Oleg Romanishin
Encyclopedia
Oleg Mikhailovich Romanishin (born January 10, 1952 in Lvov) is a Ukrainian chess
grandmaster and former European junior champion.
Many honours and awards were bestowed on him as a young man. After winning the European Junior Championship
in 1973, he became an International Master the same year. In 1974 he was a member of the victorious USSR team at the World Student Team Championship held in Teesside
, England
, where he scored the best result for board 4 (8/9).
The following year, he had a terrific result at the USSR Championship, sharing second place with Boris Gulko, Mikhail Tal
and Rafael Vaganian
, after Tigran Petrosian
. In 1976, his Grandmaster title was ratified.
He has an impressive collection of tournament victories including Odessa 1974, Novi Sad 1975, Yerevan 1976, Hastings
1976/77, Leningrad 1977 (shared with Tal), Gausdal 1979, Polanica Zdroij 1980, Lvov 1981 (shared with Tal), Jurmala 1983, Moscow 1985, Reggio Emilia
1986 (shared with Andersson
and Ljubojevic
) and Debrecen
1990. Playing the Hungarian Open Championship at Györ in 1990 he enjoyed a most impressive victory, finishing a clear 2 points ahead of the field. Second place finishes at Tilburg 1979 (after Karpov
) and Dortmund 1982 (after Hort
) were also important landmarks in his career, as was his 3rd= finish at Sochi in 1982.
Nowadays less active as a tournament player, he has nevertheless maintained a highly competitive rating and is able to win smaller events on the grandmaster circuit, such as Solin-Split 2004 and Hotel Petra (Rome) 2005.
At the Olympiads
he represented the Soviet Union
in 1978 and thereafter played for Ukraine through the 1990s, winning a total of 2 silver medals and 2 bronze. At the European Team Championship
s his medal haul has amounted to an incredible 6 gold and 1 silver.
His chess playing style has been described as aggressive and this may be a result of the coaching he received as a junior. Along with a group of other aspiring masters, he was first coached by Viktor Kart (a legendary instructor of the Lvov Sports Academy) and then, as an improver, was assigned a senior master as a tutor/mentor. In his case the master was Mikhail Tal
, an ex-world champion noted for his attacking chess.
In respect of chess opening
theory, he has a reputation for the use of rare, offbeat and sometimes, long since discarded systems. Only by means of deep research and accurate preparation has he been able to employ these openings as weapons to sidestep known theory and fight for the full point. One example is 4.g3 in the Nimzo-Indian Defence
. Previously known in the 1930s and revived by Romanishin in the 1970s, the variation now carries his name in opening manuals. The newly popular variations arising from an early Be7 in the French Defence
, were also pioneered by him (and Australian postal IM John Kellner) in the 1970s and have been further refined by the likes of Morozevich
and Short
in more recent practice.
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...
grandmaster and former European junior champion.
Many honours and awards were bestowed on him as a young man. After winning the European Junior Championship
European 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...
in 1973, he became an International Master the same year. In 1974 he was a member of the victorious USSR team at the World Student Team Championship held in Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he scored the best result for board 4 (8/9).
The following year, he had a terrific result at the USSR Championship, sharing second place with Boris Gulko, Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail 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....
and Rafael Vaganian
Rafael Vaganian
Rafael Artemovich Vaganian, also transliterated Vahanyan is an Armenian chess grandmaster known for his sharp tactical style of play...
, after Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
. In 1976, his Grandmaster title was ratified.
He has an impressive collection of tournament victories including Odessa 1974, Novi Sad 1975, Yerevan 1976, Hastings
Hastings International Chess Congress
The 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...
1976/77, Leningrad 1977 (shared with Tal), Gausdal 1979, Polanica Zdroij 1980, Lvov 1981 (shared with Tal), Jurmala 1983, Moscow 1985, Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia chess tournament
The 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...
1986 (shared with Andersson
Ulf Andersson
Ulf Andersson is a leading Swedish chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1970 and the Grandmaster title in 1972 .-Career:...
and Ljubojevic
Ljubomir Ljubojevic
Ljubomir Ljubojević is a Grandmaster of chess. He was born on November 2, 1950, in Titovo Užice, Yugoslavia . Ljubojević was awarded the International Master title in 1970 and the GM title in 1971. He was Yugoslav champion in 1977 and 1982. He won the 1974 Canadian Open Chess Championship...
) and Debrecen
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
1990. Playing the Hungarian Open Championship at Györ in 1990 he enjoyed a most impressive victory, finishing a clear 2 points ahead of the field. Second place finishes at Tilburg 1979 (after Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly 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...
) and Dortmund 1982 (after Hort
Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort is a chess Grandmaster of Czech nationality. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the Candidates stage of competition for the world chess championship, but was never able to compete for the actual title.Hort was born in Kladno,...
) were also important landmarks in his career, as was his 3rd= finish at Sochi in 1982.
Nowadays less active as a tournament player, he has nevertheless maintained a highly competitive rating and is able to win smaller events on the grandmaster circuit, such as Solin-Split 2004 and Hotel Petra (Rome) 2005.
At the Olympiads
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
he represented the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1978 and thereafter played for Ukraine through the 1990s, winning a total of 2 silver medals and 2 bronze. At the European Team Championship
European Team Championship
The European Team Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of European nations whose chess federations are located in zones 1.1 to 1.9...
s his medal haul has amounted to an incredible 6 gold and 1 silver.
His chess playing style has been described as aggressive and this may be a result of the coaching he received as a junior. Along with a group of other aspiring masters, he was first coached by Viktor Kart (a legendary instructor of the Lvov Sports Academy) and then, as an improver, was assigned a senior master as a tutor/mentor. In his case the master was Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail 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....
, an ex-world champion noted for his attacking chess.
In respect of chess opening
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
theory, he has a reputation for the use of rare, offbeat and sometimes, long since discarded systems. Only by means of deep research and accurate preparation has he been able to employ these openings as weapons to sidestep known theory and fight for the full point. One example is 4.g3 in the Nimzo-Indian Defence
Nimzo-Indian Defence
The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:This hypermodern opening was developed by Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch who introduced it to master-level chess in the early 20th century. Unlike most Indian openings the Nimzo-Indian does not involve an immediate fianchetto,...
. Previously known in the 1930s and revived by Romanishin in the 1970s, the variation now carries his name in opening manuals. The newly popular variations arising from an early Be7 in the French Defence
French Defence
The French Defence is a chess opening. It is characterised by the moves:The French has a reputation for solidity and resilience, though it can result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages...
, were also pioneered by him (and Australian postal IM John Kellner) in the 1970s and have been further refined by the likes of Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich is a Russian chess Grandmaster. In the November 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2762, making him the 9th-highest rated player in the world, although he has previously ranked as high as second, in the July 2008 list....
and Short
Nigel Short
Nigel 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...
in more recent practice.