Igor Zaitsev
Encyclopedia
Igor Arkadyevich Zaitsev is a Russia
n grandmaster of chess
. He is of Armenian
descent.
. His Armenian father, Arkady Gevorgovich Aghaian, was a deputy commander of a warship
; his mother, Anna Fyodorovna Zaitseva, was a worker at the Red Banner Textile Factory
.
by defeating Yakov Estrin
using the Giuoco Piano
opening
. The next year, Zaitsev was given the title of International Master and in 1976 he became a Grandmaster.
Zaitsev played in six USSR Chess Championships (1962, 1967, 1968–69, 1969, 1970, 1991), his best finishes being 15th-16th in Riga
1970.
His results in international tournaments include 2nd at Polanica-Zdrój 1970; 2nd at Dubna
1976; 1st at Quito
1976.
opening (known as the Flohr–Zaitsev Variation, being jointly named for Grandmaster Salo Flohr
) follows one of the main lines of the Ruy Lopez and remains in wide use today. In the Flohr-Zaitsev Variation, Black plays 9... Bb7 after the following moves have been played: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3. The move is popular because it fianchetto
es the light-squared bishop
, putting pressure on White's pawn
on e4.
in the late 1970s, following the death of Karpov's coach
Semyon Furman
in March, 1978. Zaitsev was one of Karpov's seconds in a number of his World Championship matches, including the matches against Garry Kasparov
in 1984 to 1990.
Karpov popularized Zaitsev's line at the top level, playing it with success for many years.
Zaitsev is Honoured Coach of USSR
and Russia. In 2006 he was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n grandmaster 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...
. He is of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
descent.
Early life and family
He was born in Ramenskoe, a town outside MoscowMoscow
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...
. His Armenian father, Arkady Gevorgovich Aghaian, was a deputy commander of a warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
; his mother, Anna Fyodorovna Zaitseva, was a worker at the Red Banner Textile Factory
Red Banner Textile Factory
The Red Banner Textile Factory in Leningrad , Pionerskaya ulitsa , 53 was designed by Erich Mendelsohn and later partly redesigned by S. O. Ovsyannikov, E. A. Tretyakov, and Hyppolit Pretreaus...
.
Chess career
In 1969, Zaitsev attained the title of Moscow ChampionMoscow City Chess Championship
-References: ****** from chessbase.com...
by defeating Yakov Estrin
Yakov Estrin
Yakov Borisovich Estrin was a Russian chess International Master, theoretician, and writer.After a brief foray into "over-the-board" play, he turned to correspondence chess in the early 1960s with immediate success Yakov Borisovich Estrin (April 21, 1923 – February 2, 1987) was a Russian chess...
using the Giuoco Piano
Giuoco Piano
The Giuoco Piano is a chess opening beginning with the moves:Common alternatives to 3...Bc5 include 3...Nf6 , 3...Be7 , or 3...d6 .-History:...
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...
. The next year, Zaitsev was given the title of International Master and in 1976 he became a Grandmaster.
Zaitsev played in six USSR Chess Championships (1962, 1967, 1968–69, 1969, 1970, 1991), his best finishes being 15th-16th in 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,...
1970.
His results in international tournaments include 2nd at Polanica-Zdrój 1970; 2nd at Dubna
Dubna
Dubna is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of naukograd , being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research centre and one of the largest scientific foundations in the country. It is also home to MKB Raduga, a defence aerospace company...
1976; 1st at Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
1976.
Contribution to theory
Zaitsev is best known for his contribution to opening theory. His variation of the Ruy LopezRuy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del...
opening (known as the Flohr–Zaitsev Variation, being jointly named for Grandmaster Salo Flohr
Salo Flohr
Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr was a leading Czech and later Soviet chess grandmaster of the mid-20th century, who became a national hero in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. His name was used to sell many of the luxury products of the time, including Salo Flohr cigarettes, slippers and eau-de-cologne...
) follows one of the main lines of the Ruy Lopez and remains in wide use today. In the Flohr-Zaitsev Variation, Black plays 9... Bb7 after the following moves have been played: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3. The move is popular because it fianchetto
Fianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
es the light-squared bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
, putting pressure on White's pawn
Pawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
on e4.
Coach
Zaitsev became one of the trainers of World Champion Anatoly KarpovAnatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
in the late 1970s, following the death of Karpov's 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:...
Semyon Furman
Semyon Furman
Semyon Abramovich Furman was a Soviet chess International Grandmaster and trainer. He is best known for developing Anatoly Karpov into a World Chess Champion, but was a formidable player himself, as well as a successful coach for several other world-class players...
in March, 1978. Zaitsev was one of Karpov's seconds in a number of his World Championship matches, including the matches against Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
in 1984 to 1990.
Karpov popularized Zaitsev's line at the top level, playing it with success for many years.
Zaitsev is Honoured Coach of USSR
Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR
Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for athletes. The classification was established in 1935 and was based on separate classifications, which existed for several sports disciplines before...
and Russia. In 2006 he was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.
Books
- Зайцев, Игорь (2004). Атака в сильном пункте. Советский спорт. ISBN 5-85009-897-6
Notable games
- Igor Arkadievich Zaitsev vs Anatoli Karpov, Leningrad 1966, Russian Game, Center Variation (C43), ½–½
- Yakov Estrin vs Igor Arkadievich Zaitsev, Moscow 1969, Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack (C57), 0-1
- Igor Arkadievich Zaitsev vs Oleg Dementiev, USSR Championship 1970, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (B90), 1-0
- Apartsev vs Igor Arkadievich Zaitsev, Moscow 1963, Italian Game: Two Knights Defense. Traxler Counterattack (C57), 0-1