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Viktor Kupreichik (1949-2017)
May 28, 2017
From the FIDE site:
Viktor Kupreichik, who passed away on the 22 of May, 2017, became an IM in 1977 and a GM in 1980. He first came to international notice by winning the Gold Medal with 6.5 out of 7 as second reserve at the World Student Championship in Ybbs in 1968 and won the Belarusian Chess Championship in 1972 and 2003 (probably a record gap between winning championships).
His major tournament wins were in Wijk aan Zee B in 1977, Reykjavik and Plovdiv in 1980, and Hastings 1981/2. He also won the European Seniors’ Rapid Championship in 2010. He almost certainly would have won many more major tournaments but for his style of sharp, creative and fighting chess, which meant that he would often run out of steam in later rounds.
FIDE send its condolences to the Belarus Chess Federation, his family and friends.
________
There is a warm appreciation of Viktor by Alex Yermolinsky at the ChessBase site:
http://en.chessbase.com/post/yermoli...a-chess-eulogy
He says that he and his friends were tired of the old names of the past – Geller, Smyslov, Korchnoi and Petrosian and cheered on the new wave of chess talent, following the games of Balashov, Sveshnikov, Timoschenko, Averkin, Gulko and Vaganian.
One event that showed the new order was the 1970 Grandmasters vs Young Masters Challenge in Sochi.
When the tournament report was published, this game shook Yermolinsky’s world:
Kupreichik, Viktor – Tal, Mikhail
Sochi, 1970
B57 Sicilian, Sozin, Benko variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.Be3 Qc7 9.f4 a6 10.Bd3 b5 11.a3 Be7 12.Qf3 Bb7 13.O-O Rc8 14.Rae1 O-O 15.Qh3 b4 16.Nd5 exd5 17.exd5 Nb8 18.Bd4 g6 19.Rf3 Bxd5 20.Rfe3 Bd8 21.Qh4 Nbd7 22.Qh6 Qb7 23.Rg3 Nc5 24.Nxc5 dxc5 25.f5 cxd4 26.fxg6 fxg6 27.Bxg6 Kh8 28.Qxf8+ Ng8 29.Bf5 Rb8 30.Re8 Qf7 31.Rh3 1-0
Tal's own notes in Chess Informant are rather skimpy, but what a game! The energy of the 21-year-old master besting Tal in his own game, the three pieces sacrificed, and the elegant finish made a great impression.
There is a further appreciation and some annotated games on the chesspro.ru site (in Russian)
http://chesspro.ru/thesaurus/kovalev...ychik_i_gudini
_______
To a game with Jaime Sunye Neto
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1087823
Kupreichik, Viktor – Sunye Neto, Jaime
Palma de Mallorca
Round 4, Dec. 9, 1989
B23 Sicilian, Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.Nf3 b5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bb7 6.Bd3 e6 7.O-O Qc7 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.Nxc6 Qxc6 10.a4 b4 11.Nd5 Nf6 12.Bc4 Bd6 13.Rd1 Bc5 14.Bh6 O-O-O 15.Bb5 axb5 16.axb5 Qd6 17.Nxf6 Qf8 18.Bxg7 Qxg7 19.Qc4 d6 20.Rxd6 Qg5 21.Nd5 exd5 22.Qxc5+ Kb8 23.Rc6 1-0
one kibitzer wrote:
A powerful bludgeoning, even by Kupreichik’s standards. What a match it would have been between him and Nezhmetdinov! Overall, I think Kupreichik at this peak was a bit better, even given his streakiness. However, Viktor would have played the type of game that would have stimulated Nezh to his greatest heights rather than bore him into mediocrity!
Another commented on this game:
Wow, just incredible. I felt like exclaiming every single move. It’s like Kupreichik made a bet before the game, “wanna see me win a game with at least one piece en prise every move form midgame to made?”
________
There is one book on his games, which he did not collaborate on:
Uncompromising Chess: The games of Viktor Kupreichik by Gene McCormick, with a biography by Alexei Suetin, Chess Enterprises, 1986, 66 pp
If you want to go out and buy a used copy, be reminded that Alexander Belyavsky also authored a book entitled “Uncompromising Chess”, Cadogan, 1998.
Somehow, growing up, I followed the genius of Tal but missed Nezh and Kupreichik. I’d like to pay homage to them now.
May 28, 2017
From the FIDE site:
Viktor Kupreichik, who passed away on the 22 of May, 2017, became an IM in 1977 and a GM in 1980. He first came to international notice by winning the Gold Medal with 6.5 out of 7 as second reserve at the World Student Championship in Ybbs in 1968 and won the Belarusian Chess Championship in 1972 and 2003 (probably a record gap between winning championships).
His major tournament wins were in Wijk aan Zee B in 1977, Reykjavik and Plovdiv in 1980, and Hastings 1981/2. He also won the European Seniors’ Rapid Championship in 2010. He almost certainly would have won many more major tournaments but for his style of sharp, creative and fighting chess, which meant that he would often run out of steam in later rounds.
FIDE send its condolences to the Belarus Chess Federation, his family and friends.
________
There is a warm appreciation of Viktor by Alex Yermolinsky at the ChessBase site:
http://en.chessbase.com/post/yermoli...a-chess-eulogy
He says that he and his friends were tired of the old names of the past – Geller, Smyslov, Korchnoi and Petrosian and cheered on the new wave of chess talent, following the games of Balashov, Sveshnikov, Timoschenko, Averkin, Gulko and Vaganian.
One event that showed the new order was the 1970 Grandmasters vs Young Masters Challenge in Sochi.
When the tournament report was published, this game shook Yermolinsky’s world:
Kupreichik, Viktor – Tal, Mikhail
Sochi, 1970
B57 Sicilian, Sozin, Benko variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.Be3 Qc7 9.f4 a6 10.Bd3 b5 11.a3 Be7 12.Qf3 Bb7 13.O-O Rc8 14.Rae1 O-O 15.Qh3 b4 16.Nd5 exd5 17.exd5 Nb8 18.Bd4 g6 19.Rf3 Bxd5 20.Rfe3 Bd8 21.Qh4 Nbd7 22.Qh6 Qb7 23.Rg3 Nc5 24.Nxc5 dxc5 25.f5 cxd4 26.fxg6 fxg6 27.Bxg6 Kh8 28.Qxf8+ Ng8 29.Bf5 Rb8 30.Re8 Qf7 31.Rh3 1-0
Tal's own notes in Chess Informant are rather skimpy, but what a game! The energy of the 21-year-old master besting Tal in his own game, the three pieces sacrificed, and the elegant finish made a great impression.
There is a further appreciation and some annotated games on the chesspro.ru site (in Russian)
http://chesspro.ru/thesaurus/kovalev...ychik_i_gudini
_______
To a game with Jaime Sunye Neto
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1087823
Kupreichik, Viktor – Sunye Neto, Jaime
Palma de Mallorca
Round 4, Dec. 9, 1989
B23 Sicilian, Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.Nf3 b5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bb7 6.Bd3 e6 7.O-O Qc7 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.Nxc6 Qxc6 10.a4 b4 11.Nd5 Nf6 12.Bc4 Bd6 13.Rd1 Bc5 14.Bh6 O-O-O 15.Bb5 axb5 16.axb5 Qd6 17.Nxf6 Qf8 18.Bxg7 Qxg7 19.Qc4 d6 20.Rxd6 Qg5 21.Nd5 exd5 22.Qxc5+ Kb8 23.Rc6 1-0
one kibitzer wrote:
A powerful bludgeoning, even by Kupreichik’s standards. What a match it would have been between him and Nezhmetdinov! Overall, I think Kupreichik at this peak was a bit better, even given his streakiness. However, Viktor would have played the type of game that would have stimulated Nezh to his greatest heights rather than bore him into mediocrity!
Another commented on this game:
Wow, just incredible. I felt like exclaiming every single move. It’s like Kupreichik made a bet before the game, “wanna see me win a game with at least one piece en prise every move form midgame to made?”
________
There is one book on his games, which he did not collaborate on:
Uncompromising Chess: The games of Viktor Kupreichik by Gene McCormick, with a biography by Alexei Suetin, Chess Enterprises, 1986, 66 pp
If you want to go out and buy a used copy, be reminded that Alexander Belyavsky also authored a book entitled “Uncompromising Chess”, Cadogan, 1998.
Somehow, growing up, I followed the genius of Tal but missed Nezh and Kupreichik. I’d like to pay homage to them now.
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