Igor Glek
Encyclopedia
Igor Vladimirovich Glek , is a Russian chess
master, coach
, theorist, writer and organiser. He now lives in Essen
, Germany and has mainly resided there since 1994.
Glek was born in Moscow
. Completing his University of Moscow engineering/economics qualification in 1983, he worked as an economist until 1986 and followed this with two years of military service in the Soviet Army
. From 1989, he was able to concentrate on chess, becoming first a professional player, then a Grandmaster in 1990.
Over the years, he has coached many talented young players and has been a regular writer on chess. He is perhaps most commonly known for his contributions to the New In Chess
(NIC) series of opening surveys and also the Secrets Of Opening Surprises series of books (also published by NIC), which fall under the general editorship of Jeroen Bosch. Famed for his extensive and very creative opening
repertoire, many enthusiasts find Glek's games and advice on offbeat opening lines invaluable. As a player, he mostly opens with e4 as white and prefers the King's Indian, French Defence
and Dutch Defence
as Black. A variation of the Classical King's Indian Defence, characterized by the move 7 ... Na6, is named after him, as is a variation of the Four Knights Game
(4.g3).
In tournaments, he has been a winner of over 100 international events, including the 1990 World Open at Philadelphia, the 1998 Vienna
Open, the 1999 Utrecht
Open and the 2002 Zwolle
Open (jointly with Mikhail Gurevich
and others). Notable too, were his second place at Cappelle la Grande 1998 and joint second at the 9th Ordix Open (behind Viktor Bologan), a rapid chess event held in 2002. At the peak of his playing strength (1996) he was ranked world number 12 with an Elo rating of 2670.
He has also had many years of success in team chess tournaments, primarily for his long-time club side Norilsky Nikel of Norilsk
, as well as being a member of the silver medal winning Russian team at the 1997 European Team Championship
.
Nowadays, he spends most of his time organising chess. He is a co-founder of the ACP (Association of Chess Professionals
) and was voted a Board Member in 2004. During 2005 and 2006, he was Technical Director of the Moscow Open International Chess Festival, became a Member of the FIDE Committee for youth and junior events and was elected President of the WLCT (World League of Chess Tournaments).
In 2010 he was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.
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...
master, coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, theorist, writer and organiser. He now lives in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Germany and has mainly resided there since 1994.
Glek was born in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Completing his University of Moscow engineering/economics qualification in 1983, he worked as an economist until 1986 and followed this with two years of military service in the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
. From 1989, he was able to concentrate on chess, becoming first a professional player, then a Grandmaster in 1990.
Over the years, he has coached many talented young players and has been a regular writer on chess. He is perhaps most commonly known for his contributions to the 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...
(NIC) series of opening surveys and also the Secrets Of Opening Surprises series of books (also published by NIC), which fall under the general editorship of Jeroen Bosch. Famed for his extensive and very creative 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...
repertoire, many enthusiasts find Glek's games and advice on offbeat opening lines invaluable. As a player, he mostly opens with e4 as white and prefers the King's Indian, 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...
and 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.....
as Black. A variation of the Classical King's Indian Defence, characterized by the move 7 ... Na6, is named after him, as is a variation of the Four Knights Game
Four Knights Game
The Four Knights Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The opening is fairly popular with beginners who strictly adhere to the opening principle: "Develop knights before bishops." It was one of the workhorses in the family of the Open Game, at even the highest levels, until World War...
(4.g3).
In tournaments, he has been a winner of over 100 international events, including the 1990 World Open at Philadelphia, the 1998 Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Open, the 1999 Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
Open and the 2002 Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
Open (jointly with Mikhail Gurevich
Mikhail Gurevich (chess player)
Mikhail Naumovich Gurevich is a Soviet chess player. He lived in Belgium from 1991 to 2005 and since then resides in Turkey....
and others). Notable too, were his second place at Cappelle la Grande 1998 and joint second at the 9th Ordix Open (behind Viktor Bologan), a rapid chess event held in 2002. At the peak of his playing strength (1996) he was ranked world number 12 with an Elo rating of 2670.
He has also had many years of success in team chess tournaments, primarily for his long-time club side Norilsky Nikel of Norilsk
Norilsk
Norilsk is an industrial city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located between the Yenisei River and the Taymyr Peninsula. Population: It was granted city status in 1953. It is the northernmost city in Siberia and the world's second largest city north of the Arctic Circle...
, as well as being a member of the silver medal winning Russian team at the 1997 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...
.
Nowadays, he spends most of his time organising chess. He is a co-founder of the ACP (Association of Chess Professionals
Association of Chess Professionals
The Association of Chess Professionals is a not-for-profit organisation, the closest thing in existence to a trade union for professional chess players. According to Article 2 of its terms:-History:...
) and was voted a Board Member in 2004. During 2005 and 2006, he was Technical Director of the Moscow Open International Chess Festival, became a Member of the FIDE Committee for youth and junior events and was elected President of the WLCT (World League of Chess Tournaments).
In 2010 he was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.