Peter Svidler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peter Svidler |
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Svidler at the European Team Championship in Warsaw, November 2013
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| Full name | Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler |
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| Born | 17 June 1976 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (1994) |
| FIDE rating | 2723 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2769 (May 2013) |
| Peak ranking | No. 4 (January 2004) |
Peter Svidler (born June 17, 1976) is a famous Russian chess grandmaster. He is known for winning the Russian Chess Championship eight times. Peter is also a popular chess commentator.
He has played in many top chess events. These include three World Championship tournaments and three Candidates Tournaments. His best results were finishing third in the World Championship in 2005 and the Candidates Tournament in 2013.
Peter Svidler has played for Russia in the Chess Olympiad ten times. He helped his team win five gold medals and two silver medals. He also won the Chess World Cup 2011. He was runner-up in the World Blitz Championship in 2006. Svidler has won many other big tournaments around the world.
Contents
Peter Svidler's Chess Journey
Starting Out in Chess
Peter Svidler started playing chess when he was six years old. His first coach was Viacheslav Stjazhkin. He played in his first tournament in 1989. In 1991, he became an International Master. The next year, he tied for first place in the last USSR Junior Championship.
Svidler also attended the Botvinnik–Kasparov School. Later, he moved to the Dvoretsky–Yusupov School. In 1993, he began working with coach Andrei Lukin. Peter said that Lukin helped him a lot in his chess career.
Becoming a Grandmaster
The year 1994 was a big one for Svidler. He won the Russian Chess Championship for the first time. He also won the under-18 section of the World Youth Chess Championship. He played for Russia at the 31st Chess Olympiad and earned his Grandmaster norms. This meant he officially became a Grandmaster.
In 1995, Svidler joined the top 100 chess players in the world. He won the St Petersburg Championship. He also won his second Russian Championship in a row. By the end of the year, he was ranked 33rd in the world.
In 1996, Svidler helped Russia win team gold at the 32nd Chess Olympiad. He also won an individual bronze medal.
In 1997, Svidler won his third Russian Championship. He also tied for first place at the Fontys Tilburg tournament. He shared the win with famous players like Vladimir Kramnik and Garry Kasparov. This big success moved him up to 9th in the world rankings. He also won a gold medal at the World Team Chess Championship with Russia.
Joining the Top 10 Players
In January 1998, Peter Svidler entered the FIDE top 10 for the first time. He was ranked ninth in the world. He showed he could compete with the best players. He shared victory at the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting. His rating went over 2700 for the first time.
Svidler led Russia to another gold medal at the 33rd Chess Olympiad in 1998. He is a big fan of cricket and supports the England team.
In 2000, Svidler won the Biel Chess Festival. He finished two points ahead of the next players. He also joined Vladimir Kramnik's team to help him prepare for the Classical World Chess Championship 2000 match against Kasparov.
Svidler reached the semi-finals of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2002. He beat many strong players along the way. In 2003, he won his fourth Russian Championship. He also helped Russia win the European Team Championship.
World Championship and Beyond
In 2004, Svidler was ranked fourth in the world. He continued to play in many major tournaments. He also helped Kramnik prepare for his successful World Championship defense.
At the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 in Argentina, Svidler finished tied for second place. This was a great result for him. He said he prepared very seriously for this event. Soon after, he helped Russia win gold at the World Team Championship.
In 2006, Svidler played in the World Blitz Championship. He tied for first place but lost in a play-off game. In 2007, he played in the World Chess Championship 2007 in Mexico City. He finished fifth. He also helped Russia win the European Team Championship again.
Svidler won his fifth Russian Championship in 2008 after a play-off. In 2009, he won the Gibraltar Chess Festival. He said that the organizers offered him a chance to play cricket, which helped him decide to join the tournament!
Winning the World Cup
In 2011, Peter Svidler won his sixth Russian Championship. This was a big achievement.
Later that year, he won the Chess World Cup 2011 in Khanty-Mansiysk. He beat many strong players to reach the final. In the final, he defeated Alexander Grischuk to claim the title. Winning the World Cup was a major highlight of his career.
In 2013, Svidler played in the Candidates Tournament. He finished third, which was a very strong result. His chess rating reached its highest point ever, 2769. He also won his seventh Russian Championship that year.
In 2015, Svidler reached the final of the Chess World Cup 2015. He won his first two games in the final. But his opponent, Sergey Karjakin, came back to win the match in a tiebreak. Even though he didn't win, reaching the final meant he qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2016.
Svidler also helps other top players. He was a second (a helper) for Kirill Alekseenko in the Candidates Tournament 2020. He also helped Praggnanandhaa in the Candidates Tournament 2024.
Team Achievements
Chess Olympiads
Peter Svidler has played in ten Chess Olympiads for Russia. He has helped his team win many medals.
| Olympiad | Board | Individual result | Team result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow 1994 | 2nd reserve | 5.5/8 (7th) | Gold |
| Yerevan 1996 | Fourth | 8.5/11 (Bronze) | Gold |
| Elista 1998 | First | 5.5/9 (18th) | Gold |
| Istanbul 2000 | Third | 4.5/8 | Gold |
| Bled 2002 | Reserve | 6/9 (18th) | Gold |
| Calvia 2004 | Second | 6.5/9 (5th) | Silver |
| Turin 2006 | Second | 5/9 (42nd) | 6th |
| Dresden 2008 | Second | 4.5/9 (16th) | 5th |
| Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 | Third | 5.5/10 (7th) | Silver |
| Tromsø 2014 | Third | 4/8 (33rd) | 4th |
Other Team Championships
Svidler has also played in World and European Team Championships.
| Event | Board | Individual result | Team result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11th ETCC, Pula 1997 | Second | 6/9 (Bronze) | Silver |
| 4th WTCC, Lucerne 1997 | Second | 4.5/7 (Gold) | Gold |
| 5th WTCC, Yerevan 2001 | First | 4.5/8 (Third) | Silver |
| 14th ETCC, Plovdiv 2003 | First | 5/8 (6th) | Gold |
| 15th ETCC, Gothenburg 2005 | First | 5.5/8 (Silver) | 14th |
| 6th WTCC, Beersheva 2005 | First | 5/7 (Gold) | Gold |
| 16th ETCC, Heraklion 2007 | First | 6/7 (Gold) | Gold |
| 17th ETCC, Novi Sad 2009 | First | 5/8 (6th) | Silver |
| 18th ETCC, Porto Carras 2011 | First | 3.5/8 (16th) | 5th |
| 8th WTCC, Ningbo 2011 | Fourth | 3.5/7 (6th) | 4th |
| 19th ETCC, Warsaw 2013 | Second | 6.5/9 (Silver) | Bronze |
| 20th ETCC, Reykjavik 2015 | First | 5/8 (4th) | Gold |
| 9th WTCC, Khanty-Mansiysk 2017 | First | 3/6 (6th) | Silver |
Club Success
Svidler has played for many chess clubs. He has won the European Chess Club Cup three times. He also won the German Bundesliga many times with the Baden-Baden team. He won the French Team Championship four times with Paris NAO.
About Peter Svidler
Peter Svidler is married and has two sons. Outside of chess, he loves cricket and supports the England team.
He has also spoken out on important issues. In 2022, he signed a letter with other Russian chess players. The letter expressed concern about events in Ukraine.
Peter Svidler is a popular commentator for major chess tournaments. He gives live analysis and summaries on the website Chess24. Many people enjoy his commentary.
Images for kids
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Svidler in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Peter Svidler para niños
