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Alexey Shirov vs Vasyl Ivanchuk
URS-chT U20 (1989), Kramatorsk URS
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Kmoch Variation (E20)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Sep-15-03  refutor: it's funny how much rating inflation there's been in the past 15 years...(from Fire on Board by Alexei Shirov)

"When this game was played, Ivanchuk already held the third highest rating in the world (2660)."

2660! third highest in the world?! nowadays 2660 would put ivanchuk 32nd in the world between Loek Van Wely and Alexei Aleksandrov. http://www.fide.com/ratings/top.phtml and don't tell me that ivanchuk's skill has dropped in 15 years ;)

Apr-14-04  Jim Bartle: The players in the (last?) candidates quarterfinals were played in Brussels in August 1991 were 2735 (Ivanchuk), 2625, 2730 (Karpov), 2650, 2655, 2660, 2630 and 2610. Wouldn't look too impressive today, right?
Apr-14-04  TrueFiendish: It seems there is natural inflation in most things.
Jul-30-07  dx9293: I think was also the game in Fire on Board where Shirov commented that after winning this game he believed he didn't have to be just an "ordinary" Grandmaster. Beating Ivanchuk, he believed that he could be great.

It's interesting that Shirov was not so sure of himself till this point. He's from the Latvian School, but perhaps not touted too highly?

Sep-30-12  waustad: Nice win, but he never did quite get to the same level: Classical games: Vassily Ivanchuk beat Alexey Shirov 17 to 8, with 31 draws.
Sep-30-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <waustad> Then there's the record between Kasparov and Shirov, who never won a game outright: 15-0 Kasparov, with 14 draws. Small wonder Shirov could never make a run at the very top of the rankings, though in the early years, he gave Kramnik a great deal of trouble.
Sep-30-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <refutor: it's funny how much rating inflation there's been in the past 15 years...(from Fire on Board by Alexei Shirov) "When this game was played, Ivanchuk already held the third highest rating in the world (2660)."

......nowadays 2660 would put ivanchuk 32nd in the world between Loek Van Wely and Alexei Aleksandrov....>

The deniers will tell us all that inflation is a mirage, but that same 2660 on the October 2012 list would be good for 95th place.

http://ratings.fide.com/top.phtml?l...

Jan-08-13  MikeRingwood: As Shirov says in "Fire on Board" this game kind of launched his chess career at the highest level. I love playing through his games for their excitement and, sometimes, breathtaking risks. For me, he represents some of the very best of chess and makes the game so fascinating and worthwhile playing. Thank you Alexei!
Jan-09-13  paavoh: A very nice game by Shirov, in a Karpovian style,perhaps?
Aug-16-13  Gegga: Ivanchuk's comment on 8.Qd3:
"Stupid move, OK"...

After 15 minutes in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgCs...

Dec-24-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: I'm guessing that at the time Shirov didn't realize he could play 8.e4!, when 8...Nxc3? would lose the knight to 9.Qb3! Qxd4 10.Bb2! Qe3+ 11.Be2! Nd5 12.Qxe3 Nxe3 13.Kf2! Nc2 14.Rc1! with a big advantage. Black gets three pawns for the piece, so it's still not trivial. See D Komarov vs A Panchenko, 1994. For the other try 9...Nxe4, see Ta Lin vs S Agdestein, 1990 and my comment thereto.
Jan-25-23  mrdex: FSR he said that he had that much respect for him (Ivanchuk was 3rd in the world at the time) that he just wanted to arrive to a home prepared position involving Qd3.

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