Evgeni Vasiukov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Evgeni Vasiukov |
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Evgeni Vasiukov at Bad Liebenzell 1995
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| Full name | Evgeni Andreyevich Vasiukov |
| Country | Soviet Union → Russia |
| Born | March 5, 1933 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | May 10, 2018 (aged 85) Moscow, Russia |
| Title | Grandmaster (1961) |
| Peak rating | 2580 (January 1976) |
Evgeni Andreyevich Vasiukov (Russian: Евгений Андреевич Васюко́в) was a famous Russian chess player. He was born on March 5, 1933, and passed away on May 10, 2018. Evgeni Vasiukov was considered one of the strongest chess players in the world during his best years.
In 1961, he earned the highest title in chess, Grandmaster, from FIDE. He won the Moscow Championship six times. He also won many international tournaments. These included events in Belgrade (1961), Moscow (1961), East Berlin (1962), Reykjavik (1968), and Manila (1974). Later in his career, Vasiukov won the World Senior Chess Championship in 1995.
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Evgeni Vasiukov's Early Chess Days
Evgeni Vasiukov was born in Moscow. His family moved to Tula during World War II. Sadly, his father died in the Battle of Kursk. Evgeni started playing chess when he was 15 years old. This was quite late for a chess player, even back then.
In 1954, he became a Master of Sports of the USSR in Chess. That same year, he played for Moscow in the Soviet Team Championship. His first big win was in 1955. He won the Moscow City Championship. He scored 10½ out of 15 points, beating famous players like Salo Flohr.
Playing for the Soviet Union
Vasiukov played for the Soviet Union twice in Student Olympiads. In 1955, at Lyon, he played very well. He scored 5½ points out of 6 games. The next year, at Uppsala 1956, he got the same great score. He won a gold medal for his board performance. Both times, the Soviet Union team won gold medals.
Becoming an International Master
Vasiukov got his first chance to play internationally in 1957 at Gotha. He finished third, which was a great result. This earned him the title of International Master in 1958. Later that year, he won the Moscow Championship again.
In 1959, he played in the Moscow International tournament. He tied for 4th-6th place. The winners were very strong players like Vasily Smyslov and Boris Spassky. He played in his first Soviet Championship final in 1959. He won his third Moscow Championship title in 1960.
Grandmaster and Peak Performance
Evgeni Vasiukov had his best results in 1961. He won the Belgrade Open tournament. He also tied for first place with Vasily Smyslov in the Moscow International. These wins helped him earn the title of Grandmaster later that year.
In 1962, Vasiukov won a strong tournament in East Berlin. He scored 11½ out of 15 points. He also tied for first place in the Moscow Championship, winning his fourth title there. During his best years, from the 1960s to the mid-1970s, Vasiukov beat many top Soviet players. These included Mikhail Tal, Paul Keres, and Tigran Petrosian.
A Long and Successful Career
Even after his peak, Vasiukov remained a strong player for many years. He often did very well in international tournaments outside the Soviet Union. In 1965, he tied for first place at Polanica Zdroj. He also tied for first at Reykjavík in 1968. In 1970, he shared the title at Skopje.
Vasiukov won his fifth Moscow Championship in 1972. His best performance was in Manila in 1974. He won with 10½ out of 14 points. He finished ahead of famous players like Tigran Petrosian and Bent Larsen. He won the Moscow Championship for the sixth time in 1978.
Later Victories
Vasiukov continued to win tournaments even in later decades. He tied for first in Moscow in 1986. He won at Athens in 1987 and Budapest in 1989. In 1990, he won at Graested. He also tied for first in a Veterans' event in Moscow in 1991.
Playing for His Country
Evgeni Vasiukov played for the Soviet Union in several team matches. He played five times against Yugoslavia. He also played against Hungary in 1971. He took part in the first two Telechess Olympiads. In his later years, he played for the Russian team in European and World Senior Team Championships.
Famous Games
Here are some of Evgeni Vasiukov's most interesting chess games:
- Evgeniy Vasiukov vs Mark Taimanov, USSR Team Championship, Riga 1954, Ruy Lopez, Classical Variation (C64), 1–0 Vasiukov won against a very strong player.
- Evgeniy Vasiukov vs Lev Polugaevsky, USSR Team Championship semi-final, Voroshilovgrad 1955, Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation (B22), 1–0 Vasiukov used a clever opening to win this game.
- Tigran Petrosian vs Evgeni Vasiukov, Moscow Championship 1956, English Opening (A16), 0–1 Vasiukov played a strong attack and won against a future World Champion.
- Evgeniy Vasiukov vs David Bronstein, USSR Championship, Baku 1961, Caro-Kann Defence (B10), 1–0 An unusual opening helped Vasiukov win this game.
- Paul Keres vs Evgeniy Vasiukov, USSR Championship, Baku 1961, Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation (B42), 0–1 Vasiukov showed he was a top player by beating a world-class opponent with the black pieces.
- Evgeniy Vasiukov vs Vasily Smyslov, USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1966, Ruy Lopez, Closed Variation (C92), 1–0 A patient and smart win against a former World Champion.
- Efim Geller vs Evgeniy Vasiukov, Kislovodsk 1968, Pirc Defence, Classical Variation (B08), 0–1 Vasiukov used a less common opening as Black and won.
- Mikhail Tal vs Evgeniy Vasiukov, USR Championship, Alma-Ata 1968, Ruy Lopez, Closed Variation (C98), 0–1 Former World Champion Tal tried too hard to attack and lost.
Books by Evgeni Vasiukov
- Vasiukov, Evgeni (1996) (in en). The Chronicle of the World Chess Championship '96. Dhzangar.
- Ilyumzhinov, Kirsan ("with commentary by GM Evgeni Vasiukov") (1996). Gagarin, Vasily Vladimirovich. ed (in en, ru). Paris, Elista, Yerevan ... The World Chess Championship 1996, Karpov–Kamsky. Moscow: Russlit (publisher). ISBN 5865080733. OCLC 38446089. .
