Russian Chess Grandmaster Dies in Road Accident
Russian chess grandmaster Igor Kurnosov died in a road accident, local
chess newspaper reported Thursday. The 28-year-old Kurnosov and another
pedestrian were hit by a car driven by a 20-year-old girl, according to
The Chess News. The accident happened in the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia's
South Urals. The grandmaster died at 2:45 local time (20:45 GMT Thursday).
In the World Chess Federation (FIDE) official rankings, Kurnosov held the
89th position among all world chess players (84th among active players)
and 22nd position among the Russian players (20th among the active players).
Kurnosov obtained his highest title in 2003, five years after he started
to participate in official tournaments.
Kurnosov's latest achievement was the first place in an open tournament
in Abu Dabi, UAE in July, where 48 players attended. – Source:
CRI.
Lenta.ru
reports that the 28-year-old Kurnosov was crossing Komsomolsk Avenue
in Chelyabinsk on the night of August 8, at 2:45 a.m. local time when he
was hit by a Ford Fiesta car, driven by a 20-year-old girl. The car also
knocked down a 42-year-old man who was admitted to hospital in serious condition.
It is reported that the driver had one year and two months of experience
driving the vehicle.
The Pogonina
web site writes: "Igor Kurnosov was a strong Russian grandmaster,
winner of many international tournaments (Arctic Chess Challenge, Hastings
Masters, Biel Open, Politiken Cup, Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, Nakhchivan
Open, etc.), and was rated as high as FIDE 2680 at some point of his chess
career. More importantly, he was an honest, kind, positive person; a great
friend; and a chess professional who had a true passion for the game. Igor,
we will be missing you a lot! Rest in peace!"
Kurnosov won the 20th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival 2013
Just last month Igor Kurnosov scored his final success when he tied for
first with GMs Zahar Efimenko, Mikhailo Oleksienko abd Avetik Grigoryan
in the Masters Tournament of the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, beating them
on tiebreak points. Kurnosov's performance was 2709. You can read
our report here.
You can see Igor Kurnosov at the prize-giving
ceremony in this video report
