Efstratios Grivas: Activating the Queen

A queen can feel happy sometimes on the edge of the board, depending on what she accomplishes and this is the subject of this survey!

Note that in the games below you can click on the notation or diagrams to replay. You can also click the fan button to activate a chess engine which can be used to clear any remaining questions. There are also buttons that allow you to download and save the games.

Efstratios Grivas

Efstratios Grivas was born in March 1966 in Egio, Achaia and grew up in Athens. His registration at the Kallithea Chess Club in 1979 was his first contact with chess. Two years later he won the Greek Cadet Championship. He was trained by IM Dr. Nikolai Minev (1981–1982), FM Michalis Kaloskambis (1984–1986), GM Efim Geller (1987–1988) and IM Nikolai Andrianov (1990–1996). Currently he is living in the UAE and he is the director of the Sharjah International Chess Academy, a branch of the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club – the largest chess club in the world. Here are the important stations of his chess career:

Titles Awarded: Grandmaster, FIDE Senior Trainer, FIDE Arbiter, FIDE Organiser.

Working Positions: Former Secretary of the FIDE (World Federation) Trainers' Commission (10 years), Secretary of the European Chess Union Training Commission, Director of the Grivas Chess International Academy (FIDE Academy), Director of the Sharjah International Chess Academy.
 
Achievements as a Player:

• Winner of Gold Medal in the European Team Championship 1989 (3rd Board).
• Winner of Silver Medal in the Olympiad 1998 (3rd Board).
• 4th Position World Junior Championship U.20 1985.
• Winner of five Balkan Medals (2 Gold - 1 Silver - 2 Bronze).
• Winner of the International 'Acropolis' Tournament (1983, 1986 & 1991). 
• Winner of Greek Individual & Team Championships (28 times!).
• Winner of United Arab Emirates Individual & Team Championships (3 times).
• Winner of various International Tournaments.

Achievements as Coach/Trainer/Captain:

• Winner of the FIDE Euwe Medal 2011 & 2012 & 2017 (world's best junior trainer).
• Winner of FIDE Award Boleslavsky Medal 2009 & 2015 (world's best author).
• Winner of the FIDE Razuvaev Medal 2014 (trainers' education).
• Professional Lecturer at FIDE Seminars for Training & Certifying Trainers (91 total).
• Author of 126 chess books!
• Creator of more than 20 Grandmasters and other various titled players (WGM, IM, WIM, FM).
• Worked with National Teams of Austria, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.
• He has won more than 50 World's & Continental Youth Medals with his students.
• An opening variation has been added to his credit; it is called the 'Grivas Sicilian', characterised by the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6.
• In 2017 he led the World's Team U.17 as Captain & Coach in the match USA vs. The World (U.17 & U.14), which was won heavily by the World.

Video interview with Efstratios Grivas