Panchenko Alexander Nikolaevich (05.10.1953-19.05.2009)
Russian Grandmaster (1980). Honored Coach of the Russian Federation. One of the founders of the Chelyabinsk variation in the Sicilian defense. Soviet U26 Champion in 1978.
Best results: Bratislava 1971, 1st; Odessa 1973, 1st-2nd; Lublin 1977, 1st -2nd, Sochi 1980, 1st; Hradec Kralove, 1982; Prague 1982, 1st; Bayamo 1982, 1st; Plovdiv 1982, 2nd.
Panchenko stopped playing due to poor health; however, he became the leader of a famous school and among his students were Alisa Galliamova, the Women’s World Championship finalist, and of course, too many Grandmasters to mention.
The author of Theory and Practice of Chess Endings (2009).