Vasyl Ivanchuk
Encyclopedia
Vasyl Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk, also transliterated as Vasyliy or Vasyl (born March 18, 1969 in Kopychyntsi
, Ukrainian SSR
), is a Ukrainian
chess
grandmaster
.
Ivanchuk has been a leading player in the world since 1988, ranking as high as #2 on the official FIDE Elo rating list (July 1991, July 1992, October 2007) and #1 briefly on the unofficial live rating updates from September 10–12, 2008. Ivanchuk often has erratic results, dropping as low as 30th in July 2009 before returning to the top ten in the very next list.
He was the 2007–2008 World Blitz
Chess champion.
He won the Amber blindfold and rapid chess championship in 1992 and 2010.
In 2011, by the decree of the President of Ukraine, Ivanchuk was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise IV degree.
, Ukraine
. He won the 1987 European Junior Chess Championship
in Groningen and first achieved international notice by winning the 1988 New York
Open with 7.5/9, ahead of a field of Grandmasters. He tied for first place in the 1988 World Junior Chess Championship
at Adelaide
, but lost the title on tiebreak to Joël Lautier
. He was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1988, and entered the world top 10 the same year.
tournament in 1991. Fourteen players participated, eight of them rated top-ten of the world, including World Chess Champion
Garry Kasparov
, while the rest were all among the world's top 50 players. Ivanchuk narrowly edged Kasparov by a half-point,
defeating Kasparov in their individual game.
It was widely believed that Ivanchuk might become World Champion, but this has not yet happened, although he came close in 2002 when he reached the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2002
. Consistently among the top 10 since 1988, this did not prevent Mark Crowther's The Week in Chess
from attributing his erratic play to a "poor temperament." His inability to become World Champion despite his immense talent and longevity among the chess elite has been attributed to his admittedly poor nerves, which have been exposed during the high-tension atmosphere of World Championship match-format tournaments, such as in 2002 where he was heavily favored in the FIDE championship final after having defeated defending champion Viswanathan Anand
in the semifinals, only to lose to countryman Ruslan Ponomariov
in a significant upset, denying him the World Championship. Subsequent match-play tournaments in World Championship cycles have seen Ivanchuk consistently underperform; in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004
, Chess World Cup 2005
, Chess World Cup 2007
, and Chess World Cup 2009
, he failed to advance past the third round despite being seeded #5, #1, #1 and #6 respectively in those events.
Ivanchuk's world championship aspirations were also dampened by the unfortunate title split 1993 to 2006. Due to obligations with FIDE, Ivanchuk and Anand did not participate in the 2002 Dortmund Candidates tournament for the Classical World Chess Championship 2004
. He was then narrowly excluded, on the basis of rating, from the rival FIDE World Chess Championship 2005
. Although he won one of the events of the FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010, his overall performance was not good enough to qualify him for the World Chess Championship 2012 candidates tournament.
as the most eccentric player in the chess world. Anand, tongue-in-cheek, gave his view on Ivanchuk like this:
When he plays, Ivanchuk often stares at the ceiling and walls with a blank stare (although this is not uncommon with top players who calculate without looking at the board). His playing style is unpredictable and highly original, making him more dangerous but sometimes leading to quick losses as well.
After a string of unsuccessful performances culminated in his elimination at the early stages of the 2009 World Cup
, Ivanchuk announced, in a highly emotional interview, his retirement from professional chess. However, he soon recanted this decision.
s, twice for the Soviet Union (1988 and 1990), and nine times for Ukraine, after the Soviet Union split up in 1991. He has won a total of twelve medals, and has been on four gold-medal winning teams (USSR in 1988 and 1990, Ukraine in 2004 and 2010). In 133 games, Ivanchuk has scored (+50 =77 -6), for 66.5 per cent. His detailed Olympiad records, from the site http://www.olimpbase.org/players/oeo8eigf.html, follow.
. On November 18, 2006, he married for the second time.
held in Dresden. Going into the last round Ukraine was second with decent chances of placing 1st, and only a strong loss against a 10th-seeded USA would leave them without a medal. Ivanchuk was chosen to be tested for illegal substances in his system immediately after the last round.
In a major upset, the USA defeated Ukraine 3.5 to 0.5 with Ivanchuk losing his game against GM Gata Kamsky, causing Ukraine to fall to fourth and miss out on a medal. Ivanchuk was in such a distraught state after the game that he was seen "kicking a large concrete pillar" with such fury that bystanders were surprised he did not break any toes. When the officials tried to get Ivanchuk to participate in the doping control, he refused and stormed out. Missing the test is equivalent to being tested positive under the rules and could have resulted in a 2-year ban. Had it been enforced, its effect might have been minimal as many major tournaments are not under the control of FIDE and would likely still invite a player of Ivanchuk's caliber.
Under FIDE rules, a player found guilty of doping charges automatically forfeits all his or her games in the event concerned. This had previously happened to two amateur players who refused doping tests in the 2004 Chess Olympiad in Majorca. There was speculation that if this rule were applied to Ivanchuk, it would result in the USA's bronze medal being stripped and awarded to Hungary due to a change in tie-breaks.
Ivanchuk was eventually found innocent of the charges, on the basis that he was not informed of the need for the doping test beforehand by a Doping Control Officer, in accordance with correct FIDE procedure, and that in his distraught frame of mind, he had not fully understood the arbiter's request.
Kopychyntsi
Kopychyntsi . It is the birthplace of Ukrainian chess grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk and Israeli politician Pinhas Lavon.The town was first mentioned in 1340 as a village in the powiat of Trembowla. With time it grew to become a town within the Land of Halicz, itself part of Podole Voivodeship of...
, Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
), is a Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
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...
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....
.
Ivanchuk has been a leading player in the world since 1988, ranking as high as #2 on the official FIDE Elo rating list (July 1991, July 1992, October 2007) and #1 briefly on the unofficial live rating updates from September 10–12, 2008. Ivanchuk often has erratic results, dropping as low as 30th in July 2009 before returning to the top ten in the very next list.
He was the 2007–2008 World Blitz
Blitz chess
Fast chess, also known as blitz chess, lightning chess, sudden death, speed chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60 to 180 minutes per player.-Overview:The different...
Chess champion.
He won the Amber blindfold and rapid chess championship in 1992 and 2010.
In 2011, by the decree of the President of Ukraine, Ivanchuk was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise IV degree.
Early years
Ivanchuk was born in KopychyntsiKopychyntsi
Kopychyntsi . It is the birthplace of Ukrainian chess grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk and Israeli politician Pinhas Lavon.The town was first mentioned in 1340 as a village in the powiat of Trembowla. With time it grew to become a town within the Land of Halicz, itself part of Podole Voivodeship of...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. He won the 1987 European Junior Chess Championship
European Junior Chess Championship
The first chess youth championship in Europe was the yearly European Junior Championship for under age 20. It was played from 1971–2002. FIDE officially introduced the European Junior Championship in 1970 at their Annual Congress and so the 1971/72 edition was the first official European...
in Groningen and first achieved international notice by winning the 1988 New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Open with 7.5/9, ahead of a field of Grandmasters. He tied for first place in the 1988 World Junior Chess Championship
World Junior Chess Championship
The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
at Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, but lost the title on tiebreak to Joël Lautier
Joel Lautier
Joël Lautier is a French chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer .Born in Canada, of French father and Japanese mother, Lautier is one of the strongest grandmasters from France. He won the 1988 World Junior Chess Championship on tiebreak at Adelaide, and the French Chess Championships in 2004...
. He was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1988, and entered the world top 10 the same year.
Reaches world elite
Ivanchuk reached chess world fame at the age of 21 when he won the LinaresLinares 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...
tournament in 1991. Fourteen players participated, eight of them rated top-ten of the world, including World Chess Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
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....
, while the rest were all among the world's top 50 players. Ivanchuk narrowly edged Kasparov by a half-point,
defeating Kasparov in their individual game.
It was widely believed that Ivanchuk might become World Champion, but this has not yet happened, although he came close in 2002 when he reached the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2002
FIDE World Chess Championship 2002
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2002 was held in Moscow, Russia. The first six rounds were played between 27 November and 14 December 2001, and the final match started on 16 January and ended on 23 January 2002...
. Consistently among the top 10 since 1988, this did not prevent Mark Crowther's The Week in Chess
The Week in Chess
The Week in Chess is one of the first, if not the first, Internet-based chess news services.TWIC has been edited by Mark Crowther since its inception in 1994. It began as a weekly Usenet posting, with "TWIC 1" being posted to Usenet group rec.games.chess on 17 September 1994...
from attributing his erratic play to a "poor temperament." His inability to become World Champion despite his immense talent and longevity among the chess elite has been attributed to his admittedly poor nerves, which have been exposed during the high-tension atmosphere of World Championship match-format tournaments, such as in 2002 where he was heavily favored in the FIDE championship final after having defeated defending champion 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 the semifinals, only to lose to countryman 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...
in a significant upset, denying him the World Championship. Subsequent match-play tournaments in World Championship cycles have seen Ivanchuk consistently underperform; 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...
, Chess World Cup 2005
Chess World Cup 2005
The Chess World Cup 2005 served as a qualification tournament for the FIDE World Chess Championship 2007. It was held as a 128-player tournament, between 27 November and 17 December 2005, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia....
, Chess World Cup 2007
Chess World Cup 2007
The Chess World Cup 2007 served as a qualification tournament for the World Chess Championship 2009. It was held as a 128-player single-elimination tournament, between 24 November and 16 December 2007, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia....
, and Chess World Cup 2009
Chess World Cup 2009
The Chess World Cup 2009 was a 128-player single-elimination tournament, played between 20 November and 14 December 2009, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The Cup winner qualified for the Candidates stage of the World Chess Championship 2011. Boris Gelfand defeated Ruslan Ponomariov in the...
, he failed to advance past the third round despite being seeded #5, #1, #1 and #6 respectively in those events.
Ivanchuk's world championship aspirations were also dampened by the unfortunate title split 1993 to 2006. Due to obligations with FIDE, Ivanchuk and Anand did not participate in the 2002 Dortmund Candidates tournament for the Classical World Chess Championship 2004
Classical World Chess Championship 2004
The Classical World Chess Championship 2004 was held from September 25, 2004 - October 18, 2004 in Brissago, Switzerland. Vladimir Kramnik, the defending champion, played Peter Leko, the challenger, in a fourteen game match....
. He was then narrowly excluded, on the basis of rating, from the rival FIDE World Chess Championship 2005
FIDE World Chess Championship 2005
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 took place in Potrero de los Funes, San Luis Province in Argentina from September 27 to October 16, 2005. It was won by Veselin Topalov.-Background:...
. Although he won one of the events of the FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010, his overall performance was not good enough to qualify him for the World Chess Championship 2012 candidates tournament.
Eccentric character
"Chucky", as Ivanchuk is called, has been described by Viswanathan AnandViswanathan 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....
as the most eccentric player in the chess world. Anand, tongue-in-cheek, gave his view on Ivanchuk like this:
- He's someone who is very intelligent ... but you never know which mood he is going to be in. Some days he will treat you like his long-lost brother. The next day he ignores you completely.
- The players have a word for him. They say he lives on 'Planet Ivanchuk'. (Laughs) ... I have seen him totally drunk and singing Ukrainian poetry and then the next day I have seen him give an impressive talk.
- For a while he was trying to learn Turkish. Don’t ask me why ... Every day is a surprise with him.
When he plays, Ivanchuk often stares at the ceiling and walls with a blank stare (although this is not uncommon with top players who calculate without looking at the board). His playing style is unpredictable and highly original, making him more dangerous but sometimes leading to quick losses as well.
After a string of unsuccessful performances culminated in his elimination at the early stages of the 2009 World Cup
Chess World Cup 2009
The Chess World Cup 2009 was a 128-player single-elimination tournament, played between 20 November and 14 December 2009, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The Cup winner qualified for the Candidates stage of the World Chess Championship 2011. Boris Gelfand defeated Ruslan Ponomariov in the...
, Ivanchuk announced, in a highly emotional interview, his retirement from professional chess. However, he soon recanted this decision.
Notable tournament victories
- Lvov 1987, 11.5/17 1st
- New York Open 1988, 1st
- Debrecen 1988, 10 8/11 1st
- Linares 1989, 7/10 1st
- Yerevan 1989, 8.5/11 1st
- Biel 1989, 9/14 1-2
- Tilburg 1990, 8.5/14 1-2
- Linares 1991, 9.5/13 1st
- Reykjavik 10.5/15, 1-2
- Munich 1994, 7.5/11 1st
- Linares 1995, 10/13 1st
- Horgen GER 1995, 7/10 1-2
- Wijk aan Zee 1996, 9/13 1st
- Belgrade 1997 6/9, 1-2
- Tallinn 2000 6/7, 1st
- Montecatini Terme 2000, 5/7 1st
- Malmö 2003, 13 7/9 1st
- European Individual Chess Championship 2004
- La Habana 2005, 9.5/12 1st
- Barcelona 2005, 4/5 1-2
- Canadian Open Chess Championship 2005, Joint 1st
- Tallinn 2006, 7/9 1-3
- Odessa 2006, 7/9 1st
- Mérida 2006, 1st
- Odessa 2007, 7/9 1st
- La Habana 2007, 7.5/9 1st
- Foros 2007, 7.5/11 1st
- FIDE World Blitz Chess Champion 2007
- Montreal International 2007
- M-Tel Masters, Sofia 2008 8/10 2008, 1st
- Tal Memorial, Moscow 2008, 6/9 1st
- Tal Memorial (Blitz), Moscow 2008, 1st
- Linares 2009 8/14, Joint 1st (Alexander GrischukAlexander GrischukAlexander Igorevich Grischuk is a Russian chess grandmaster and Russian Champion in 2009.-Chess career:In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov....
declared winner because of higher number of wins) - Bazna 2009, 7/10 1st
- Jermuk 2009, 8.5/13 1st
- Amber Rapid 2010, 8/11 Joint 1st (with Magnus CarlsenMagnus CarlsenSven 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...
) - Amber Overall 2010, Joint 1st (with Magnus CarlsenMagnus CarlsenSven 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...
) - Capablanca Memorial Havana 2010, 7/10 1st
- Cap d'Agde Rapid 2010, 1st
- Gibraltar 2011, 9/10 1st
- Capablanca Memorial Havana 2011, 6.5/10 1st
- Grand Slam Bilbao – Sao Paulo 2011, Joint 1st (Magnus CarlsenMagnus CarlsenSven 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...
wins the tie-break blitz games)
Team chess performances
Ivanchuk has often been at his best in international team competitions. He has played in eleven Chess OlympiadChess 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, twice for the Soviet Union (1988 and 1990), and nine times for Ukraine, after the Soviet Union split up in 1991. He has won a total of twelve medals, and has been on four gold-medal winning teams (USSR in 1988 and 1990, Ukraine in 2004 and 2010). In 133 games, Ivanchuk has scored (+50 =77 -6), for 66.5 per cent. His detailed Olympiad records, from the site http://www.olimpbase.org/players/oeo8eigf.html, follow.
- Thessaloniki 198828th Chess OlympiadThe 28th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between November 12 and November 30, 1988, in Thessaloniki, Greece.-References:...
, USSR 2nd reserve, 6.5/9 (+4 =5 -0), team gold - Novi Sad 199029th Chess OlympiadThe 29th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between November 16 and December 4, 1990, in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia.-References:...
, USSR board 1, 7/10 (+5 =4 -1), team gold, board bronze - Manila 199230th Chess OlympiadThe 30th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between June 7 and June 25, 1992, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, Philippines.-Individual...
, Ukraine board 1, 8.5/13 (+6 =5 -1) - Moscow 199431st Chess OlympiadThe 31st Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, took place between November 30 and December 17, 1994, in Moscow, Russia.- Chess competition :...
, Ukraine board 1, 9.5/14 (+5 =9 -0) - Yerevan 199632nd Chess OlympiadThe 32nd Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, took place between September 15 and October 2, 1996, in Yerevan, Armenia.- Chess competition :...
, Ukraine board 1, 8.5/11 (+6 =5 -0), team silver, board silver, perf. bronze - Elista 199833rd Chess OlympiadThe 33rd Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, took place between September 26 and October 13, 1998, in Elista, Kalmykia, . In the open tournament there were 110 teams, and in the women's, 72 teams.-Chess City:The...
, Ukraine board 1, 7/11 (+3 =8 -0), team bronze - Istanbul 200034th Chess OlympiadThe 34th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, took place between October 28 and November 12, 2000, in Istanbul, Turkey.- Chess competition :...
, Ukraine board 1, 9/14 (+4 =10 -0), team bronze - Bled 200235th Chess OlympiadThe 35th Chess Olympiad took place from October 25th to November 11th, 2002, in Bled, . In the men's tournament there were 136 teams, and in the women's, 92 teams...
, Ukraine board 2, 9/14 (+4 =10 -0) - Calvià 200436th Chess OlympiadThe 36th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 14 and October 31, 2004, in Calvià on the Spanish island of Majorca.-Chess...
, Ukraine board 1, 9.5/13 (+6 =7 -0), team gold, board bronze - Turin 200637th Chess OlympiadThe 37th Chess Olympiad, comprising an open and women's tournament and the general assembly of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs , took place between 20 May and 6 June 2006, in Turin, Italy.-Open tournament:...
, Ukraine board 1, 8/13 (+4 =8 -1) - Dresden 200838th Chess OlympiadThe 38th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between 12–25 November 2008, in Dresden, Germany and was won by Armenia.The 2010 Olympiad is...
, Ukraine board 1, 6/11 (+3 =6 -2) - Khanty-Mansiysk 201039th Chess OlympiadThe 39th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place in 2010 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, on to...
, Ukraine board 1, 8/10 (+7 =2 -1), team gold, board gold
Personal life
Ivanchuk was first married to chess Woman Grandmaster Alisa GalliamovaAlisa Galliamova
Alisa Galliamova is a Russian chess player, who was born to Russian father and Tatar mother. She holds the FIDE titles Woman Grandmaster and International Master. In 1988 she won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship...
. On November 18, 2006, he married for the second time.
Doping test controversy
Ivanchuk was playing on board 1 for Ukraine in the 2008 Chess Olympiad38th Chess Olympiad
The 38th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between 12–25 November 2008, in Dresden, Germany and was won by Armenia.The 2010 Olympiad is...
held in Dresden. Going into the last round Ukraine was second with decent chances of placing 1st, and only a strong loss against a 10th-seeded USA would leave them without a medal. Ivanchuk was chosen to be tested for illegal substances in his system immediately after the last round.
In a major upset, the USA defeated Ukraine 3.5 to 0.5 with Ivanchuk losing his game against GM Gata Kamsky, causing Ukraine to fall to fourth and miss out on a medal. Ivanchuk was in such a distraught state after the game that he was seen "kicking a large concrete pillar" with such fury that bystanders were surprised he did not break any toes. When the officials tried to get Ivanchuk to participate in the doping control, he refused and stormed out. Missing the test is equivalent to being tested positive under the rules and could have resulted in a 2-year ban. Had it been enforced, its effect might have been minimal as many major tournaments are not under the control of FIDE and would likely still invite a player of Ivanchuk's caliber.
Under FIDE rules, a player found guilty of doping charges automatically forfeits all his or her games in the event concerned. This had previously happened to two amateur players who refused doping tests in the 2004 Chess Olympiad in Majorca. There was speculation that if this rule were applied to Ivanchuk, it would result in the USA's bronze medal being stripped and awarded to Hungary due to a change in tie-breaks.
Ivanchuk was eventually found innocent of the charges, on the basis that he was not informed of the need for the doping test beforehand by a Doping Control Officer, in accordance with correct FIDE procedure, and that in his distraught frame of mind, he had not fully understood the arbiter's request.