Chess ChampionshipThe World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
in MamaiaMamaiaMamaia is a resort on the Romanian Black Sea shore, considered to be Romania's most popular resort. It is situated immediately north-east of Constanţa...
, Romania. - Judit PolgárJudit PolgárJudit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest person ever to do so at that time.Polgár was ranked No...
wins the Hungarian Chess ChampionshipHungarian Chess ChampionshipThe inaugural Hungarian Chess Championship was held in the city of Győr in 1906. Initially, there was no governing body responsible for its organisation, until the formation of the Hungarian Chess Federation. The HCF first appeared in 1911, but failed to establish itself properly until 1923...
and breaks Bobby FischerBobby FischerRobert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
's record, by becoming the youngest Grandmaster in the history of chess. She is awarded the title at 15 years, 4 months and 28 days. - Artashes MinasianArtashes MinasianArtashes Minasian is an Armenian chess Grandmaster.-Chess career:He participated in eight Chess Olympiads with a record of +23,=28,-12. In 2006 the Armenian team took the first place at the 37th Chess Olympiad...
is the surprising winner of the 58th and final USSR Chess ChampionshipUSSR Chess ChampionshipThis is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
. A symbolic entry of sixty-four contains many future stars, such as Vladimir KramnikVladimir KramnikVladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
, Alexei Shirov and Sergei TiviakovSergei TiviakovSergei Tiviakov is a naturalised Dutch chess Grandmaster.Tiviakov won the Dutch Chess Championship in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, in Plovdiv, he won the European Individual Chess Championship with 8.5/11....
. Kramnik, at just sixteen, is the newly crowned Under-18 World Youth ChampionWorld Youth Chess ChampionshipThe World Youth Chess Championship is a chess competition for girls and boys under the age of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18.The first predecessor of the youth championship was the Cadet Championship. It started off unofficially in 1974 in France for players under 18. The 1975 and 1976 editions were also...
. At the other end of the spectrum, Mikhail TalMikhail TalMikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
participates, but is desperately unwell and sadly, it turns out to be one of his last tournaments. - Kamsky wins the US Chess Championship in Los Angeles.
- The Women's InterzonalInterzonalInterzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
tournament, held in SuboticaSuboticaSubotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
, is shared by Nona GaprindashviliNona GaprindashviliNona Gaprindashvili is a Georgian chess player, the sixth women's world chess champion , and first female Grandmaster. Born in Zugdidi, Georgia , she was the strongest female player of her generation....
and Peng ZhaoqinPeng ZhaoqinPeng Zhaoqin is a female Chinese chess player, who has resided in the Netherlands since 1996...
. - Joel BenjaminJoel BenjaminJoel Benjamin is an American chess Grandmaster. In 1998, he was voted "Grandmaster of the Year" by the U.S. Chess Federation. , his Elo rating was 2576, making him the No. 12 player in the U.S. and the 214th-highest rated player in the world.-Life and career:Benjamin is a native of Brooklyn, New...
wins the 19th World Open at Philadelphia and the American Open at Los Angeles. - Shirov wins the 15th Lloyds BankLloyds BankLloyds Bank Plc was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1765 until its merger into Lloyds TSB in 1995; it remains a registered company but is currently dormant. It expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies...
Masters in London. - The first World Senior Chess ChampionshipWorld Senior Chess ChampionshipThe World Senior Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament established in 1991 by FIDE, the World Chess Federation.Participants must have reached 60 years old on 1 January of the year of the event...
is held in Bad WorishofenBad WörishofenBad Wörishofen is a spa town in the district Unterallgäu, Bavaria Germany known for the water-cure developed by Sebastian Kneipp , a Catholic priest, who lived there for 42 years...
. The men's title is won by Vasily SmyslovVasily SmyslovVasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
and the women's by Eve Karakas. Competitors have to be at least 60 years old on January 1 of the year the event is held. - Eugenio TorreEugenio TorreEugenio Torre is a chess Grandmaster . He is considered the strongest chess player the Philippines has ever produced during the 1980s and 1990s period, following the heels of Fischer-era Filipino chess champions National Master Ramon Lontoc, International Master Renato Naranja, IM Rodolfo Tan...
wins the Pan-Pacific International. - China wins the 9th Asian Games Team Championship in PenangPenangPenang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, Malaysia. - ChessMachineChessmachineThe ChessMachine was a chess computer sold between 1991 and 1995 by TASC . It was unique at the time for incorporating both an ARM2 coprocessor for the chess engine on an ISA card which plugged into a IBM PC and a software interface running on the PC to display a chess board and control the engine...
wins the World Microcomputer Chess Championship held in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. - Shakhmaty v SSSRShakhmaty v SSSRShakhmaty v SSSR was a Russian chess magazine published 1931-91. It was edited by Viacheslav Ragozin for several years. Yuri Averbakh was also an editor. From 1921 or 1925 through 1930 it was titled Shakhmatny Listok and edited by Alexander Ilyin-Genevsky. The circulation was 55,000....
ceases publication.
Births
- Tan ZhongyiTan ZhongyiTan Zhongyi is a Chinese female chess player, who holds the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster.-Career:Tan won the World Youth U10 Girls Chess Championship twice in 2000 and 2001...
, Chinese prodigy, World Youth Champion for Girls at U-10 (twice) and U-12 - November 5 - Ju WenjunJu WenjunJu Wenjun is a Chinese chess player, who holds the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster.Ju Wenjun plays for Shanghai chess club in the China Chess League .In December 2004, Ju came joint second in the Asian Women's Chess Championship in Beirut...
, Chinese player in FIDE's list of World Top 10 Girls - January 31
Deaths
- Osmo KailaOsmo KailaOsmo Ilmari Kaila was a Finnish chess master and chess problemist.Born in Helsinki, he was twice Finnish Champion and thrice Sub-Champion ....
, Finnish International Master, twice the national champion - June 3 - Brian ReillyBrian ReillyBrian Patrick Reilly was an Irish chess Master, writer and magazine editor....
, Irish chess player, writer and long time editor of British Chess Magazine - December 29 - Gia NadareishviliGia NadareishviliGia Nadareishvili was a Soviet chess composer of Georgian nationality, and author of many books on chess studies....
, Georgian chess composer and author - October 3