Karjakin: new Russian

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, Business World, 09 July 2010)

11th Poikovsky Karpov Tournament
Poikovsky, Khanty-Mansi Okrug, Russia
June 2-14, 2010

Final Standings

1-2. GM Sergey Karjakin RUS 2739, GM Viorel Bologan MDA 2668, 7.0/11
3-4. GM Dmitry Jakovenko RUS 2725, GM Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2707, 6.5/11
5. GM Alexander Riazantsev RUS 2674, 6.0/11
7-9. GM Emil Sutovsky ISR 2661, GM Baadur Jobava GEO 2715, GM Ivan Sokolov BIH 2654, 5.0/11
10. GM Arkadij Naiditsch GER 2686, 4.5/11
11-12. GM Sergei Rublevsky RUS 2704, GM Alexander Motylev RUS 2704, 4.0/11

Average ELO: 2694
Category 18

The 11th Poikovsky Karpov tournament took place June 2-14, 2010 in Poikovsky, which is in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (District) of Russia. This is not the same as, but not far from, Khanty-Mansiysk, where the 2010 Chess Olympiad will be taking place soon. Poikovsky used to be an oil-drilling station but is now a very progressive town and in 1998 was adjudged the region’s "most comfortable municipal urban and settlement center."

Twenty-year-old Sergey Karjakin, shortly after winning the World Rapid Cup in Odessa, scored another great triumph by emerging victorious in the category-18 Poikovsky Karpov tournament, beating out GM Viorel Bologan on tie breaks.

Karjakin has also made news off the board recently. Citing (1) the problems he is having with the Ukrainian Chess Federation, (2) taking a new Russian coach (Dokhoian), the long-time second of Garry Kasparov, and (3) moving to Moscow for that reason, Karjakin took up Russian citizenship and announced that henceforth he will be representing his new country in international competition.

In fact, the Russian team to the forthcoming Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad has already been announced (no board order yet, I just rank them by ELO as of July 1st, 2010):
1. Vladimir Kramnik 2790
2. Alexander Grischuk 2760
3. Sergey Karjakin 2747
4. Peter Svidler 2734
5. Vladimir Malakhov 2732
Captain: GM Evgeny Bareev

The transfer of Karjakin definitely spells trouble for Ukraine chess, but it is perhaps partly its national federation’s fault. It is well known that despite winning the 2004 Calvia de Mallorca Olympiad, and its women’s team mirroring this success in 2006 Turin, the players from both squads were hardly shown any sign of appreciation from their Federation. Former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov’s last Olympiad was in 2004 and he has since then refused to play for Ukraine.

Ukraine’s reaction to this state of affairs? "Good thing we still have Ivanchuk".
Karjakin lately has been showing a lot of resiliency as a player. Among the elite he is probably the one who has won the most lost games. The King under his stewardship has become quite a slippery creature. In Poikovsky we got yet another example.

Riazantsev, Alexander (2674) -- Karjakin, Sergey (2739) [E15]
11th Karpov Poikovsky RUS (8), 10.06.2010
REQUIRES JAVA TO VIEW THE GAME

GM Alexander Riazantsev is a very strong and brilliant player, but is some sort of a player "with one big punch." He plays this game brilliantly up to a point when he tires after the superhuman defense of Karjakin, and then the second player takes over.





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