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Sjugirov leads Russian Championship, Higher League

PeterDoggers
| 0 | Chess Event Coverage
Sjugirov leads Russian Championship Higher LeagueSanan Sjugirov is in sole first place after 6 rounds at the 'Higher League' of the Russian Championship. The 18-year-old Russian grandmaster scored 5/6 and is followed by Artyom Timofeev who is the only player with 4.5 points. The tournament is a qualifier for the main championship later this year.

A banner in a Taganrog street advertising the tournament The Higher League of the Russian Championships for Men and Women takes place June 15-26, 2001 in Taganrog, Russia. As always the title of the tournament is slightly misleading as it is basically a qualifier for the Russian Championships that will be held at the end of the year.

The top players in the men's section are Nikita Vitiugov (2733), Dmitry Jakovenko (2732), Evgeny Tomashevsky (2707), Alexander Morozevich (2694), Vladimir Potkin (2682), Sergei Rublevsky (2682), Mikhail Kobalia (2679) and Ernesto Inarkiev (2679). They're all trying to finish among the first three places, who qualify for the 'Super Final'. (In the women's section the first five qualify.)

Taganrog, where the tournament is held, is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay (Sea of Azov), several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River.




The port of Taganrog

The port of Taganrog



The city is also famous for being the birthplace of one the greatest playwrights and short-story writers in the history of world literature, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904). Anna Burtasova, who reports for the Russian Chess Federation's website, visited Chekhov's house during an excursion:

The entrance of the Chekhov house area

The entrance of the Chekhov house area



The house, where Chekhov's big family lived

The house, where Chekhov's big family lived



The great man himself

The great man himself



Back to the tournament. At a press conference before the opening ceremony the chairman of the Russian Chess Federation Ilya Levitov said that it was logical to hold the tournament in the Rostov region. "It's one of the most active regions in Russia as far as chess is concerned." When Alexander Morozevich was asked about his ambitions, the famous grandmaster answered: "I haven't taken part in tournaments for a long time. My goal is to see if I can still play chess."

Alexander Morozevich at the press conference

Alexander Morozevich at the press conference



During the first couple of rounds the talk of the town was about GM Dmitry Chuprov. In the first round he arrived too late for the round - in Taganrog a 15-minute delay is allowed but Chuprov still wasn't there a quarter past the starting time. When he arrived after about half an hour, he was told that his opponent, Denis Khismatullin, had won the game by default.

And then, during the second round, Chuprov lost his second game by default as well, when he was found walking in the street and in the lobby during the game, which was not allowed according to the regulations. Subsequently, Chuprov was disqualified from the tournament. He then appealed, and the arbiters decided there was no clear regulation saying they could disqualify him, so Chuprov is still playing.

Chuprov with Chief Arbiter Victor Berezin

Chuprov with Chief Arbiter Victor Berezin (l.) with Dmitry Chuprov



18-year-old Sanan Sjugirov had an excellent start with five points out of six games. Yesterday he defeated co-leader Evgeny Najer with the black pieces. Artyom Timofeev scored 4.5/6 and then nine players follow with 4/6, among them Alexander Morozevich.

Sanan Sjugirov in sole lead after six rounds

Sanan Sjugirov in sole lead after six rounds



Selection of games rounds 1-6



Game viewer by ChessTempo


Russian Championship 2011 | Higher League | Round 6 Standings (top 40)
Rk Name Ti FED Rtg Pts TB1 TB2 TB3
1 Sjugirov Sanan GM RUS 2629 5.0 18.5 18.5 4
2 Timofeev Artyom GM RUS 2665 4.5 17.5 15.0 3
3 Najer Evgeniy GM RUS 2643 4.0 20.0 16.5 3
4 Kurnosov Igor GM RUS 2633 4.0 20.0 15.5 3
5 Matlakov Maxim GM RUS 2632 4.0 20.0 14.5 2
6 Galkin Alexander GM RUS 2598 4.0 19.5 16.0 2
7 Khismatullin Denis GM RUS 2656 4.0 19.0 14.5 3
8 Zvjaginsev Vadim GM RUS 2659 4.0 18.5 15.5 2
9 Volkov Sergey GM RUS 2615 4.0 18.5 15.5 2
10 Tomashevsky Evgeny GM RUS 2707 4.0 18.5 15.0 2
11 Vitiugov Nikita GM RUS 2733 4.0 17.0 14.0 2
11 Morozevich Alexander GM RUS 2694 4.0 17.0 14.0 2
13 Alekseev Evgeny GM RUS 2673 4.0 16.5 15.0 2
14 Khalifman Alexander GM RUS 2627 3.5 18.5 13.5 1
15 Grachev Boris GM RUS 2669 3.5 18.0 13.5 1
16 Romanov Evgeny GM RUS 2624 3.5 18.0 13.5 1
17 Lysyj Igor GM RUS 2629 3.5 18.0 12.5 1
18 Reshetnikov Alexey IM RUS 2487 3.5 18.0 10.5 2
19 Savchenko Boris GM RUS 2630 3.5 17.5 13.5 3
20 Ponkratov Pavel GM RUS 2582 3.5 17.5 13.0 2
21 Jakovenko Dmitry GM RUS 2732 3.5 17.0 13.0 2
22 Lintchevski Daniil GM RUS 2543 3.5 17.0 11.0 2
23 Inarkiev Ernesto GM RUS 2679 3.5 16.5 12.5 2
24 Potkin Vladimir GM RUS 2682 3.5 16.0 12.5 1
25 Bukavshin Ivan IM RUS 2502 3.5 16.0 11.5 3
26 Kryakvin Dmitry GM RUS 2551 3.5 16.0 11.0 3
27 Rublevsky Sergei GM RUS 2682 3.5 13.5 10.5 2
28 Fedoseev Vladimir GM RUS 2506 3.5 13.5 10.0 3
29 Sakaev Konstantin GM RUS 2629 3.5 13.0 11.0 1
30 Landa Konstantin GM RUS 2613 3.0 18.5 12.0 1
31 Bocharov Dmitry GM RUS 2580 3.0 17.0 9.5 2
32 Kornev Alexei GM RUS 2511 3.0 16.5 11.5 2
33 Danin Alexandre GM RUS 2534 3.0 16.0 10.0 1
34 Evdokimov Alexander A GM RUS 2561 3.0 15.5 10.0 2
35 Khairullin Ildar GM RUS 2649 3.0 15.5 9.0 1
36 Sek Konstantin RUS 2432 3.0 15.0 8.0 2
37 Kosintseva Tatiana GM RUS 2559 3.0 13.0 7.0 2
38 Frolyanov Dmitry GM RUS 2599 2.5 19.0 11.5 1
39 Chadaev Nikolai GM RUS 2577 2.5 18.5 9.5 1
40 Papin Vasily GM RUS 2565 2.5 18.0 11.5 1



The playing hall of the Higher League

The playing hall of the Higher League



Najer vs Sjugirov in the 6th round: 0-1

Najer vs Sjugirov in the 6th round: 0-1



Tatiana Kosintseva plays in the men's section - here against Aleksandr Shimanov

Tatiana Kosintseva plays in the men's section - here against Aleksandr Shimanov



Two famous Alexanders: Morozevich with the white pieces against Khalifman

Two famous Alexanders: Morozevich with the white pieces against Khalifman



Photos © Anna Burtasova for the Russian Chess Federation



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PeterDoggers
Peter Doggers

Peter Doggers joined a chess club a month before turning 15 and still plays for it. He used to be an active tournament player and holds two IM norms.

Peter has a Master of Arts degree in Dutch Language & Literature. He briefly worked at New in Chess, then as a Dutch teacher and then in a project for improving safety and security in Amsterdam schools.

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