Vasyl Mykhailovych Ivanchuk (; born March 18, 1969) is a Ukrainian

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grandmaster. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by

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in 1988. A leading chess player since 1988, Ivanchuk has been ranked at No. 2 on the

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three times (July 1991, July 1992, October 2007). Ivanchuk has won Linares,

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, Tal Memorial, Gibraltar Masters and M-Tel Masters titles. He has also won the World Blitz Championship in 2007 and the World Rapid Championship in 2016.

Career

Early years

Ivanchuk was born in Kopychyntsi, Ukraine. He won the 1987

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 19 ...

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and first achieved international notice by winning the 1988 New York Open scoring 7½/9 points, ahead of a field of grandmasters. He tied for first place in the 1988

World Junior Chess Championship The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament (players must have been under 20 years old on 1 January in the year of competition) organized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). The idea was the brainchild of William Rits ...

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, 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.

Reaches world elite

Ivanchuk won the Linares tournament in 1989, 1991, and 1995. In 1991, of the fourteen players participating, eight of them, including

World Chess Champion The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated the previous champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship 2024, 2024 World Chess Championship. ...

Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born Garik Kimovich Weinstein on 13 April 1963) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion (1985–2000), political activist and writer. His peak FIDE chess Elo rating system, ra ...

, rated in the top ten in the world, and another two among the world's top 50 players. Ivanchuk beat Kasparov by a half point, defeating Kasparov in their head-to-head game. It was widely believed that Ivanchuk might become world champion. He came close in 2002, when he reached the final of the

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. The Ukrainian Grandmaster Rusla ...

. Ivanchuk consistently ranked among the top 10 from July 1988 to October 2002 and among the top 20 up to June 2009, but Mark Crowther's ''

The Week in Chess ''The Week in Chess'' (TWIC) is a chess news web site. It was founded in 1994 and is based in the United Kingdom. ''TWIC'' has been edited by Mark Crowther since its inception in 1994. It began as a weekly Usenet Usenet (), a portmante ...

'' said his erratic play was due to "poor temperament." His results saw him drop as low as 30th in July 2009, but he returned to the top ten in the next list. His inability to become world champion despite his immense talent and longevity has been attributed to his admittedly poor nerves, demonstrated by blunders such as at the 1994 London Grand Prix blitz, when he failed to complete a strong attack on

Viswanathan Anand Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (born 11 December 1969) is an Indian chess grandmaster. Anand is a five-time World Chess Champion, a two-time World Rapid Chess Champion, a two-time Chess World Cup Champion and a World Blitz Chess Cup Champion. ...

with a mate in one despite having 0:54 left on the clock. Ivanchuk's nerves were notably 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 Anand in the semifinals, only to lose to countryman

Ruslan Ponomariov Ruslan Olehovych Ponomariov (; born 11 October 1983) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. He was FIDE World Chess Champion from 2002 to 2004 and is the youngest holder of the title at the age of 18 years and 104 days, though the title was split ...

in a major upset, denying him the championship. Subsequent match-play tournaments in World Championship cycles saw Ivanchuk consistently underperform; in the

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, 2004. It was won by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who beat Michael Adams in the final by a score of 4½–3½. He won about US$100,000 and ...

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 from 27 November to 17 December 2005 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The top ten finishers qualified for ...

Chess World Cup 2007 The Chess World Cup 2007 served as a qualification tournament for the World Chess Championship 2010. It was held as a 128-player single-elimination tournament, between 24 November and 16 December 2007, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. In an event att ...

, and Chess World Cup 2009, he failed to advance past the third round despite being seeded No. 5, No. 1, No. 1 and No. 6 respectively in those events. Ivanchuk's world championship aspirations were also dampened by the title split from 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 The Classical World Chess Championship 2004 was held from September 25, 2004, to October 18, 2004, in Brissago, Switzerland. Vladimir Kramnik, the defending champion, played Peter Leko, the challenger, in a fourteen-game match. The match ended ...

. He was then narrowly excluded, on the basis of rating, from the rival FIDE World Chess Championship 2005. While he won one of the events of the FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010, his overall performance was not enough to qualify him for the World Chess Championship 2012 candidates tournament.

Since 2013

Ivanchuk played in the 2013 Candidates Tournament, which took place in London, from 15 March to 1 April. He finished seventh, with a score of +3−5=6. The tournament was notable for his unusually poor time management (he lost two games on time), as well as his major impact on the leaderboard despite being a tail ender: he managed to defeat both leaders

Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...

(round 12) and

Vladimir Kramnik Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (; born 25 June 1975) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. He was the World Chess Champion#Split title (1993–2006), Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the 14th undisputed World Ch ...

(round 14), resulting in Carlsen qualifying for the World Chess Championship by tiebreak. In 2016, Ivanchuk won the

World Rapid Chess Championship The World Rapid Chess Championship is a chess tournament held to determine the world champion in chess played under fast chess, rapid time controls. Prior to 2012, FIDE gave such recognition to a limited number of tournaments, with non-FIDE reco ...

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, Qatar, with a score of 11/15. He defeated Carlsen, among many others. In July 2016, Ivanchuk began playing

checkers Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), is a group of Abstract strategy game, strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game ...

and has achieved a certain level of success. In the

World Draughts Federation The World Draughts Federation (''Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames'') FMJD, is the international body uniting national draughts federations. It was founded in 1947 by four Federations: France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. Membe ...

's database, he achieved his peak rating of 1997 in July 2019, and his peak ranking at No. 1089 in October 2021.

Playing style

Vasyl Ivanchuk is possessing of a unique and daring playing style consisting of extraordinary creativity fused with high-level technical play, often leading to considerable imbalances. Ivanchuk is well known for his imaginative play, seemingly breaking all principles with sudden sacrifices consisting of deep and immense calculation rather than material balances. The sharp contrast of Ivanchuk creating a narrow path, a path only fit for one to prevail and enter through. Ivanchuk is regarded by his peers and many observers as a chess genius. Kasparov explained in an interview that Ivanchuk had a level equivalent to that of a world champion although he had never been one.

Assessment and personality

In 2013, Gawain Jones called Ivanchuk "possibly the most talented layerever". When asked in 2012 to name chess players she considered geniuses,

Judit Polgár Judit Polgár (born 23 July 1976) is a Hungarian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, widely regarded as the Strong (chess), strongest female chess player of all time. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years ...

named only Ivanchuk, Carlsen and Anand. Anand has called Ivanchuk the most eccentric player in the chess world, and has said:

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". aughs... I have seen him totally drunk and singing Ukrainian poetry and then the next day I have seen him give an impressive talk. His playing style is unpredictable and highly original, making him more dangerous but sometimes leading to quick losses as well.

From the ''Mammoth Book of The World's Greatest Chess Games'':

If he were able to make the most of his talent, he would surely be a real contender for the World No. 1 spot, but he is a highly emotional player, who takes losses badly, tends to rush critical decisions when under pressure and sometimes lacks motivation.

Ivanchuk played board 1 for Ukraine in the 2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany. Going into the last round, Ukraine was second with decent chances of placing first, and only a strong loss against a 10th-seeded U.S. would leave them without a medal. Ivanchuk was chosen to be tested for illegal substances in his system immediately after the last round. But in a major upset, Ivanchuk lost his game against

Gata Kamsky Gata Kamsky (; ; born June 2, 1974) is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster, and a five-time U.S. champion. Kamsky reached the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996 at the age of 22, and reached a ranking of fourth in the world ...

, causing Ukraine to fall to fourth and miss out on a medal. U.S. defeated Ukraine 3½ to ½. Ivanchuk was so distraught after the game that he was seen "kicking a large concrete pillar". He refused to take a doping test and stormed out, risking punishment under FIDE rules and forfeiting his games in the event as had happened in the 2004 Chess Olympiad in

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. Ivanchuk was cleared when it emerged that he had not been warned of the test, and that in his distraught frame of mind, he had not fully understood the arbiter's request. 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, but he soon reversed that decision.

Notable tournament victories

* Lviv 1987, 11½/17 1st * New York Open 1988, 1st * Debrecen 1988, 10 8/11 1st * Linares 1989, 7/10 1st * Yerevan 1989, 8½/11 1st * Biel 1989, 9/14 1–2 * Tilburg 1990, 8½/14 1–2 * Linares 1991, 9½/13 1st * Reykjavik 10½/15, 1–2 * Munich 1994, 7½/11 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 * European Rapid Chess Championship 2004 * La Habana 2005, 9½/12 1st * Barcelona 2005, 4/5 1–2 * Canadian Open Chess Championship 2005, Joint 1st * Tallinn 2006, 7/9 1–3 * Odesa 2006, 7/9 1st * Mérida 2006, 1st * Odesa 2007, 7/9 1st * La Habana 2007, 7½/9 1st * Foros 2007, 7½/11 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 Grischuk Alexander Igorevich Grischuk (born October 31, 1983) is a Russian chess grandmaster. Grischuk was the Russian champion in 2009. He is also a three-time world blitz chess champion (in 2006, 2012 and 2015). He has competed in five Candidates To ...

declared winner because of higher number of wins) * Bazna 2009, 7/10 1st * Jermuk 2009, 8½/13 1st * Amber Rapid 2010, 8/11 Joint 1st (with

) * Amber Overall 2010, Joint 1st (with

) * Capablanca Memorial Havana 2010, 7/10 1st * Cap d'Agde Rapid 2010, 1st *

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2011, 9/10 1st * Capablanca Memorial Havana, Cuba 2011, 6½/10 1st * Grand Slam Bilbao – São Paulo 2011, Joint 1st (

wins the tie-break blitz games) * Capablanca Memorial Havana, Cuba 2012, 6½/10, 1st. * Edmonton International 2014, 8/9 1st * Capablanca Memorial Havana, Cuba 2016, 7/10, 1st * World Rapid Championship 2016, 1st * Capablanca Memorial Havana, Cuba 2019, 7/10, 1st * Menorca Open 2025, 8/9 1st

Team chess performances

Ivanchuk has often been at his best in international team competitions. He has played in 14

Chess Olympiad The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in FIDE Onli ...

s, twice for the Soviet Union (1988 and 1990), and twelve times for Ukraine, after the Soviet Union split up in 1991. He has won a total of thirteen medals, and has been on four gold-medal winning teams (USSR in 1988 and 1990, Ukraine in 2004 and 2010). In 162 games, Ivanchuk has scored (+63 =87 -12), for 65.7 per cent. His detailed Olympiad records are as follows: * Thessaloniki 1988, USSR 2nd reserve, 6½/9 (+4 −0 =5), team gold * Novi Sad 1990, USSR board 1, 7/10 (+5 −1 =4), team gold, board bronze * Manila 1992, Ukraine board 1, 8½/13 (+6 −1 =5) * Moscow 1994, Ukraine board 1, 9½/14 (+5 −0 =9) * Yerevan 1996, Ukraine board 1, 8½/11 (+6 −0 =5), team silver, board silver, perf. bronze * Elista 1998, Ukraine board 1, 7/11 (+3 −0 =8), team bronze * Istanbul 2000, Ukraine board 1, 9/14 (+4 −0 =10), team bronze * Bled 2002, Ukraine board 2, 9/14 (+4 −0 =10) * Calvià 2004, Ukraine board 1, 9½/13 (+6 −0 =7), team gold, board bronze * Turin 2006, Ukraine board 1, 8/13 (+4 −1 =8) * Dresden 2008, Ukraine board 1, 6/11 (+3 −2 =6) * Khanty-Mansiysk 2010, Ukraine board 1, 8/10 (+7 −1 =2), team gold, board gold * Istanbul 2012, Ukraine board 1, 6/10 (+4 –2 =4), team bronze * Tromsø 2014, Ukraine board 1, 4/9 (+2 –3 =4)

Notable games

*Ivanchuk vs Kasparov, Linares 1991 At round one of Linares in 1991, the 21-year-old Ivanchuk gave up both his bishops for knights and then boxed Kasparov, then world champion, into complete passivity.

Personal life

Ivanchuk was married to

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Woman Grandmaster Alisa Galliamova. On November 18, 2006, he married for the second time. In 2011, Ivanchuk and his second wife were mugged the day they were set to leave from São Paulo, Brazil, on a plane bound for Spain to finish the second half of the Bilbao Grand Slam Masters. Ivanchuk threatened to withdraw from the tournament altogether, but his wife convinced him to continue. He had been leading in the tournament before this event, but did not play as well in the second half of the tournament.

Awards and honors

20 Years of Independence of Ukraine Medal *

Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise () is a Ukrainian award. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation in the field of state building, strengthening the international prestige of Ukraine, develop ...

(5th class) *

(4th class) * Order of Merit 2nd Class of Ukraine

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

(2nd class) * Order of Merit 1st Class of Ukraine

(1st class)

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * *
Interview with Vassily Ivanchuk (2000)

Interview of Vassily Ivanchuk: I can still become World Champion" (2011)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanchuk, Vasyl 1969 births Living people Chess Grandmasters Chess Olympiad competitors Ukrainian chess players Ukrainian draughts players European Chess Champions People from Kopychyntsi