Alexei Shirov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexei Shirov |
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Alexei Shirov, 2010
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| Country | Soviet Union (until 1991) Latvia (1991–95, 2011–18) Spain (1995–2011, since 2018) |
| Born | 4 July 1972 Riga, Latvia |
| Title | Grandmaster (1990) |
| FIDE rating | 2647 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2755 (January 2008) |
| Peak ranking | No. 2 (January 1994) |
Alexei Shirov (born 4 July 1972) is a famous chess player from Latvia and Spain. He is known for his exciting and attacking style of play. Shirov became one of the top chess players in the world, reaching the number two spot in 1994.
He once won a special match in 1998 against Vladimir Kramnik. This win meant he could challenge Garry Kasparov for the world championship title. However, this big match never happened because they couldn't find enough money to support it.
Contents
Becoming a Chess Star
Alexei Shirov started playing chess at a young age. He quickly showed great talent.
Early Success
- In 1988, he became the world champion for players under 16.
- In 1990, he was the runner-up at the World Junior Championship.
- In the same year, he earned the highest title in chess, becoming a Grandmaster.
Top Rankings and Tournaments
Shirov has won many international chess tournaments. Some of his notable wins include:
- Biel in 1991.
- Madrid in 1997 (sharing first place).
- M-Tel Masters in 2009.
- The Paul Keres Memorial Rapid Tournament several times.
- The Canadian Open Chess Championship in 2005 and 2023.
He reached second place on the FIDE rating list in 1994. This list ranks chess players based on their performance. In 1998, he was ranked fourth on another important list, the PCA rating list.
World Championship Challenges
In 1998, Shirov played a match against Vladimir Kramnik. The winner would get to challenge Garry Kasparov for the world title. Shirov won this match with two wins, no losses, and seven draws.
However, the match against Kasparov did not take place. This was because they could not find enough money to organize it. When Kasparov later played Kramnik for the world title in 2000, Shirov felt that he was the rightful challenger.
In 2000, Shirov reached the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship. He lost to Viswanathan Anand in this final match.
He also played in the Candidates Tournament in 2007. This tournament helps choose who will challenge for the world championship. Shirov won his first match but was later eliminated.
In 2007, Shirov reached the final of the Chess World Cup 2007. This event was a qualifier for the 2010 World Chess Championship. He lost the final to Gata Kamsky.
Recent Achievements
Shirov continues to play chess at a high level.
- In 2010, he won a special tournament in Shanghai. This win qualified him for the Grand Slam final.
- In 2011, he won a strong tournament in Lublin, Poland.
- In 2012, he won the Aivars Gipslis Memorial in Riga and the Buenos Aires Masters Tournament.
- In 2015, he won the Riga Technical University Open.
- In 2017, he won the Mikhail Tal Memorial blitz tournament.
- He won the Arica Open in 2018 and 2019.
- In 2020, he won a special "Brilliancy Prize" for an amazing game during the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020.
- In 2021, he won the 3rd Salamanca Chess Festival.
- In 2023, he won the Canadian Open Chess Championship.
Personal Life
Alexei Shirov is of Russian background. In 1994, he married an Argentine woman and moved to Tarragona, Spain. He became a citizen of Spain.
From 2001 to 2007, he was married to Viktorija Čmilytė. She is also a chess grandmaster and one of the strongest female players. Shirov married for a third time in 2010 to Olga Dolgova. Even though he played for Spain at that time, he also had a home in Riga, Latvia.
Playing Style
Shirov is famous for his exciting and aggressive way of playing chess. He loves to attack his opponents. This style has led people to compare him to another famous Latvian chess player, Mikhail Tal. Tal was a former world champion and Shirov studied under him when he was younger.
A Famous Game
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During a tournament in 1998, Shirov played against Veselin Topalov. Shirov, playing as Black, made a truly amazing move. He sacrificed his only bishop in a very tricky ending of the game. This move, 47...Bh3!!, is considered one of the greatest chess moves ever made. It helped him win the game.
Chess Books
Shirov has written two books about his best chess games.
See also
In Spanish: Alexéi Shírov para niños
