Hristos Banikas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hristos Banikas |
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Banikas in 2016
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| Full name | Hristodoulos Banikas |
| Country | Greece |
| Born | 20 May 1978 Salonica, Greece |
| Title | Grandmaster (2001) |
| FIDE rating | 2599 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2646 (July 2014) |
Hristodoulos Banikas (Greek: Χριστόδουλος Μπανίκας) was born on May 20, 1978. He is a famous chess player from Thessaloniki, Greece. He holds the highest title in chess, which is Grandmaster.
Contents
Chess Achievements
Hristos Banikas started playing chess at a young age. He quickly showed he was very good at the game.
Early Success
Banikas won several national championships for young players in Greece. He won the Greek Under-12 championship in 1990. Then, he won the Greek Under-16 championship in 1993. In 1996, he became the Greek Under-20 champion.
Becoming a Grandmaster
From 2000 to 2005, Banikas won the Greek Chess Championship six times in a row. He also won it again in 2008 and 2009. In 2001, the FIDE (the world chess organization) gave him the title of Grandmaster. This is the highest title a chess player can get.
Special Matches and Tournaments
In 2001, Banikas played a special match against a chess computer. He played against a program called Deep Junior. He lost this "Man vs. Machine" match.
In 2002, Banikas won the European Rapid Chess Championship. This big tournament was held in Panormo, Crete. He also won the 2nd Balkan Individual Championship in Istanbul that same year.
Playing for Greece
Banikas has often played for the Greek national chess team. He has been part of the team in almost every Chess Olympiad since 1996. The Chess Olympiad is a huge team chess tournament where countries compete. In 2010, he played in the World Team Chess Championship. He won a silver medal for his individual performance there. He has also played in every European Team Chess Championship since 2001. In 2005, he won an individual silver medal at this championship.
How He Plays Chess
Hristos Banikas is known for his exciting and tricky playing style. He likes to get into situations with lots of complex moves. These are called "tactical complications" in chess.
Openings He Uses
When Banikas plays with the black pieces, he often uses the Sicilian Defence. This is a very popular opening move against 1.e4. When he plays with the white pieces, he usually starts with 1.d4. Sometimes, he also starts with 1. Nf3 or 1.c4. These are all different ways to begin a chess game.
External links
- Hristos Banikas chess games at 365Chess.com
- Hristos Banikas player profile and games at Chessgames.com
See also
In Spanish: Hristos Banikas para niños
