Lviv Chess Federation with GM Adrian Mikhalchishin and Bank of Lviv with its Director GM Margeir Petursson are putting up lots of effort to promote chess in the region.
They regularly organize friendly blitz tournaments for local Grandmasters and the line-ups are usually quite decent.
The last tournament was organized on 10th September in the venue of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and attracted the following participants:
GM Beliavsky Alexander SLO 2651, Four times USSR Chess Champion, FIDE Senior Trainer
GM Oleksienko Mikhailo UKR 2608, Co-Winner of Abu-Dhabi International 2013 and ZMD Open 2013
GM Kravtsiv Martyn UKR 2607, 2008 World Mind Sport Games Champion (Blitz)
GM Ipatov Alexander TUR 2601, 2012 World Junior Champion
GM Vovk Andrey UKR 2596, Winner of the Andorra International 2013
GM Vovk Yury UKR 2588, Winner of Cappelle-la-Grande Open 2009
GM Anna Muzychuk SLO 2585, World’s 4th rated woman, 2010 World Junior Champion
GM Petursson Margeir ISL 2532, Two times Icelandic Champion, Participant of 11 Chess Olympiads for Iceland
GM Firman Nazar UKR 2526, Winner and co-winner of many international tournaments
GM Mikhalchishin Adrian SLO 2516, Chairman of FIDE Trainers Commission, FIDE Senior Trainer, ex-coach of Anatoly Karpov.
GM Kazakov Mikhail UKR 2502, Winner and co-winner of many international tournaments
GM Sulypa Oleksandr UKR 2482, Coach of the Ukrainian National Team, FIDE Senior Trainer
IM Muzychuk Mariya UKR 2478, Two times Ukrainian Women Chess Champion, Winner of the World Team Chess Championship 2013
Buksa Nataliya UKR 2114, Winner and co-winner of many Ukranian youth chess tournaments
The tournament was played in a friendly atmosphere and afterwards all players were invited for a dinner in the restaurant next to the venue. The next tournament is scheduled to be in October.
The co-organizer of the event GM Margeir Petursson awarded the medalists with a bottle of Icelandic schnapps, which is considered to be excellent beverage!
Top three places were occupied by Alexander Ipatov, Martyn Kravstiv and Yury Vovk.
Lviv is a well-known city in the chess world. It is located in the western part of Ukraine and has raised many world level Grandmasters : Vassily Ivanchuk, Alexander Beliavsky, Adrian Mikhalchishin, Oleg Romanishin, Andrey Volokitin, Yury Kryvoruchko, Yury and Andrey Vovk, Mikhailo Oleksienko, Martyn Kravstiv, Oleksandr Sulypa, Mikhail Kazakov, Alexander Ipatov, Yaroslav Zherebukh, Nazar Firman and others.
Two of the world’s best female chess players Anna and Mariya Muzychuk were also born in Lviv region and a short time ago moved to live in the city itself.
Photos by A. Ipatov
Who won?