World Youth Chess Championship 2005 – Adam Tukhaev vs. Radoslaw Wojtaszek

Posted on August 13, 2011 by William in All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), General Chess Articles, Strategy & Game Review

About GM Adam Tukhaev

Adam Tukhaev is a talented Ukranian GrandMaster with a current FIDE of 2537. This game was played in 2005 when Tukhaev was already an IM at 17 years old. I got up with Tukhaev and was able to do a text interview with him that is available below the video.

Watch the Chess Video

My chess interview with Adam Tukhaev

When did you learn chess and who taught you?

At five and a half. My first trainer was a player of approximately 2200+
level. But he really loved chess, and I think I took some of his
attitude.

When did you begin playing tournaments and how did you do?
I started playing tournaments quite soon after a few months of learning. I remember winning a tournament with a 100% score when I was six. Of course, it was a child tournament, like the city championship among preschoolers. As for the serious competitions – with adults – my first experience was not so successful. If I recall correctly, I was nine at the moment, and took only 1,5 out of 9 games in a swiss event.

When did you begin making legitimate progress in your game and How?
In the first years of learning, like from 5 to 10, I just couldn’t get enough of chess. I read many books – superficially, of course, but it was useful I guess. I loved the most reading “My System” by Nimzowitsch, and also Morphy’s games collection. For one thing, it was like taking in the chess culture, but also learning some typical positions and principles. But in my opinion, the most important thing that led to the progress was solving different combinations, problems, and studies provided by my chess coach. We also worked on endings and openings. As a result, at age 10 I won the Ukrainian championship U-10. Later I began to show some successful performances at the local events. But I think the progress substantially slowed down, as I as spending less time on chess, partly because of studies, and mainly because of my character – success makes me too happy and lazy. Then at 16, I began intensive work (well, at least it was intensive for me – 6-8 hours a day, I guess) trying to improve my chess. Mainly it was solving studies and studying theory. I also started to play more often, around 100 games a year. And of course analysing my games and trying to understand the weak sides was important. Next year (2005) I became an IM, and in 2007 – GM.

Can you recall a specific turning point?
I’m not sure about any turning points… But probably at the age of 16 I somehow realized that my progress depends on how intense my work is, so I began to practice seriously.

What are your top book recommendations for beginner to intermediate players?
Well, “My System” by Nimzowitsch is a classic. It gives a good overview of chess strategy. Some books with lots of exercises to solve are necessary. Of course, one needs to pick books with such examples that are challenging but at the same time not too tough. To mention one, Laszlo Polgar – “Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations & Games” could be useful. I also think that biographical and tournament books are good to stimulate interest and motivate a player. I loved Bronstein’s “Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953” – another classic.

What are your top book recommendations for advanced players?
For solving exercises I can mention John Nunn’s “Chess Puzzle Book”, Volokitin & Grabinsky – “Perfect Your Chess”, Kasparian – “Domination in 2545 Endgame Studies”, or just Combination, Studies, and Endgame sections of the Chess Informant. Kasparov’s “My Great Predecessors” and “Revolution in the 70′s” is a fine overview of how the game developed. Dvoretsky’s “Endgame Manual” is excellent, just as Shereshevsky’s “Endgame Strategy”. Oh, almost forgot my favourite – Rowson’s “Chess for Zebras”. It’s instructive, mind-expanding, and perfectly written.

How did you become a GM? (What tournaments, did you have a chess coach, etc..)
Since age 15 I worked on chess myself. I think when one reaches the level of, say 2400+, there’s no need for a trainer. I mean, having a good chess coach is fine, but one can do well without it. I took three GM norms in GM round robin tournaments in 2005 and 2007. There were usually 11 rounds, the field consisting of three GMs and others were IMs or lower. To score the norm, it was enough to draw with GMs and score like +6 or +7 against the weaker players, and I was good at that moment. I also noticed that I usually do better in the second tournament in a row. It takes some time for me to warm up I guess. On the other hand, one should be prepared physically to endure the challenge. Last year I played four tournaments in a row, with a top performance in the third one, but at the last event I was exhausted.

What was your exact study regimen while working towards GM?
I worked towards GM since from age 16 to 19, finally getting the 3rd norm in 2007. It was six hours a day on average, I suppose. Mainly I was working on openings, though I tend to think I was doing it in a wrong way since I used to get in worse positions anyway! The other crucial part of the preparation was solving different exercises, like studies (my favourite) and combinations. I also played a lot of tournaments. For example, I played six GM tournaments before finally scoring all three GM norms. The best part was the post-mortem analysis with stronger players, it helped a lot. So, from my experience, the openings are not so important to reach the level of GM. It is much more important to improve one’s game skills, like tactics, and feeling of harmony – or positional chess, if you like. And that can be achieved by everyday, persistent practice in solving different studies, problems etc.

How is your study routine different now?
The last year I’ve been busy with my studies (sport psychology), and more or less inactive in chess. Hence some unsuccessful results. But generally, if we take the routine I followed before making good performances in the last two years, it consisted of three elements: openings, solving studies, and physical preparation. Average six or seven hours a day, five or six days a week. All this work should begin at least two months before a tournament, I think. Generally, I tend to focus on the opening stage now.

What is next in your chess career?
I can’t say that I’ve lost all ambitions as a chess player, although I don’t see myself playing chess actively in the nearest future. Being an instructor seems to be a possible occupation later. Right now I’m more into studies.

Nature or Nurture: Do you think top chess players are born with a natural ability/gift or do they become so talented through hard work and the right environment?

It’s 50-50, in my opinion. Some people work less extensively than others, and show better results. I believe there is such a thing, maybe such character traits that distinguish best players from others. And probably there’s a period in childhood when it’s necessary to immerse in chess in order to achieve top results later. But if we’re talking about reaching the GM level, hard work can cover all limitations. So it’s crucial to be determined to improve.

How do you feel about cheating in chess? (specific deterrents/punishments?)
I don’t know about possible deterrents, it probably should be a question for experts in the field. But in my opinion, a cheater should be banned from chess. Although (I think) I never played against a cheater, I think it’s a real threat to the game, so the punishment must be severe.

Who is your favorite player and why?
I used to like many players when I was a kid. Morphy, Chigorin, Alekhine, Bronstein, Tal, Spassky, Fischer, Kasparov. They all played aggressive chess, struggling for the initiative, and were good at tactics. Now I like imaginative players that play interesting, fighting chess – those who find great new ideas, specifically in openings. Those who love chess. My favourite modern player is Ivanchuk – he’s a fantastic player at his best, and modest and open in
conversation – I’m lucky to know him a bit. Then I can mention Morozevich, Shirov, Aronian, Polgar. Carlsen – for his approach to always fight in seemingly equal positions.

How to be a Grandmaster Series

People always want to know how Grandmaster’s achieved the extraordinary feat of becoming a GrandMaster. I noticed most Grandmaster interview’s focus more on recent and upcoming tournament’s and do not focus on how they became a GrandMaster.

More then just nature and nurture, there are secrets

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By Chess Coach Will Stewart (USCF 2256, FIDE 2234). Follow William on Facebook and Twitter Thank you to http://www.chessclub.com for letting us use their interface.