Evgeny Sveshnikov
Encyclopedia
Evgeny Ellinovich Sveshnikov (Jevgēņijs Svešņikovs) (born Cheliabinsk, February 11, 1950) is a Latvia
n, former Soviet International Grandmaster
of chess
, and a chess writer.
when he was just 17 years old and became an IM in 1975 and a GM in 1977.
In earliest international competition he was a joint winner at Decin 1974, shared first place (with Lev Polugaevsky
) at Sochi 1976 and won category 8 tournaments at Le Havre 1977 and Cienfuegos 1979. At Novi Sad in 1979, he shared second prize with Efim Geller
behind Florin Gheorghiu
. At Wijk aan Zee in 1981, he shared 3rd place and in 1983 was (joint) Champion of Moscow
.
In team chess, he was selected as a reserve for the Soviet side participating at the Moscow 1977 European Team Championship
. Although only an International Master at the time, he registered an 80% score, winning individual and team gold medals. Representing Latvia at the Chess Olympiad
s of 2004 and 2006, he has lost only twice in 22 games.
His Elo rating in October 2007 was 2494, but has in recent times been much higher. He is respected by his peers as a deep and original thinker and a master tactician. He won the Latvian Chess Championship
in 2003 and 2010.
Now living in Riga, he has a chess-playing son, Vladimir, who has been awarded the FIDE Master title.
Known as one of the most outspoken and controversial Grandmasters on the circuit, Sveshnikov has in recent years been linked with player revolts over the handing in of gamescores. It is of course accepted practice that players submit copies of their gamescores to tournament organisers and these games later appear on the internet, in books, magazines and in database programs. Whilst the benefits to the development and popularisation of chess are obvious, Sveshnikov insists that it is not in the best interests of chess professionals to allow this to continue.
Most fundamentally, it is very difficult for chess players to earn a living; he speaks of many chess players in Russia and the Baltic States suffering severe depression and in some cases committing suicide. Georgy Ilivitsky, Alvis Vitolins
, Karen Grigorian
, Lembit Oll
and Alexey Vyzmanavin
are prominent examples.
He contends that gamescores are the labours and intellectual property of the two players concerned and therefore copyright permissions and royalty fees should apply. It is morally corrupt, he argues, that only authors, editors and owners of Chess Publishing Houses profit from the publication of gamescores. Effectively, players are even prevented from producing an exclusive book of their own best games as an investment for their retirement. He has also questioned the wisdom of handing over such detailed information to future opponents, who will utilise databases to improve their chances of victory, regardless of original thought or chess playing ability.
Previously known as the Lasker-Pelikan variation of the Sicilian Defence
, Sveshnikov's system was considered of dubious merit until he transformed it into an exciting and fully playable opening. The balance between winning and losing is often on a knife edge, making it an attractive proposition for black players seeking the full point. Mark Taimanov
, in an interview, described it as chess opening
theory's "last great discovery". That it is now regularly played by the world's leading Grandmasters, supports this view. Vladimir Kramnik
and Valery Salov
are regarded as expert practitioners of the Sicilian Sveshnikov (categorised by the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 - the Sveshnikov 'proper' continuing 6.Ndb5 d6), but Kasparov, Shirov, Leko and Khalifman have also enjoyed success. The opening is rich in its tactical possibilities and despite being subjected to deep analysis, continues to flourish with new ideas being regularly unearthed. Sveshnikov has authored a comprehensive book on this variation, modestly titled The Sicilian Pelikan.
He has also been a pioneer in the development of the Advance Variation of the French Defence and of the Alapin Variation
of the Sicilian Defence
.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n, former Soviet International 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....
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 a chess writer.
The player
He played in his first USSR Chess ChampionshipUSSR Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
when he was just 17 years old and became an IM in 1975 and a GM in 1977.
In earliest international competition he was a joint winner at Decin 1974, shared first place (with Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
) at Sochi 1976 and won category 8 tournaments at Le Havre 1977 and Cienfuegos 1979. At Novi Sad in 1979, he shared second prize with Efim Geller
Efim Geller
Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions...
behind Florin Gheorghiu
Florin Gheorghiu
Florin Gheorghiu is a Romanian chess player and university lecturer in foreign languages.Born in Bucharest, his prodigious talent for the game was evidenced by his many early achievements; he became an International Master in 1963 and Romania's first Grandmaster just two years later...
. At Wijk aan Zee in 1981, he shared 3rd place and in 1983 was (joint) Champion of Moscow
Moscow City Chess Championship
-References: ****** from chessbase.com...
.
In team chess, he was selected as a reserve for the Soviet side participating at the Moscow 1977 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...
. Although only an International Master at the time, he registered an 80% score, winning individual and team gold medals. Representing Latvia at the Chess Olympiad
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...
s of 2004 and 2006, he has lost only twice in 22 games.
His Elo rating in October 2007 was 2494, but has in recent times been much higher. He is respected by his peers as a deep and original thinker and a master tactician. He won the Latvian Chess Championship
Latvian Chess Championship
-History:Professional level Latvian chess players have already appeared in the nineteenth century. They participated in chess tournaments and union congresses, organized by the Riga Chess Association. After the World War I, when Latvia became an independent country, official Latvian chess...
in 2003 and 2010.
Now living in Riga, he has a chess-playing son, Vladimir, who has been awarded the FIDE Master title.
A critic of the system
Most fundamentally, it is very difficult for chess players to earn a living; he speaks of many chess players in Russia and the Baltic States suffering severe depression and in some cases committing suicide. Georgy Ilivitsky, Alvis Vitolins
Alvis Vitolinš
Alvis Vītoliņš was a Latvian chess master.Awarded the International Master title in 1980, he was Latvian Champion in 1973 , 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983 and 1985...
, Karen Grigorian
Karen Grigorian
Karen Ashotovich Grigorian was an Armenian chess master, and son of the poet Ashot Grashi.Born in Moscow, Russia, Grigorian won the Armenian Chess Championship three times , and the Moscow City Chess Championship twice...
, Lembit Oll
Lembit Oll
Lembit Oll was an Estonian chess grandmaster. He was already successful as a junior, becoming champion of Estonia in 1982 and junior champion of the Soviet Union in 1984. He also won multiple European and World junior championships. FIDE awarded him the IM-title in 1983 and the GM-title in 1992...
and Alexey Vyzmanavin
Alexey Vyzmanavin
Alexey Borisovich Vyzmanavin was a Russian chess Grandmaster.During the early part of his career, he regularly played in the Moscow Championships and in 1981, with an Elo rating of 2200, finished sixth, ahead of several strong grandmasters including David Bronstein, Yuri Razuvaev, Artur Yusupov,...
are prominent examples.
He contends that gamescores are the labours and intellectual property of the two players concerned and therefore copyright permissions and royalty fees should apply. It is morally corrupt, he argues, that only authors, editors and owners of Chess Publishing Houses profit from the publication of gamescores. Effectively, players are even prevented from producing an exclusive book of their own best games as an investment for their retirement. He has also questioned the wisdom of handing over such detailed information to future opponents, who will utilise databases to improve their chances of victory, regardless of original thought or chess playing ability.
The theoretician
It is however the work that Sveshnikov did with his close friend Grandmaster Gennadi Timoshchenko during the 1960s and 1970s that bears greatest testimony to his chess achievements.Previously known as the Lasker-Pelikan variation of the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
, Sveshnikov's system was considered of dubious merit until he transformed it into an exciting and fully playable opening. The balance between winning and losing is often on a knife edge, making it an attractive proposition for black players seeking the full point. Mark Taimanov
Mark Taimanov
Mark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top...
, in an interview, described it as 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's "last great discovery". That it is now regularly played by the world's leading Grandmasters, supports this view. 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...
and Valery Salov
Valery Salov
Valery Salov is a Russian chess grandmaster.Salov was awarded the International Master title in 1984 and the Grandmaster title in 1986. He was the World under-17 Champion in 1980 and European Junior Champion in 1983-84...
are regarded as expert practitioners of the Sicilian Sveshnikov (categorised by the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 - the Sveshnikov 'proper' continuing 6.Ndb5 d6), but Kasparov, Shirov, Leko and Khalifman have also enjoyed success. The opening is rich in its tactical possibilities and despite being subjected to deep analysis, continues to flourish with new ideas being regularly unearthed. Sveshnikov has authored a comprehensive book on this variation, modestly titled The Sicilian Pelikan.
He has also been a pioneer in the development of the Advance Variation of the French Defence and of the Alapin Variation
Sicilian Defense, Alapin Variation
In chess, the Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation is a response to the Sicilian Defence characterized by the moves:It is named after the Russian master Semyon Alapin...
of the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
.
Notable games
- Evgeny Sveshnikov vs Ruslan Sherbakov, Moscow ch-URS 1991, Sicilian Rossolimo, 1-0 White expertly probes on the kingside to create weaknesses on the dark squares and then springs a surprise mating net, commencing with a queen sacrifice.
- Evgeny Sveshnikov vs Igor Ivanov, Russia 1976, Caro Kann, 1-0 White initiates early razor-sharp tactics and concludes the game with a stylish mating attack.