Vladimir Tukmakov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vladimir Tukmakov |
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| Country | Ukraine |
| Born | March 5, 1946 Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (1972) |
| FIDE rating | 2540 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2610 (January 1998) |
| Peak ranking | No. 17 (July 1983) |
Vladimir Borisovich Tukmakov, born on March 5, 1946, in Odesa, Ukraine, is a famous Ukrainian chess player. He became a Grandmaster in 1972, which is the highest title a chess player can achieve.
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Early Chess Success
Vladimir Tukmakov started his chess journey with great success. From 1966 to 1972, he helped and then led the USSR team to win the World Student Team Championship many times. During these championships, he won an impressive nine gold medals.
Playing for the Soviet Team
In the 1970s and 1980s, Vladimir Tukmakov joined the main Soviet Russian chess team. He continued to win many gold medals with this team.
- In 1984, he played in the Chess Olympiad for the first time. His team won a gold medal there.
- He also played in the European Team Chess Championship in 1973, 1983, and 1989. He won five gold medals in total from these events. Three were for his team, and two were for his individual performance.
Top Tournament Results
Vladimir Tukmakov achieved excellent results in many international tournaments:
- In 1970, he came in second place at a tournament in Buenos Aires, right after Bobby Fischer.
- He was also second in Madrid in 1973, after Anatoly Karpov.
- In 1974, he shared first place at the IBM Amsterdam tournament.
- He won tournaments in Decin (1977), Vilnius (1978), and Malta (1980).
- In 1978, he shared first place in Las Palmas.
- He won the strong Lugano Open in 1985 and the 30th Reggio Emilia tournament in 1987/88.
- In 1990, he shared first place at the Amsterdam OHRA-B (Open) tournament with Judit Polgár.
- He won the Canadian Open Chess Championship twice, in 1989 and 1994.
Rapid Chess Skills
Vladimir Tukmakov was also very good at rapid chess, which is a faster version of the game. In 1988, at the Gijon tournament, he tied for first place with Anatoly Karpov. This showed his skill in quick thinking during chess games.
National Championships
Vladimir Tukmakov tried many times to become the Soviet champion. He came very close on three occasions:
- In 1970, he finished behind Viktor Korchnoi in Riga.
- In 1972, he was behind Mikhail Tal in Baku.
- In 1983, he finished behind Anatoly Karpov in Moscow.
However, he did become the national champion of Ukraine in 1970.
USSR vs Rest of the World Match
In 1984, a very important chess match took place in London called USSR vs Rest of the World. Vladimir Tukmakov played a surprising but important role. He started as a reserve player for the USSR team. He was asked to play when other players needed a break. He played against strong opponents like Ljubomir Ljubojević and Viktor Korchnoi. He helped his team by getting good results, including one win and two draws.
Later Career and Coaching
Today, Vladimir Tukmakov plays chess less often, but he still has a good Elo rating, which shows his skill level. In 2007, he played in a strong rapid tournament in Odesa. He started very well, drawing with Korchnoi and beating highly-rated players like Ilya Smirin and Étienne Bacrot.
In 2004, he became the non-playing captain for the Ukrainian team at the 36th Chess Olympiad in Calvià. His team won, showing his great leadership skills. In the same year, he was given the title of FIDE Senior Trainer. This means he is recognized as a top chess coach.
Since 2014, Vladimir Tukmakov has been working with Anish Giri, a famous Dutch Grandmaster, helping him improve his game.
Images for kids
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Vladimir Tukmakov in 2009
