| Alexander Khalifman | |
|---|---|
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| Full name | Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman (Александр Валерьевич Халифман) |
| Country | Russia |
| Born | January 18, 1966 Leningrad, RSFSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster |
| World Champion | 1999-2000 (FIDE) |
| FIDE rating | 2612 (No. 168 (active players) on the November 2009 FIDE ratings list) |
| Peak rating | 2702 (October 2001) |
Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman (born January 18, 1966, in Leningrad) is a Jewish[1] Russian chess Grandmaster and former FIDE champion.
When he was 6 years old, he was taught chess by his father.
He gained the Grandmaster title in 1990 with one particularly good early result being his first place in the 1990 New York Open ahead of a host of strong players.
His most notable achievement was winning the FIDE World Chess Championship in 1999, a title he held until the following year. He was rated 44th in the world at the time,[2] which some compared unfavourably to "Classical" World Champion Garry Kasparov being rated #1. Khalifman said after the tournament, "Rating systems work perfectly for players who play only in round robin closed events. I think most of them are overrated. Organizers invite same people over and over because they have the same rating and their rating stays high.[3] Perhaps in response, Khalifman was invited to the next Linares chess tournament, and performed credibly (though placing below joint winner Kasparov).[4]
He also won the 1982 USSR Youth Championship,[5] 1984 USSR championship,[6] 1985 and 1987 Moscow championships, 1990 Groningen, 1993 Ter Apel, 1994 Chess Open of Eupen 1995 Chess Open St. Peterburg, 1996 Russian Championship, 1997 Chess Grand Master Tournament St. Peterburg, 1997 Aarhus, 1997 World Team Championship Luzern, 1998 Bad Wiessee, 2000 Hoogenveen, Netherlands, and 2000 Chess Olympiad tournaments.
With his trainer Genadi Nesis he runs a chess academy in St. Peterburg, called "The Grandmaster Chess School." There he trains players from all over the world following the motto: "chess = intellect + character."
Notable games
- Bogdan Lalic vs Alexander Khalifman, Anibal Open 1997, Benko Gambit: Accepted, Dlugy Variation (A57), 0-1
- Alexander Khalifman vs Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu, wcc elim 1999, Catalan Opening: Closed Variation (E01), 1-0
- Alexander Khalifman vs Evgeny Bareev, Corus 2002, French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense (C10), 1-0
References
- ^ "Russian Jewish Encyclopedia". JewishGen.org. http://www.jewishgen.org/Belarus/rje_k.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- ^ Crowther, Mark (1999-07-05). "The Week in Chess: FIDE July Rating list". London Chess Center. http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic243.html#9. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- ^ Luchan, Jason; Aird, Ian. "Las Vegas World Championship, July 30 - August 29, 1999". ChessScotland.com. http://www.chessscotland.com/archives/lasvegas99.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- ^ "The Week in Chess 273 - 13 March 2000". http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic273.html.
- ^ "31st USSR Junior Chess Championship, Yurmala, January 4-17, 1982". RusBase. http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_urs/1982/ch_jun82.html. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ "33rd USSR Junior Chess Championship, Kirovabad, January 1984". RusBase. http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_urs/1984/ch_jun84.html. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
External links
- FIDE rating card for Alexander Khalifman
- Alexander Khalifman player profile at ChessGames.com
- Biography
- Chess puzzles from the games of Alexander Khalifman
- Interview with Alexander Khalifman (2005)
- Interview with Alexander Khalifman (2008)
| Preceded by Anatoly Karpov |
FIDE World Chess Champion 1999–2000 |
Succeeded by Viswanathan Anand |
| Preceded by Peter Svidler |
Russian Chess Champion 1996 |
Succeeded by Peter Svidler |
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