Alexei Shirov

Alexei Shirov (Aleksejs Širovs, Алексе́й Широв) (born July 4, 1972 in Riga, Latvia), is one of the top chess grandmasters in the world today. In the October 2005 FIDE rating list he was ranked number fourteen in the world with an ELO rating of 2710. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (720x787, 67 KB) en: Alexei Shirov – Spain ()grandmaster. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (720x787, 67 KB) en: Alexei Shirov – Spain ()grandmaster. ... July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Riga (RÄ«ga in Latvian), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of River Daugava, at 56°58′ N 24°8′ E. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial... A chess table is a table with a chessboard painted or engraved on it. ... The five original grandmasters of chess, from left to right: Lasker (seated), Alekhine, Capablanca, Marshall, Tarrasch (seated) The title International Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. ... The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world. ... The ELO rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ...

Shirov became the World Champion (under 16) in 1988, the World Vice-Champion (under 20) in 1990, and achieved the title of International Grandmaster in 1992. Shirov is the winner of numerous international tournaments: Biel 1991, Madrid 1997 (shared first place with Veselin Topalov), Ter Apel 1997, Monte Carlo 1998, Mérida 2000, two time winner of the Paul Keres Memorial International Chess Tournament in Tallinn, Estonia, with victories in 2004 and 2005 just to name a few. In 1998 he defeated Vladimir Kramnik in a ten-game match that was intended to select a challenger for World Champion Garry Kasparov. Unfortunately, the plans for the Kasparov match were squelched when sufficient financial backing could not be found. Place du Ring in Biel/Bienne Biel/Bienne is a town in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. ... Plaza de Cibeles (Cibeles square) and the Palacio de Comunicaciones (Communications Palace) Coat of arms. ... Veselin Topalov Veselin Topalov (Bulgarian: ; born Ruse, Bulgaria, March 15, 1975) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. ... Vlagtwedde is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands. ... Monte Carlo is a very wealthy section of the city-state of Monaco known for its casino, gambling, beaches, glamour, and sightings of famous people. ... Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. ... Paul Keres Paul Keres (January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975) (approximate pronunciation CARE-ess) was an Estonian chess grandmaster (born in Narva), one of the strongest chess players of all time, apart from the World chess champions. ... County Harju County Mayor Tõnis Palts Area 159. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vladimir Kramnik Vladimir Kramnik (Владимир Крамник), born June 25, 1975, is a Russian chess player. ... The 1984 World Chess Championship was between Anatoly Karpov (right) and Garry Kasparov (left). ... Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (, pronounced with stress falling on the second syllable: kas-PA-rov) (born April 13, 1963) is a chess grandmaster and one of the strongest chess players in history. ...

In 1994 Shirov married an Argentine Verónica Alvarez, moved to Tarragona, and became a citizen of Spain. Although he still plays for Spain, he currently resides in Lithuania, married to Lithuanian GM Victoria Cmilyte. A picture from the air Tarragona Ampitheatre Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. ...

Shirov is noted for his attacking style and for seeking complications, a tendency which has led to comparisons with fellow Latvian and once-world champion, Mikhail Tal. Mikhail Tal Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal (Latvian: Mihails Tāls, Russian: Михаил Нехемьевич Таль) (November 9, 1936 - June 28, 1992), born in Riga, Latvia, was the eighth World Chess Champion. ...

Shirov has written two books of his best games.

External links

• FIDE rating card for Alexei Shirov

The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world. ...

Further reading

• Shirov, Alexei (1995) Fire on Board: Shirov's Best Games, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1857441508
• Shirov, Alexei (2005) Fire on Board, Part 2 : 1997-2004, Everyman Chess. ISBN 1857443829