Author: Montmorency
Twenty years after becoming independent, the Chess Federation of Ukraine has finally organized a national championship that has attracted probably the strongest field ever. Well, maybe with the exception of the 2004 event when 32 top players (excluding Ruslan Ponomariov and Vladimir Baklan) took part in a knock-out tournament. It is surprising that at that time the prize fund was just $10,000. This time 12 players were competig for about $75,000. The progress is evident, but everything is relative in our world. This amount will neither impress athletes involved in many other types of sports, nor will it surprise the Russians. Ok, we know what we should be aiming for...
This year's championship was the 20th for independent Ukraine and 80th overall. Let me share with you some interesting pictures:
Lyubov' Yakir (left) is 6-times Ukrainian champion. She is nearly 90, but still visits all chess events. Next to her are IA Lublinsky and a well-known coach Lazareva. On the right (far away) is Ruslan Ponomariov's sister Lyudmila.
Two grandmasters - Anton Korobov (a participant of the championship) and Vladimir Malahatko (competed at many Chess Olympiads, winner of the World Team Chess Championship-2001), originally from Ukraine, but playing for Belgium now.
The chieft arbiter of the event Leonid Bodankin and the head of the Ukrainian delegation at international events Leonid Timoshenko.
Efim Lazarev, a well-known chess journalist, is to the right. To the left is the head of the chess comission for physically disabled people Alexei Radchenko.
WGM Ananstasia Karlovich is performing a "weapon check" before taking pictures.
GM Pavel Eljanov and WGM Tatiana Kostiuk
Lyuda Ponomariova (right) with her friend. She resembles her brother, right? I have also heard she knows how to play chess, but didn't have a chance to check if it's true...
Alexander Kovchan posing with Tania Kostiuk. Both of them used to live in Chernigov.
Now to the tournament...
Anton Korobov tried the KID against Ruslan Ponomariov. In this game things went well for him, but in general his play at the championship became one of the main disappointments for fans.
East coast vs west coast - a draw. Politicians, take notice!
Andrei Volokitin
Post-mortem analysis
Eljanov-Moiseenko game was the last to finish. Pavel was doing his best to beat his friend Alexander, but he managed to get away in a suspicious rook endgame.
The times of demonstrators with long pointing sticks are gone.
Let's skip 1.5 weeks of fiercome fights and visit the last round of the championship.
Just like in Hollywood blockbusters, the main fight took place in the last round. Ruslan Ponomariov had 0.5 points more than Alexander Moiseenko, but needed at least a draw with Black to clinch the title.
Silver and bronze were at stake in two other matches:
Pavel Eljanov lost his chances for gold, but could win silver in the case of a successful result against an outsider.
These grandmasters are not competing for medals, but there is also prestige and a difference in the amount of prizes. A win allowed Volokitin to finish 5th.
Local boy Spartak Visochin is waiting for his opponent to arrive (the game finished i n12 moves), while Nastia Karlovich is quite busy taking pics.
The playing hall. Chief arbiter Leonid Bodankin reminds everyone about the "no mobile phones" rule. However, not all the participants followed it, not to mention that the arbiter's own phone used to ring from time to time quite loudly...
Moiseenko was visibly tense during the game and spent most of the time sitting at his place.
Ruslan was relatively relaxed and casual - walking around and leaving the hall quite often. When White's position started looking ruin-like, he stopped his travels and started awaiting his opponent's resignation.
The last game of the tournament that earned Eljanov silver.
The happy winner being questioned by the media. Meanwhile, Ruslan has left the playing hall and changed his outfit for the awarding ceremony. Pavel was less lucky in this respect...
Then we had to wait for 1.5 hours for the ceremony. Having nothing else to do, I started looking around and noticed a sweet couple:
Now I know why she would instantly rush to the exit after the end of the Volokitin-Miroshnichenko game.
The closing ceremony was visited by FIDE's President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. From left to right: Sergey Bubka, (a legendary olympic champion), Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Ravil Safiullin (head of the National Sports Committee), Viktor Kapustin (head of the Ukrainian Chess Federation), Leonid Bodankin (chief arbiter).
Nastia Karlovich is still occupied
The long-awaited moment of prize giving
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and his exciting speech. One of the points was that FIDE will be taking note of leading chess players who don't take part in the national championships and punish them (up to disqualifying from major events). Hmm, are any positive measures in store too?
Other speakers sounded less impressive and revolutionary...
Finally, Viktor Kapustin announced the end of the tournament, and the informal part began.
One more pic - bronze-prize winner Zakhar Efimenko:
Thank you for your attention!
P.S. I nearly forgot the final standings. Here it is:
1. Ruslan Ponomariov (2754) 8,5
2. Pavel Eljanov (2712) 7,5
3. Zakhar Efimenko (2701) 7
4. (2679) 7
5. Andre Volokitin (2677) 6,5
6. Yuri Krivoruchko (2640) 6
7. Alexander Areschenko (2694) 5
8. Evgeny Miroshnichenko (2651) 5
9. Anton Korobov (2660) 4,5
10. Spartak Visochin (2550) 4
11. Yuri Vovk (2529) 2,5
12. Alexander Kovchan (2558) 2,5
|
