Final Chess Masters Bilbao 2009

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SERGEI KARJAKIN

Still today, at 19, he holds the record for the youngest grandmaster in history, achieving the title at the age of twelve years and seven months. He won this year the Corus chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee and he has hired Yuri Dokhojan as coach (former Kasparov’s second). On July 25th 2009, Karjakin adopted Russian citizenship and will henceforth be playing for Russia.

At five years of age, Sergey already knew how to play chess; his father, a businessman had taught him at his child’s request after being impressed by report that he had seen on Ukrainian television. But he didn’t know how to write, so he couldn’t note down the moves. For this reason the participants in the Simferopol (Crimnea peninsula) tournament in 1995 had to get together to vote to see whether they would permit the child prodigy Karjakin to play. It was allowed and he celebrated his first victory leaving the room doing somersaults, another of his child hobbies, along with football, table tennis, Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes novels and the strategy games on the computer.

His mother, Tatiana, a specialized sports teacher, doesn’t know if her child is extremely gifted because they have never done an intelligence test. “Yes I can see that mentally he is very mature for his age, above all because of the seriousness when he is in front of the chess board. Away from the chessboard he is a very happy child, although shy, and he is like a more normal boy. I think that chess has developed an innate intelligence that was already high,” she explains. “By the way, I have noticed that Sergey already feels familiarized with Spain, as if it was his second home. He has a very pleasant memory of his previous performance in Bilbao, in 2005 and 2007”, she adds.

Karjakin’s talent is immense, which almost guarantees him a marvellous future, not only for his great command of tactics but also for his gift for strategy, a rare thing in children. It is for this reason that the pools for future World Champion always include Karjakin, above all, after winning Wijk ann Zee 2009, where he issued some interesting statements during the opening ceremony:” Along 2008 I suffered a crisis of game that I deeply analyzed. After finding out the causes, which I will not reveal because it is a professional secret, I drew up a plan to correct them. And now I am here, full of ambition. I think I can win the tournament”. And he did it.

In a winter night, he swam in the cold North Sea, an Ukrainian tradition. According to this belief, the person who is capable of doing that will have a good year. Perhaps this will be an useful information for those who will bet on Karjakin as winner of the Final Chess Masters Bilbao 2009.

SERGEY KARJAKIN’S RECORDS

• Youngest grandmaster in history, achieving the title at the age of twelve years and seven months. .
• Olympic Champion with Ukraine team in Calvia 2004.
• At age fourteen he defeated the reigning world champion, Kramnik, Dortmund 2004.
• Winner of Euro Blitz Tournament, Dresde 2007.
• Winner of Corus Tournament 2009 (Wijk ann Zee).

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