- Igor Vasilyevich Ivanov
Igor Vasilyevich Ivanov (
January 8 1947 –November 17 2005 ) was aRussia n Grandmaster ofchess and aconcert pianist .Early life
He was born in 1947 in Leningrad, USSR, and learned chess at age five. He studied music intensively as a youth, specializing in piano, and was very talented. But he was orphaned at age 14 when his mother died; she had wanted him to become a concert performer. He essentially gave up this path to concentrate on chess. Ivanov studied
Mathematics atLeningrad State University , but left before completing his degree. He was a member of the Army Sports Club, for which he trained chessplayers, and also played extensively. For several years in the early-to-mid 1970s, he was part of the exceptionally deep class of Soviet masters which was just below international standard. Ivanov did qualify for the 1975Soviet Championship First League; this event, with several Grandmasters in the field, was still one stage below the top level at that time.Ivanov took an opportunity to represent
Uzbekistan , acentral Asia n Soviet republic, and to be a professional player there. Several victories in strong Soviet events soon followed, such asVladivostok 1978,Yaroslavl 1979, andAshkhabad 1979. He shared first place withGarry Kasparov (futureWorld Champion ), in the Soviet Championship qualifying tournament held at Daugavpils, 1978. But for the 64 players, only one place was open to the Soviet Championship Premiere League, and Kasparov won this on tiebreak. Ivanov qualified again for the lesser but still significant First League of 1979.Ivanov first became internationally famous later in 1979, when he defeated
World Champion Anatoly Karpov in a superb game from the USSRSpartakiad team tournament. This likely earned him the privilege of his first international travel, very difficult for Soviets to obtain during those years.Defection to Canada
In 1980, he became even more famous for defecting in a dramatic way. He was sent as a member of a
Soviet delegation to play chess at theCapablanca Memorial tournament inCuba . On what was supposed to have been a direct flight home toMoscow , the airplane, a Czechoslovak airliner, had to make an emergency refueling stop in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. Ivanov, seizing his chance, ran from the plane with what he was wearing and his pocket chess set. Ivanov was granted political asylum inCanada . At this stage, he was untitled and rated 2430, but soon showed he was much stronger than this.New Canadian star
Ivanov settled in
Montreal , and won the 1981 ZonalCanadian Chess Championship held there, earning theInternational Master title, and qualified for theWorld Championship cycle the next year. He went on to win the Championship of Canada four times in all, including three straight years from 1985-87. He won theCanadian Open Chess Championship three times, in 1981, 1984, and 1985. For the 1981Merano World Championship match, he seconded challengerViktor Korchnoi .At the 1982
Toluca Interzonal , Ivanov narrowly missed advancing as aCandidate , finishing in fourth place. Later that year, he represented Canada on top board at theLucerne Chess Olympiad , and defeated top GrandmastersJan Timman andAnthony Miles . He also played for Canada in the 1988 Chess Olympiad inThessaloniki . Although he was clearly a player of grandmaster strength, he did not actually receive the title until the last year of his life, 2005. This delay was caused mainly by bookkeeping issues, and by the Soviet federation refusing to recognize his earlier achievements after he defected.While remaining a Canadian citizen, Ivanov moved for most of the year to the
United States , and joined the "Church's Chicken Circuit" in the early 1980s, to be able to compete more often. He traveled around that country mostly by bus, playing in small and medium-sized chess tournaments nearly every weekend, which he very often won, as well as the major American events. He won nine first prizes, usually $10,000, for most Grand Prix points in a year, and was one of the most active players in the country. Ivanov resided inUtah with his wife Elizabeth, a retired teacher. He won the Utah Open and the Utah Championship titles every time he competed, and personally trained many of Utah's top chess players. He was finally awarded the Grandmaster title in 2005.Ivanov was diagnosed with
cancer in March 2005. TheProfessional Players' Health and Benefit Fund of theUnited States Chess Federation had been giving him financial support for hischemotherapy treatments. In August 2005, three months before his death, he tied for eighth place at theU.S. Open Chess Championship in Phoenix,Arizona against some of the best players in the country.Ivanov died on
November 17 ,2005 inSt. George, Utah . He played in the Utah Open onOctober 29 ,2005 , only three weeks before his death, finishing in a tie for first place. [ [http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200510290691 Crosstable for Utah Open 2005] US Chess Federation Membership Service Area result service]Playing style
Ivanov played with great verve and imagination, displaying wonderful intuition and deep calculation. He was both a dangerous tactician and a profound strategist. He had a wide opening repertoire, especially with White, where he essayed both
Open Game s andClosed Game s with virtuosity. Ivanov's best games are reminiscent of formerWorld Champion Boris Spassky and of former world finalistDavid Bronstein .Notable chess games
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1023080, Igor Ivanov vs Vladimir Bagirov, USSR Championship Qualifying tournament, Cheliabinsk 1975, Queen's Gambit Declined (D30), 1-0] In a sharp tactical battle, Ivanov shows his talent by defeating an experienced Grandmaster.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1060854, Igor Ivanov vs Anatoly Karpov, USSR Spartakiade 1979, Sicilian Defense, Kan Variation (B43), 1-0] The almost unknown Ivanov takes care of the World Champion in a sharp game with virtually perfect play.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1131112, Kevin Spraggett vs Igor Ivanov, Quebec Open, Montreal 1980, Nimzo-Indian Defence, Rubinstein Variation (E41), 0-1] After defecting, Ivanov is the new guy in Montreal, and makes his presence felt immediately with a win over one of Canada's top players.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1041520, Igor Ivanov vs Eugenio Torre, Toluca Interzonal 1982, Queen's Gambit Declined, Slav Defence (D14), 1-0] Far from being overawed in such lofty company, Ivanov makes a very strong bid to advance as a Candidate.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1060903, Igor Ivanov vs Jan Timman, Lucerne Olympiad 1982, English Opening, Symmetrical Variation (A35), 1-0] Ivanov takes off one of the world's top players in a positional squeeze.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1060904, Igor Ivanov vs Anthony Miles, Lucerne Olympiad 1982, English Opening, Symmetrical Variation (A30), 1-0] England's top player has to concede defeat after being outmaneuvered, as Ivanov invests in a very deep pawn sacrifice to break Black's coordination, then follows up by sacrificing a bishop for a glorious conclusion.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1061447, Maxim Dlugy vs Igor Ivanov, Las Vegas 1994, Modern Defence, Averbakh Variation (A42), 0-1] Ivanov makes fairly quick work of another Soviet emigre GM.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1145371, Pavel Blatny vs Igor Ivanov, U.S. Open, Reno 1999, Reti Opening (A05), 0-1] A quiet struggle gradually intensifies into a tactical battle where Ivanov sees further.References
* [http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2839 Igor Ivanov - Grandmaster and pianist] from Chessbase News.
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2DB1338F933A05757C0A96F948260] from the New York Times.External links
*fide|id=2000288|name=Igor Ivanov
* [http://www.gmivanovchess.com/ GM Ivanov Chess]
* [http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlTnmtHst.php?12237320 US Tournament Record for Igor Ivanov]
* [http://www.chessworld.net/chessclubs/statistics_pgn_rating_chart.asp?username=Ivanov,Igor%20V Statistics at ChessWorld.net]
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