Jaan Ehlvest
Encyclopedia
Jaan Ehlvest
Jaan Ehlvest (born 14 October 1962 is a chess
player, who was awarded the title of Grandmaster
by FIDE in 1987 and was named Estonian sportsman of the year in 1987 and 1989. Since 2006, he has represented the United States of America.
He was briefly a world top 10 player when, in 1991, he ascended to the number 5 slot on FIDE's official list with an Elo rating of 2650.
Jaan Ehlvest's brother, Jüri Ehlvest, was a well-known writer in Estonia.
, the 1986 Estonian Championship
, the 1994 New York Open, and the 2003 World Open in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. When SK Rockaden won the 2001 Swedish
championship they fielded Ehlvest.
Ehlvest studied psychology at Tartu
State University. In 2004, Ehlvest published his autobiography, The Story of a Chess Player. In 2006, unsatisfied with the lack of support from the Estonian Chess Federation, Ehlvest decided to move to the United States; since then, he has been a member of the USCF
and competed internationally for the USA.
In March 2007, Ehlvest accepted an invitation to play an unusual eight-game match against the chess program Rybka
, one of the strongest chess programs in existence. He was playing Black in all games, but was given pawn odds (Rybka was playing each game a pawn down; different white pawn was removed in each game). He lost the match by 2.5:5.5 (+1−4=3). In a following rematch, the pawn odds were removed, Ehlvest was given White in every game, twice the time on the clock, and significant computational handicaps were placed on the machine. Ehlvest lost decisively, 1.5:4.5.
team at the 28th Chess Olympiad
in Thessaloniki 1988 and played for Estonia in the Chess Olympiads of 1992-2004.
Jaan Ehlvest (born 14 October 1962 is a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player, who was awarded the title of Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
by FIDE in 1987 and was named Estonian sportsman of the year in 1987 and 1989. Since 2006, he has represented the United States of America.
He was briefly a world top 10 player when, in 1991, he ascended to the number 5 slot on FIDE's official list with an Elo rating of 2650.
Jaan Ehlvest's brother, Jüri Ehlvest, was a well-known writer in Estonia.
Biography
Ehlvest's tournament victories include the 1980 USSR Junior Chess Championship, the 1983 European Junior ChampionshipEuropean Junior Chess Championship
The first chess youth championship in Europe was the yearly European Junior Championship for under age 20. It was played from 1971–2002. FIDE officially introduced the European Junior Championship in 1970 at their Annual Congress and so the 1971/72 edition was the first official European...
, the 1986 Estonian Championship
Estonian Chess Championship
The first unofficial Estonian Chess Championship was held in 1903, organized by a chess club formed in Reval in 1903 and named for the famous Russian master Mikhail Chigorin. After the World War I, when Estonia became an independent country, official Estonian championships started...
, the 1994 New York Open, and the 2003 World Open in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. When SK Rockaden won the 2001 Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
championship they fielded Ehlvest.
Ehlvest studied psychology at Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
State University. In 2004, Ehlvest published his autobiography, The Story of a Chess Player. In 2006, unsatisfied with the lack of support from the Estonian Chess Federation, Ehlvest decided to move to the United States; since then, he has been a member of the USCF
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
and competed internationally for the USA.
In March 2007, Ehlvest accepted an invitation to play an unusual eight-game match against the chess program Rybka
Rybka
Rybka is a computer chess engine designed by International Master Vasik Rajlich. , Rybka is one of the top-rated engines on chess engine rating lists and has won many computer chess tournaments...
, one of the strongest chess programs in existence. He was playing Black in all games, but was given pawn odds (Rybka was playing each game a pawn down; different white pawn was removed in each game). He lost the match by 2.5:5.5 (+1−4=3). In a following rematch, the pawn odds were removed, Ehlvest was given White in every game, twice the time on the clock, and significant computational handicaps were placed on the machine. Ehlvest lost decisively, 1.5:4.5.
Olympiad career
He was a member of the gold-medal winning Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
team at the 28th Chess Olympiad
28th Chess Olympiad
The 28th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between November 12 and November 30, 1988, in Thessaloniki, Greece.-References:...
in Thessaloniki 1988 and played for Estonia in the Chess Olympiads of 1992-2004.