Vasyl Ivanchuk was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1988. A leading chess player since 1988, Ivanchuk has been ranked at No. 2 on the FIDE world rankings three times (July 1991, July 1992, October 2007). Ivanchuk has won Linares, Wijk aan Zee, Tal Memorial, Gibraltar Masters, and M-Tel Masters titles. He has also won the World Blitz Championship in 2007 and the World Rapid Championship in 2016. Ivanchuk is regarded by his peers and many observers as a chess genius. Kasparov explained in an interview that Ivanchuk had a level equivalent to that of a world champion although he had never been one. In 2013, Gawain Jones called Ivanchuk “possibly the most talented [player] ever”. When asked in 2012 to name chess players she considered geniuses, Judit Polgár named only Ivanchuk, Carlsen, and Anand.
Anand has called Ivanchuk the most eccentric player in the chess world, and has said: “He’s someone who is very intelligent … but you never know which mood he is going to be in. Some days he will treat you like his long-lost brother. The next day he ignores you completely. The players have a word for him. They say he lives on “Planet Ivanchuk“. [Laughs] … I have seen him totally drunk and singing Ukrainian poetry and then the next day I have seen him give an impressive talk.
His playing style is unpredictable and highly original, making him more dangerous but sometimes leading to quick losses as well.”
From the Mammoth Book of The World’s Greatest Chess Games: “If he were able to make the most of his talent, he would surely be a real contender for the World No. 1 spot, but he is a highly emotional player, who takes losses badly, tends to rush critical decisions when under pressure, and sometimes lacks motivation.”
At round one of Linares in 1991, the 21-year-old Ivanchuk gave up both his bishops for knights and then boxed Kasparov, then world champion, into complete passivity.”
In 2009, in a FIDE interview in Khanty-Mansiysk Vassyl Ivanchuk, devastated by a loss to 16-year-old Filipino GM Wesley So, announced that he was giving up professional chess. He admitted that he had “gone crazy” in his first game against Wesley So, and an inadequate estimation of the situation had led to the loss. In the second game, Ivanchuk said, “I was trying to keep a balance, but I missed something. My opponent, by the way, played very badly.” As a consequence of this result and the knockout from the World Cup, he took the following decision: “I should leave professional chess. Chess will become a hobby for me from now on. I will become just a chess fan and follow chess, follow the games of my ex-colleagues. Chess is killing me. Chess is playing against me! Chess is destroying me!”
But the following day, the following letter appeared on the chess news page:
Translation: “I ask for forgiveness of my supporters, friends, colleagues in arms, and numerous chess lovers, for the emotional interview. I was very upset after losing, but am not in any circumstances planning to give up chess! And I wish to contradict the reports on SMI regarding my departure from the game…”
In 2024, 15 years after announcing his retirement after losing against Wesley So in the 2009 World Cup, Vasyl Ivanchuk took revenge in round 4 of the 2024 Olympiad.
“Ukraine stun the US, as Ivanchuk beats So“: “9/15/2024 – Round 4 of the Chess Olympiad in Budapest brought two major upsets: Ukraine stunned the top-seeded United States, with Vasyl Ivanchuk’s victory over Wesley So securing the crucial win, while Vietnam defeated defending champions Uzbekistan in a hard-fought match.”
Recently, the World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen said that if there’s anyone he wants to succeed that is Vassily Ivanchuk. “He has been a classic player for thirty years. He really deserves it [on his gold medal in Doha].”
Watch the viral video on YouTube where Ivanchuk plays checkers with GM Baadur Jobava while the announcer keeps calling Vassily’s name to finally deliver the champ’s gold medal in Rapid Chess Tournament.
Yours with respect, Vassily Ivanchuk”
