Evgeny Sveshnikov at "Liepājas Rokāde 2005" rapid tournament.

Evgeny Ellinovich Sveshnikov (Jevgēņijs Svešņikovs) (born Cheliabinsk, February 11, 1950) is a Latvian International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess writer. Chelyabinsk (Челя́бинск is a city in Russia, located just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on Miass River. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players.

The player

He played in his first USSR Chess Championship when he was just 17 years old and became an IM in 1975 and a GM in 1977. This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship.

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. Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky ( Russian: Лев Абрамович Полугаевский) (sometimes transliterated as Lyev Polugayevsky) ( At Novi Sad in 1979, he shared second prize with Efim Geller behind Florin Gheorghiu. Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess Florin Gheorghiu (born April 6, 1944) is a Romanian Chess player and university lecturer in foreign languages 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. The European Team Championship ( often abbreviated in texts and games databases as ETC) is an international team chess event eligible for the participation Although only an International Master at the time, he registered an 80% score, winning individual and team gold medals. Representing Latvia at the Chess Olympiads of 2004 and 2006, he has lost only twice in 22 games. The Chess Olympiad is a Biennial Chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other

His Elo rating in October 2007 was 2494, but has in recent times been much higher. The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as Chess and Go. He is respected by his peers as a deep and original thinker and a master tactician. He won the Latvian Chess Championship in 2003.

Now living in Riga, he has a chess-playing son, Vladimir, who has been awarded the FIDE Master title. FIDE Master (FM is a title awarded by the world Chess governing body Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE

A critic of the system

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. Alvis Vītoliņš (Vitolinš Vitolins Vitolinsh ( 15 June 1946, Sigulda – 16 February 1997) was a Latvian Chess Lembit Oll ( 23 April 1966 – 17 May 1999) was an Estonian chess Grandmaster. Alexey Borisovich Vyzmanavin ( January 1, 1960 – January 6, 2000) was a Russian chess Grandmaster.

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

The Sveshnikov Variation after 6. . . . d6

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. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970.

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 Sicilian Defence is a Chess opening that begins with the moves 1 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". Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов (born February 7, 1926, Kharkov) is a leading Russian Chess In Chess the word " opening " has two common meanings both of which are discussed in this article 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. Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (Влади́мир Бори́сович Кра́мник (born June 25, 1975) is a Russian Chess grandmaster Valery Salov (born May 26 1964 in Poland is a Russian Chess grandmaster. 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. The French Defence is a Chess opening. It is characterized by the moves 1 In Chess, the Sicilian Defence Alapin Variation is a response to the Sicilian Defence characterized by the moves 1 The Sicilian Defence is a Chess opening that begins with the moves 1

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.

References

• Hooper, David and Whyld, Kenneth (1984). David Vincent Hooper ( 31 August 1915 - May 1998 born in Reigate, was a British Chess player and writer Kenneth Whyld ( March 6, 1926 - July 11, 2003) was a British Chess author and researcher best known as the co-author (with The Oxford Companion To Chess. Oxford University. ISBN 0-19-217540-8.  
• CHESS magazine, Vol. CHESS magazine (ISSN 0964-6221 also called CHESS and previously called CHESS Monthly, is a Chess magazine that is published 63, September 1998, pp. 49-52.

External links

• FIDE rating card for Evgeny Sveshnikov
• Evgeni Sveshnikov at ChessGames.com