Gennady Kuzmin
Encyclopedia
Gennady Pavlovich Kuzmin is a Soviet - Ukrainian
chess master
and trainer. He should not be confused with Russian Grandmaster, Alexey Kuzmin.
As a player, he reached his peak strength in the early to mid 1970s and in 1973, was awarded the International Grandmaster
title by FIDE, the governing body.
Kuzmin competed in the Soviet Chess Championship eleven times between 1965 and 1991. His best results occurred in 1972 in Baku
(3rd= behind Tal
and Tukmakov
) and 1973 in Moscow (2nd= behind Spassky
). The Baku final was also a qualifier for the 1973 Leningrad
Interzonal
, in which he placed seventh of eighteen players.
He was invited to compete at the Biel Interzonal in 1976, but withdrew. A second Interzonal appearance occurred at Riga
1979, when he again finished in the top half of the table.
In other competition, he achieved outright or shared first place at Hastings
1973/74 (with Szabó
, Tal and Timman
), Baku 1977, Tallinn
1979, Kladovo
1980, Dortmund
1981 (with Speelman
and Ftáčnik
) and Bangalore
1981. Other notable results included Lvov 1978 (third equal after Balashov
and Vaganian
) and Tallinn 1985 (second after Dolmatov
). In 1990, he was the Moscow Blitz Champion.
He has three times been the Ukraine national champion
in a period spanning thirty years; 1969 at Ivano-Frankivsk
(shared with Vladimir Savon
), 1989 at Kherson
(shared with Igor Novikov) and 1999, when the title was shared several ways at Alushta
.
In team chess, representing the USSR, he was awarded a team gold and individual bronze medal at the 1974 Nice
Olympiad
with a superb +10 =5 -0 performance, despite being selected only as a reserve.
Gennady Kuzmin is a renowned chess trainer in Ukraine and along with Yuri Kruppa, has helped rising star Kateryna Lahno become the world's youngest Woman Grandmaster. He was also a trainer to Ruslan Ponomariov
when he became the youngest (FIDE) world champion in history, at 18 years and 104 days. He runs a chess school on the official website of the Ukraine Chess Federation, where players are invited to join group and individual study sessions.
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
chess master
Chess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
and trainer. He should not be confused with Russian Grandmaster, Alexey Kuzmin.
As a player, he reached his peak strength in the early to mid 1970s and in 1973, was awarded the 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....
title by FIDE, the governing body.
Kuzmin competed in the Soviet Chess Championship eleven times between 1965 and 1991. His best results occurred in 1972 in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
(3rd= behind 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 Tukmakov
Vladimir Tukmakov
Vladimir Borisovich Tukmakov is a Jewish-Ukrainian chess grandmaster. He gained the Grandmaster title in 1972.His career first blossomed when he helped and then led the USSR to consecutive wins of the World Student Team Championship from 1966 to 1972, bagging nine gold medals along the way.In the...
) and 1973 in Moscow (2nd= behind Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
). The Baku final was also a qualifier for the 1973 Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
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 :...
, in which he placed seventh of eighteen players.
He was invited to compete at the Biel Interzonal in 1976, but withdrew. A second Interzonal appearance occurred at Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
1979, when he again finished in the top half of the table.
In other competition, he achieved outright or shared first place 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...
1973/74 (with Szabó
László Szabó (chess player)
László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...
, Tal and Timman
Jan Timman
Jan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"...
), Baku 1977, Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
1979, Kladovo
Kladovo
Kladovo is a town and municipality in the Bor District of eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube river...
1980, Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
1981 (with Speelman
Jon Speelman
Jonathan Simon "Jon" Speelman is an English Grandmaster chess player, mathematician and chess writer.-Early life and education:He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford, where he studied mathematics, earning a doctorate.-Career:...
and Ftáčnik
Lubomir Ftácnik
Ľubomír Ftáčnik is a Slovak chess player and a former European Junior Champion.He became European Junior Champion in 1976/77 and was awarded the International Master title shortly after...
) and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
1981. Other notable results included Lvov 1978 (third equal after Balashov
Yuri Balashov
-Chess career:He was awarded the grandmaster title in 1973. Balashov was Moscow Champion in 1970 and 2nd to Anatoly Karpov in the 1976 USSR Chess Championship. In 1977 he won Lithuanian Chess Championship. He finished 1st= at Lone Pine 1977 and 1st= at Wijk aan Zee 1982.Balashov represented the...
and Vaganian
Rafael Vaganian
Rafael Artemovich Vaganian, also transliterated Vahanyan is an Armenian chess grandmaster known for his sharp tactical style of play...
) and Tallinn 1985 (second after Dolmatov
Sergey Dolmatov
Sergey Viktorovich Dolmatov is a Russian 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...
). In 1990, he was the Moscow Blitz Champion.
He has three times been the Ukraine national champion
Ukrainian Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the Ukrainian Chess Championship, including those held when Ukraine was a Soviet republic and those held after Ukraine became independent. Players' names listed in parentheses indicate that the player won the tournament but did not receive the title since he...
in a period spanning thirty years; 1969 at Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
(shared with Vladimir Savon
Vladimir Savon
Vladimir Andreyevich Savon was a Ukrainian chess player.He learned how to play late, at the age of 13....
), 1989 at Kherson
Kherson
Kherson is a city in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast. Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and Dnieper River, and the home of a major ship-building industry...
(shared with Igor Novikov) and 1999, when the title was shared several ways at Alushta
Alushta
Alushta is a resort town in Crimea, Ukraine, founded in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It is situated on the Black Sea on the road from Gurzuf to Sudak, as well as on the Crimean Trolleybus line....
.
In team chess, representing the USSR, he was awarded a team gold and individual bronze medal at the 1974 Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
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...
with a superb +10 =5 -0 performance, despite being selected only as a reserve.
Gennady Kuzmin is a renowned chess trainer in Ukraine and along with Yuri Kruppa, has helped rising star Kateryna Lahno become the world's youngest Woman Grandmaster. He was also a trainer to Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and former FIDE World Champion.-Early career:Ponomariov was born in Horlivka in Ukraine. In 1994 he placed third in the World Under-12 Championship at the age of ten. In 1996 he won the European Under-18 Championship at the age of just...
when he became the youngest (FIDE) world champion in history, at 18 years and 104 days. He runs a chess school on the official website of the Ukraine Chess Federation, where players are invited to join group and individual study sessions.
Notable games
- Kuzmin - Sveshnikov, Moscow Ch. 1973, Sicilian Kan, 1-0 Echoes of the famous Lasker - BauerLasker - Bauer, Amsterdam, 1889The chess game between Emanuel Lasker and Johann Bauer played in Amsterdam in 1889 is one of the most famous on account of Lasker's sacrifice of both bishops to eliminate the pawn cover around his opponent's king, winning material and the game....
double bishop sacrifice, performed against a strong grandmaster, with a deadly outcome. - Kuzmin - Alburt, USSR 1971, Benko Gambit, 1-0 White bravely crashes on with his kingside pawnstorm while his Queenside crumbles.