Alexander Grischuk
Encyclopedia
Alexander Igorevich Grischuk (born October 31, 1983) is a Russian chess
grandmaster
and Russian Champion
in 2009.
, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov
.
In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004
he made it to the quarter finals, where he lost 3–1 to eventual champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov
.
Grischuk finished in the top 10 in the 2005 FIDE World Cup, which qualified him for the 2007 Candidates Tournament
in May–June 2007. He won his matches against Vladimir Malakhov (+2 −0 =3) and Sergei Rublevsky
(tied at +1 −1 =4, winning the rapid playoff +2 −0 =1), to advance to the eight-player FIDE World Chess Championship 2007 tournament. In that tournament he scored 5.5 out of 14, placing last in the eight-player field.
In 2009, Grischuk won the Russian Chess Championship
. In the same year he became the champion of Linares 2009
, winning on tie-break over Vassily Ivanchuk because he had more wins. In 2010, he finished second in Linares to Veselin Topalov
.
Grischuk finished third in the FIDE Grand Prix 2008-2010, which qualified him as the first alternate for the Candidates Tournament
of the World Chess Championship 2012 cycle. Upon the withdrawal of world No. 2 Magnus Carlsen
from the candidates tournament, Grischuk was appointed to take his place.
In the World Chess Championship 2012 Candidates tournament, Grischuk was seeded 6th out of eight players, and faced the odds-on favorite to win the event, world No. 3 Levon Aronian
in the first round. After splitting the four regular games 2–2, Grischuk won the rapid playoff 2.5–1.5 to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, he faced world No. 4 and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik
. Because of his strength as a blitz player, Grischuk employed the strategy of drawing early with white and defending vigorously with black in order to force the match into a blitz playoff. The strategy worked, as both the regular and rapid games were all drawn. Grischuk then won the blitz playoff 1.5–0.5 to advance to the final. In the final, he faced 2009 Chess World Cup champion Boris Gelfand
for the right to play Viswanathan Anand
in 2012 for the World Championship. After drawing the first five games, Gelfand won the final game to win the match 3.5–2.5.
. In 2006 he won the World Blitz Championship in Rishon Lezion, Israel with 10.5 points out of 15 games, winning 10 games.
(Black), in only seventeen moves:
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nh6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. Bxh6 gxh6 8. cxd4 Bd7 9. Nc3 Qb6 10. Bb5 Rg8 11. 0-0 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxb5 13. Qh5 Rg7 14. Rfe1 Rd8 15. Nxb5 Qxb5 16. Nxf7 Rxf7 17. Rxe6+ 1–0
One possible continuation of the game was: 17...Be7 18.Rxe7+ Kxe7 19.Re1+ Kd6 20.Qxf7 Qd7 21.Qf6+ Kc7 22.Re7 winning a queen for a rook.
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
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....
and Russian Champion
Russian Chess Championship
-Imperial Russia:In 1874, Emanuel Schiffers defeated Andrey Chardin in a match held in St. Petersburg with five wins and four losses. Schiffers was considered the first Russian champion until his student, Mikhail Chigorin, defeated him in a match held in St. Petersburg in 1879...
in 2009.
Chess career
In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000FIDE World Chess Championship 2000
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2000 was held in New Delhi, India, and Tehran, Iran. The first six rounds were played in New Delhi between 27 November and 15 December 2000, and the final match in Tehran started on 20 December and ended on 24 December 2000...
, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov
Alexei Shirov
Alexei 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...
.
In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004
FIDE World Chess Championship 2004
The FIDE World Chess Championship, 2004 was held at the Almahary Hotel in Tripoli, Libya, from June 18 to July 13.It was won by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who beat Michael Adams in the final by a score of 4½-3½...
he made it to the quarter finals, where he lost 3–1 to eventual champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster, best known for winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic...
.
Grischuk finished in the top 10 in the 2005 FIDE World Cup, which qualified him for the 2007 Candidates Tournament
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
in May–June 2007. He won his matches against Vladimir Malakhov (+2 −0 =3) and Sergei Rublevsky
Sergei Rublevsky
Sergei Rublevsky is a Russian chess grandmaster . He won the prestigious Aeroflot Open in 2004, and became the 58th Russian chess champion after winning the Russian Superfinal in Moscow , one point clear from Dmitry Jakovenko and Alexander Morozevich.He finished in the top 10 in the 2005 FIDE...
(tied at +1 −1 =4, winning the rapid playoff +2 −0 =1), to advance to the eight-player FIDE World Chess Championship 2007 tournament. In that tournament he scored 5.5 out of 14, placing last in the eight-player field.
In 2009, Grischuk won the Russian Chess Championship
Russian Chess Championship
-Imperial Russia:In 1874, Emanuel Schiffers defeated Andrey Chardin in a match held in St. Petersburg with five wins and four losses. Schiffers was considered the first Russian champion until his student, Mikhail Chigorin, defeated him in a match held in St. Petersburg in 1879...
. In the same year he became the champion of Linares 2009
Linares chess tournament
The 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...
, winning on tie-break over Vassily Ivanchuk because he had more wins. In 2010, he finished second in Linares to Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
.
Grischuk finished third in the FIDE Grand Prix 2008-2010, which qualified him as the first alternate for the Candidates Tournament
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
of the World Chess Championship 2012 cycle. Upon the withdrawal of world No. 2 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...
from the candidates tournament, Grischuk was appointed to take his place.
In the World Chess Championship 2012 Candidates tournament, Grischuk was seeded 6th out of eight players, and faced the odds-on favorite to win the event, world No. 3 Levon Aronian
Levon Aronian
Levon Grigor Aronian is an Armenian chess Grandmaster and the reigning World Blitz Chess Champion. On the September 2011 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2807, making him number three in the world and Armenia's number one...
in the first round. After splitting the four regular games 2–2, Grischuk won the rapid playoff 2.5–1.5 to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, he faced world No. 4 and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir 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...
. Because of his strength as a blitz player, Grischuk employed the strategy of drawing early with white and defending vigorously with black in order to force the match into a blitz playoff. The strategy worked, as both the regular and rapid games were all drawn. Grischuk then won the blitz playoff 1.5–0.5 to advance to the final. In the final, he faced 2009 Chess World Cup champion Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand
Boris 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:...
for the right to play Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. 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....
in 2012 for the World Championship. After drawing the first five games, Gelfand won the final game to win the match 3.5–2.5.
Blitz player
Along with being a top-level professional, Grischuk is also known as one of the best blitz chess players in the world, having once held the record for highest rating achieved on the Internet Chess ClubInternet Chess Club
The Internet Chess Club is a commercial Internet chess server devoted to the play and discussion of chess and chess variants. ICC currently has over 30,000 subscribing members...
. In 2006 he won the World Blitz Championship in Rishon Lezion, Israel with 10.5 points out of 15 games, winning 10 games.
Notable games
In the following game played in 2001, Grischuk (White) crushes one of the world's top players, Evgeny BareevEvgeny Bareev
Evgeny 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....
(Black), in only seventeen moves:
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nh6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. Bxh6 gxh6 8. cxd4 Bd7 9. Nc3 Qb6 10. Bb5 Rg8 11. 0-0 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxb5 13. Qh5 Rg7 14. Rfe1 Rd8 15. Nxb5 Qxb5 16. Nxf7 Rxf7 17. Rxe6+ 1–0
One possible continuation of the game was: 17...Be7 18.Rxe7+ Kxe7 19.Re1+ Kd6 20.Qxf7 Qd7 21.Qf6+ Kc7 22.Re7 winning a queen for a rook.