Alexander Khalifman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexander Khalifman |
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| Full name | Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman |
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| Born | 18 January 1966 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (1990) |
| World Champion | 1999–2000 (FIDE) |
| FIDE rating | 2608 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2702 (October 2001) |
| Peak ranking | No. 10 (July 1991) |
Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman (Russian: Алекса́ндр Вале́рьевич Халифма́н) was born on January 18, 1966. He is a famous Russian chess player and a writer. In 1990, he earned the special title of Grandmaster from FIDE. His biggest achievement was becoming the FIDE World Chess Champion in 1999. He held this important title until the next year.
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Early Life and Background
Alexander Khalifman was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. His family was made up of engineers. His grandfather was even the director of a museum.
Chess Tournament Successes
Alexander Khalifman started winning chess tournaments when he was young. He won the Soviet Union Youth Championship twice, in 1982 and 1984. He also won the European Under-20 Championship in 1985.
He won many other tournaments throughout his career, including:
- The Moscow championships in 1985 and 1987
- The Groningen tournament in 1990
- The Russian Championship in 1996
- The Saint Petersburg Championship in 1996 and 1997
- The Hoogeveen tournament in 2000
Becoming a Grandmaster
Khalifman became a Grandmaster in 1990. This is the highest title a chess player can achieve. One of his early big wins was the 1990 New York City Open. He finished first, beating many other strong players.
Winning the World Championship
His most famous victory was winning the FIDE World Championship in 1999. FIDE is the international organization that governs chess. At that time, he was ranked 44th in the world. This was a huge surprise because the top-ranked player, Garry Kasparov, was not in that specific tournament. Khalifman held the FIDE World Champion title for about a year.
Team Achievements
Khalifman was also a key player for the Russian national chess team. He helped his team win gold medals at the Chess Olympiads in 1992, 2000, and 2002. He also won gold with the team at the World Team Chess Championship in 1997.
Coaching and Teaching Chess
Alexander Khalifman is not just a player; he is also a dedicated coach. Since 1998, he has run a chess academy in St. Petersburg. It is called "The Grandmaster Chess School." He runs it with his trainer, Gennady Nesis.
Khalifman has coached many talented players. He has been coaching Vladimir Fedoseev since 2011. Since 2013, he has also coached the national chess team of Azerbaijan. He has helped other top players too, like Alisa Galliamova and Anna Ushenina, during their World Chess Championship matches.
In March 2022, he joined other Russian chess grandmasters in signing an open letter. This letter urged for peace.
Books by Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Khalifman has written many books about chess. These books often focus on how to start a chess game, known as "openings."
- Opening for White according to Kramnik 1.♘f3 (5 volumes)
- Opening for White according to Anand 1. e4 (14 volumes)
- Opening for White according to Kramnik 1.♘f3 (revised edition, 5 volumes)
See also
In Spanish: Aleksandr Jálifman para niños
- List of Jewish chess players
