Miguel Illescas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Miguel Illescas |
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Illescas at the 2013 European Team Chess Championship
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| Full name | Miguel Illescas Córdoba |
| Country | Spain |
| Born | December 3, 1965 Barcelona, Spain |
| Title | Grandmaster (1986) |
| FIDE rating | 2613 (September 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2640 (July 1996) |
| Peak ranking | No. 26 (July 1996) |
Miguel Illescas Córdoba was born on December 3, 1965, in Barcelona, Spain. He is a famous Spanish chess player. He holds the highest title in chess, which is Grandmaster.
Contents
Miguel Illescas' Chess Journey
Miguel Illescas was a very talented chess player from a young age. When he was just 12, he became the junior champion of Catalonia. Even though he studied computer science, chess was his true passion.
Becoming a Grandmaster
Miguel kept getting better at chess. He earned the International Master title in 1986. Then, in 1988, he became a Grandmaster. This is a huge achievement in chess! For many years, Miguel was Spain's strongest player. In 1993, he reached his highest ever Elo rating of 2620. This made him the 26th best player in the world at that time.
His Chess School: EDAMI
Around 1993, Miguel started his own chess school. It is called La Escuela de Ajedrez de Miguel Illescas, or EDAMI for short. The school helps students learn chess in different ways. They can attend classes in schools around Barcelona. They can also learn online or take private lessons. EDAMI also sells chess items and publishes a chess magazine. They even organize chess events like tournaments.
Top Tournament Results
Miguel Illescas had many great results in chess tournaments.
- He won or shared first place in Las Palmas in 1987 and 1988.
- He won in Oviedo in 1991.
- He shared first place in Pamplona in 1991/92 with Leonid Yudasin.
- He came second in Wijk aan Zee in 1993, right after Anatoly Karpov.
- He also won or shared first place in Linares (Mexico) in 1994 and Madrid in 1996.
- More recently, he shared victory in Pamplona in 2003.
Winning National Championships
Miguel has won the Spanish national championship many times. He won in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2010. He has also played for Spain in many team competitions called Olympiads. In 2006, he won a bronze medal at the Olympiad in Turin.
Working with Supercomputers
In 1997, Miguel joined a special team. This team worked with the super-computer Deep Blue. Their goal was to prepare Deep Blue for a second match against Garry Kasparov. Kasparov was the world champion at the time. Miguel helped Deep Blue understand how Kasparov played. Deep Blue won the match, which was a big success! This showed Miguel was a great analyst and team player.
Helping World Champions
Because of his skills, Miguel was chosen to help Vladimir Kramnik. Kramnik was preparing for his world championship match against Kasparov in 2000. Kramnik won and became the new world champion! Miguel also helped Kramnik defend his title in 2004 and 2006. Miguel sees himself as both a coach and a guide. He helps players with their chess moves and also with understanding their opponents' minds.
Chess Trainer and Innovator
In 2004, Miguel was given the title of FIDE Senior Trainer. This means he is recognized as a top chess coach. He is also interested in a different type of chess called Fischer-Random chess. He even challenged the famous chess legend Bobby Fischer to a match in this style.
Today, other strong Spanish grandmasters like Alexei Shirov and Francisco Vallejo Pons have emerged. Even so, Miguel Illescas is still a very strong and respected chess player.
See also
In Spanish: Miguel Illescas para niños
