Ivanchuk Vassily Mikhaïlovitch (18.03.1969)

Ukrainian Grandmaster (1988). European Champion 2004, World Blitz Champion in 2007 and World Rapid Champion in 2016.

Vassily Ivanchuk is a highly talented player whose entire life is devoted to chess. He became European Junior Champion in 1986/87 and Soviet Junior Champion in 1987. Ivanchuk then went on to win Grandmasters tournaments in Debrecen in 1988, Yerevan and Bienne in 1989, and Tilburg 1990. At the Interzonal Tournament in Manila in 1990, Ivanchuk shared first place with Boris Gelfand, making him eligible for the World Championship. Ivanchuk won his qualifying match against Leonid Yudasin by 4½ points to ½ but was subsequently beaten by Arthur Yusupov in the tie-break in 1991.

Other major tournament victories of Ivanchuk’s career include: Linares 1989, where he beat Karpov; 1991 World Cup Tournament in Reykjavik; Linares 1991 (victories against Kasparov and Karpov); Dortmund 1992 (joint winner with Garry Kasparov); Munich 1994; Novgorod 1994 (joint winner with Garry Kasparov), Linares 1995, where he beat Karpov, first at Wijk aan Zee, Tallinn, Las Palmas and Amsterdam 1996, Belgrade 1997, Elista 1998, Keres Memorial (EST) 2000 and 2006, Stein Memorial (UKR) 2000, Capablanca Memorial 2005, 2006 and 2007, Canadian Open and Barcelona in 2005, Torre Memorial (MEX) 2004, 2006 and 2007, Odessa in 2006 and 2007, Montreal in 2007, M-Tel Sofia 2008, Leon and Tal Memorial (RUS) in 2008, Benidorm Stars 2008, Linares 2009 (joint with Alexander Grischuk), Bazna 2009, Jermuk 2009, Amber 2010 (joint with Magnus Carlsen), Capablanca Memorial 2010, Gibraltar Open 2011 and Capablanca Memorial 2011, Grand Slam and Capablanca Memorial 2012.

But maybe most important of all was his qualification for the 2001-2002 World Championship final match which, surprisingly, he lost against his young countryman Ruslan Ponomariov.

Ivanchuk has participated in 13th Olympiads since 1988 (twice with the Soviet Union), he has won a total of twelve medals, and has been on four gold-medal winning teams (USSR in 1988 and 1990, Ukraine in 2004 and 2010).

Peak rating: 2787 in 2007. He was the second best world rated player in 1992 and 2007.