Sergey Dolmatov
Encyclopedia
Sergey Viktorovich Dolmatov (born February 20, 1959) is a Russia
n Grandmaster of chess
and former World Junior Chess Champion
.
Born in Kiselevsk
in the former Soviet Union, Dolmatov's solid yet enterprising style of play was soon to launch him to the forefront of youth chess, culminating in him winning the World Junior Chess Championship in 1978. He was awarded the title of International Master in the same year and became a Grandmaster in 1982.
Along with the titles, the early part of his chess career yielded many international tournament victories, including the Amsterdam Masters 1979, Bucharest 1981, Hradec Kralove 1981, Frunze 1983, Barcelona 1983 and Tallinn 1985. Also notable was Dolmatov's second place (to Vitaly Tseshkovsky
) in a category 11 tournament at Minsk in 1982.
However, as is often the case, such rapid early progress can be difficult to sustain. Despite winning at Hastings
(1989–90) and qualifying as a World Championship
candidate from the strong Manila Interzonal
of 1990, Dolmatov narrowly failed to convert his 'preliminary round' match against Artur Yusupov
the following year. Nevertheless, during this period his Elo rating exceeded 2600 and he managed to maintain this level for the next decade. As the new millennium approached, his frequency of play declined and since 2004, he has been more or less inactive.
There was some success in the latter part of his 'busy' period, notably the Linares Open of 2000, but at the Moscow Aeroflot Open of 2004 he famously lost a game to 13 year old Magnus Carlsen
in just 19 moves. Dolmatov has also been a chess writer in the early part of the 2000s, contributing opening surveys and tournament reports to chess journals such as New In Chess
.
As a player of the white pieces, he favours the King (or 'e') pawn openings and as black, shows a preference for the Dutch Defence
, King's Indian Defence
and French Defence
.
In 2007, Dolmatov was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Grandmaster of 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...
and former World Junior Chess Champion
World Junior Chess Championship
The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
.
Born in Kiselevsk
Kiselyovsk
Kiselyovsk is a town in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. Population: -External links:*...
in the former Soviet Union, Dolmatov's solid yet enterprising style of play was soon to launch him to the forefront of youth chess, culminating in him winning the World Junior Chess Championship in 1978. He was awarded the title of International Master in the same year and became a Grandmaster in 1982.
Along with the titles, the early part of his chess career yielded many international tournament victories, including the Amsterdam Masters 1979, Bucharest 1981, Hradec Kralove 1981, Frunze 1983, Barcelona 1983 and Tallinn 1985. Also notable was Dolmatov's second place (to Vitaly Tseshkovsky
Vitaly Tseshkovsky
Vitaly Valerianovich Tseshkovsky is a Russian chess Grandmaster and a former champion of the USSR.Tseshkovsky was born in Siberia into a Polish family ....
) in a category 11 tournament at Minsk in 1982.
However, as is often the case, such rapid early progress can be difficult to sustain. Despite winning at 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...
(1989–90) and qualifying as a World Championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
candidate from the strong Manila Interzonal
Interzonal
Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
of 1990, Dolmatov narrowly failed to convert his 'preliminary round' match against Artur Yusupov
Artur Yusupov
Artur Mayakovich Yusupov is a German International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess writer.-Chess career:...
the following year. Nevertheless, during this period his Elo rating exceeded 2600 and he managed to maintain this level for the next decade. As the new millennium approached, his frequency of play declined and since 2004, he has been more or less inactive.
There was some success in the latter part of his 'busy' period, notably the Linares Open of 2000, but at the Moscow Aeroflot Open of 2004 he famously lost a game to 13 year old Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and chess prodigy who is currently the number-one ranked player in the world. In January 2010 he became the seventh player ranked number one in the world on the official FIDE rating list...
in just 19 moves. Dolmatov has also been a chess writer in the early part of the 2000s, contributing opening surveys and tournament reports to chess journals such as New In Chess
New In Chess
New In Chess is a chess magazine that appears eight times a year with chief editors International Grandmaster Jan Timman and Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam. It contains notes by top players and chess prodigies on their own games...
.
As a player of the white pieces, he favours the King (or 'e') pawn openings and as black, shows a preference for the Dutch Defence
Dutch Defence
The Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:Elias Stein , an Alsatian who settled in The Hague, recommended the defence as the best reply to 1.d4 in his 1789 book Nouvel essai sur le jeu des échecs, avec des réflexions militaires relatives à ce jeu.-Theory:Black's 1.....
, King's Indian Defence
King's Indian Defence
The King's Indian Defence is a common chess opening. It arises after the moves:Black intends to follow up with 3...Bg7 and 4...d6.The Grünfeld Defence arises when Black plays 3...d5 instead, and is considered a separate opening...
and 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...
.
In 2007, Dolmatov was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.