Where is Vassily Ivanchuk?
9/10/2016 – The Ukrainian team seems to be in good shape at the Olympiad in Baku. They beat Russia and China and only lost to the USA. After seven rounds they have 12 from 14 possible team points and share second to seventh place, and are only one point behind the leading US team. However, one prominent player is missing in the line-up of the Ukrainians: Vassily Ivanchuk. Where is the Ukrainian top player? Well, he is playing an open in Poland - a draughts tournament.
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Since 1988 Vassily played in every Chess Olympiad, in 14 altogether. 1988 and 1990 he was part of the Soviet team, 1988 as a reserve player, but two years later, in 1990, he played on first board. From 1992 to 2014 Ivanchuk played twelve Olympiads for Ukraine, in eleven of them on board one.
Vassily Ivanchuk
1988 and 1990 Vassily Ivanchuk won gold with the Soviet team, 2004 and 2010 he won gold with the Ukrainian team. In 2010 he scored 80% on board one, had an Elo-Performance of 2890, and not only won gold with the team but also gold for the best individual result on board one.
But at the last Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway, he scored only 4.0/9, a moderate result for the outstanding player. Now Ivanchuk decided that it is time for something different. Instead of travelling to Baku, Azerbaijan, to play in the Olympiad, he went to Karpacz, Poland, to take part in a draughts tournament.
It is an open draughts tournament with 104 participants. After eight rounds five players share the lead with 12/16. With three wins, one draw and four losses Ivanchuk (Elo 1956) is 65th with 7/16.
Table after eight rounds
| Pl | Name | Rating | Ga | Wi | Dr | Lo | Pt | Whl | Wl | |
| 1 | Alexander Getmanski | GMI | 2376 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 63 | 75 |
| 2 | Artem Ivanov | GMI | 2378 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 59 | 71 |
| 3 | Alexander Georgiev | GMI | 2423 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 58 | 70 |
| Martijn van IJzendoorn | MI | 2319 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 58 | 70 | |
| 5 | Jan Groenendijk | GMI | 2363 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 57 | 68 |
| 6 | Roel Boomstra | GMI | 2422 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 65 | 77 |
| 7 | Raimonds Vipulis | GMI | 2284 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 62 | 74 |
| 8 | Murodullo Amrillaev | GMI | 2330 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 60 | 72 |
| 9 | Mariusz Slezak | 2107 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 59 | 71 | |
| 10 | Yuriy Anikeev | GMI | 2345 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 58 | 70 |
| 11 | Ron Heusdens | GMI | 2285 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 56 | 67 |
| 12 | Wouter Sipma | MI | 2362 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 55 | 66 |
| 13 | Rob Geurtsen | 2191 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 52 | 62 | |
| 14 | Elena Cesnokova | MFF | 2099 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 60 | 72 |
| 15 | Wouter Wolff | MF | 2213 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 57 | 69 |
| 16 | Olga Fedorovich | GMIF | 2217 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 56 | 67 |
| 17 | Jakub Gazda | 2044 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 54 | 66 | |
| Danny Staal | 2200 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 54 | 65 | ||
| 19 | Darja Fedorovich | MIF | 2198 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 53 | 65 |
| Vadim Virny | GMI | 2365 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 53 | 64 | |
| 21 | Jitse Slump | MF | 2232 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 51 | 63 |
| Elena Kychkina | 1991 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 51 | 62 |
... 104 players
Vassily Ivanchuk, a strong draughts amateur (Photo: heerhugowaardopen.nl)
Ivanchuk has been playing in draughts tournaments before. Last year, the chess grandmaster took part in the Dutch Draughts Open, in May 2016 he started in the Salou Open.
Translation: Johannes Fischer
Discussion and Feedback
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Whenever I think of Ivanchuck , I think of the Linares tournament in 1991 (which he won) and off course famously beat the two K's, in the process.
his match against Kasparov in that tournament is one of my favourite games of all time.
his match against Kasparov in that tournament is one of my favourite games of all time.
Better draughts than droughts
What is his ranking in draughts?
Nothing against draughts of course, however Ivanchuk is such a genius he should rather play go, which as all chess players surely know is much more subtle than chess :)
Enough talk about draughts, let's just close the door on this one. :P
Chucky doing what he does best which is - what he wants to do . Good luck to him and more of us should try it.
Chucky doing what he does best which is - what he wants to do . Good luck to him and more of us should try it.
One move!? A video with only one move!?
@chesstarun, draughts is the British term for checkers.
Good for him. He peaked long ago in chess and has been gradually declining for some years now. He has absolutely nothing to lose by picking up another game.
what is a draugt tounament
@geraldsky
How can there be no beauty in draught and a lot of beauty in pawn endgame in chess ?
Watch some pawn endgame studies and come back telling that there's no beauty in it ^^
Don't get me wrong I don't play draught but i've seen "pawn structure" "endgame strategy" explained there like in chess.
It's impossible that this is not beautiful.
How can there be no beauty in draught and a lot of beauty in pawn endgame in chess ?
Watch some pawn endgame studies and come back telling that there's no beauty in it ^^
Don't get me wrong I don't play draught but i've seen "pawn structure" "endgame strategy" explained there like in chess.
It's impossible that this is not beautiful.
I'm fine with anything that makes him happy.
so he skipped the olympiad to play draughts?
There is no beauty in that game.
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