Descripción

Speed Demon Almost as fascinating as chess is the chess community. In every major city in the world, you are guaranteed to meet interesting people when you walk into a

local chess club or chess cafe. This book pays homage to one of those characters who gave color to the world of chess, the

Russian grandmaster Alexey Vyzhmanavin.

Speed Demon

The best chance to run into Vyzhmanavin in the 1980s and early 1990s was at Sokolniki Park in Moscow, playing blitz. You might meet him at the 1992 Chess Olympiad

as a member of the winning Russian team. Or in the PCA rapid event finals of the 1990s, frequently outplaying his illustrious opponents with his fluid, entrepreneurial style.

In Moscow in 1994, he reached the semi-final, narrowly losing to Vladimir Kramnik, having beaten Alexei Shirov and Viktor Korchnoi. Commenting

at a PCA event, Maurice Ashley described Vyzhmanavin in predatory terms: «He’s dangerous, he looks like a cat, ready to pounce.»

Dmitry Kryakvin

Speed Demon For this book, the great teacher Dmitry Kryakvin has spoken with dozens of people, which has allowed him to offer a complete picture of Vyzhmanavin’s life.

The result is a fascinating mix of chess, wonderful anecdotes and some heartbreaking episodes. The stories are supplemented by the memories of Vyzmanavin’s ex-wife Lyudmila.

They relive his successes but also reveal the dark side of this forgotten chess genius who battled depression and the ‘green snake’, a Russian

euphemism for alcoholism. He died in January 2000 at the age of forty, under circumstances that are still unclear. The stories and games in this book are his legacy.

Speed Demon

 

Dmitry Kryakvinis an International Grandmaster from Russia and an experienced chess coach and

author. For New In Chess, he has written Attacking with g2-g4: The Modern Way to Get the Upper Hand in Chess.

Sample Pages