Grandmaster
Which title was conferred to Evgeny Sveshnikov in 1977?
Evgeny Sveshnikov Evgeny Ellinovich Sveshnikov ( ; ; born 11 February 1950 ) is a Russian chess player and writer . He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1977 . Chess career . Sveshnikov played in his first USSR Chess Championship when he was 17 years old . He was awarded by FIDE the titles International Master in 1975 and Grandmaster in 1977 . In earliest international competition he was a joint winner at Decin 1974 , shared first place ( with Lev Polugaevsky ) at Sochi 1976 and won category 8 tournaments at Le Havre 1977 and Cienfuegos 1979 . At Novi Sad in 1979 , he shared second prize with Efim Geller behind Florin Gheorghiu . At Wijk aan Zee in 1981 , he shared 3rd place and in 1983 , was joint champion of Moscow . Sveshnikov won the Latvian Chess Championship in 2003 and 2010 . In 2017 , Sveshnikov won the 65+ section of the World Senior Chess Championship . In team competitions , he played on the gold medal-winning Soviet team in the 1976 World Student Team Chess Championship , and was selected as a reserve for the Soviet side participating at the 1977 European Team Chess Championship in Moscow . Although only an international master at the time , he registered a score of 80% , winning individual and team gold medals . He represented Latvia at the Chess Olympiads of 2004 , 2006 , 2008 , and 2010 , and at the European Team Championship in 2011 . In 2016 he was the top board of the gold medal-winning Russian team in the 65+ section of the World Senior Team Championship . A critic of the system . Known as one of the most outspoken and controversial grandmasters on the circuit , Sveshnikov has in recent years been linked with player revolts over the handing in of gamescores . It is accepted practice that players submit copies of their gamescores to tournament organisers and these games later appear on the internet , in books , magazines and in database programs . Whilst the benefits to the development and popularisation of chess are obvious , Sveshnikov insists that it is not in the best interests of chess professionals to allow this to continue . Most fundamentally , it is very difficult for chess players to earn a living ; he speaks of many chess players in Russia and the Baltic States suffering severe depression and in some cases committing suicide . Georgy Ilivitsky , Alvis Vītoliņš , Karen Grigorian , Lembit Oll and Alexey Vyzmanavin are prominent examples . He contends that gamescores are the labours and intellectual property of the two players concerned and therefore copyright permissions and royalty fees should apply . It is morally corrupt , he argues , that only authors , editors and owners of Chess Publishing Houses profit from the publication of gamescores . Effectively , players are even prevented from producing an exclusive book of their own best games as an investment for their retirement . He has also questioned the wisdom of handing over such detailed information to future opponents , who will utilise databases to improve their chances of victory , regardless of original thought or chess-playing ability . The theoretician . It is , however , the work that Sveshnikov did with his close friend Grandmaster Gennady Timoshchenko during the 1960s and 1970s that bears greatest testimony to his chess achievements . Previously known as the Lasker-Pelikan variation of the Sicilian Defence , Sveshnikovs system was considered of dubious merit until he transformed it into an exciting and fully playable opening . The balance between winning and losing is often on a knife edge , making it an attractive proposition for black players seeking the full point . Mark Taimanov , in an interview , described it as chess opening theorys last great discovery . That it is now regularly played by the worlds leading grandmasters lends credence to this view . Vladimir Kramnik and Valery Salov are regarded as expert practitioners of the Sicilian Sveshnikov ( categorised by the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 - the Sveshnikov proper continuing 6.Ndb5 d6 ) , but Kasparov , Shirov , Leko and Khalifman have also enjoyed success with it . Moreover , Magnus Carlsen employed this opening several times during the World Chess Championship 2018 match with Fabiano Caruana . The opening is rich in its tactical possibilities and despite being subjected to deep analysis , continues to flourish with new ideas being regularly unearthed . Sveshnikov has authored a comprehensive book on this variation , modestly titled The Sicilian Pelikan . He has also been a pioneer in the development of the of the French Defence and of the Alapin Variation of the Sicilian Defence . Personal life . His son , Vladimir Sveshnikov , is a chess player with the title of International Master . Notable games . - Evgeny Sveshnikov vs Ruslan Sherbakov , Moscow ch-URS 1991 , Sicilian Rossolimo , 1-0 White expertly probes on the kingside to create weaknesses on the dark squares and then springs a surprise mating net , commencing with a queen sacrifice . - Evgeny Sveshnikov vs Igor Ivanov , Russia 1976 , Caro Kann , 1-0 White initiates early razor-sharp tactics and concludes the game with a stylish mating attack . References . - CHESS magazine , Vol.63 , September 1998 , pp . 49–52 . External links . - Evgeny Sveshnikov chess games at 365Chess.com - Jevgēņijs Svešņikovs team chess record at Olimpbase.org - Interview with Evgeny Sveshnikov by Scacchierando.net – via Chessdom.com