View source for 1994 in chess

{{Year nav sports topic5|1994|chess|sports}}
Below is a list of events in chess in 1994, as well as the top ten FIDE rated chess players of that year.

==Top players==

[[FIDE]] top 10 by [[Elo rating]] – January 1994

# [[Garry Kasparov]] {{flagu|Russia}} 2815
# [[Anatoly Karpov]] {{flagu|Russia}} 2740
# [[Alexei Shirov]] {{LAT}} 2715
# [[Viswanathan Anand]] {{flagu|India}} 2715
# [[Vassily Ivanchuk]] {{UKR}} 2710
# [[Vladimir Kramnik]] {{flagu|Russia}} 2710
# [[Gata Kamsky]] {{flagu|United States}} 2695
# [[Valery Salov]] {{flagu|Russia}} 2685
# [[Evgeny Bareev]] {{flagu|Russia}} 2685
# [[Boris Gelfand]] {{flag|Belarus|1991}} 2685

==Chess news in brief==

*The [[Professional Chess Association|PCA]] and sponsor [[Intel]] team up for a series of knockout 'Grand Prix' events. These rapidplay events are considered more media and spectator friendly than chess played at regular time limits. The prizes are generous and the world's elite players turn out in force. [[Viswanathan Anand]] wins the Moscow Grand Prix, [[Vladimir Kramnik]] the New York City event and [[Vassily Ivanchuk]] is a winner in London. [[Garry Kasparov]], after coming close at New York, wins the Paris edition. Intel's new Pentium processor is used to run the ''Chess Genius'' program at the London event and the computer defeats Kasparov, but fares less well against Anand.
*The semi-final stage of the PCA [[World Chess Championship]] produces two finalists in Anand and [[Gata Kamsky]], when they defeat [[Michael Adams (chess player)|Michael Adams]] and [[Nigel Short]] respectively.
*In [[FIDE]]'s equivalent contest, the ([[Wijk aan Zee]]) Candidates' quarter-final winners are Anand (over [[Artur Yusupov (chess player)|Artur Yusupov]]), Kamsky (over [[Paul van der Sterren]]), Kramnik (over [[Leonid Yudasin]]), [[Jan Timman]] (over [[Joël Lautier]]), [[Valery Salov]] (over [[Alexander Khalifman]]) and [[Boris Gelfand]] (over Adams). Subsequently, in the ([[Sanghi Nagar]]) semi-finals, Gelfand eliminates Kramnik, Kamsky eliminates Anand and Salov eliminates Timman. All three join [[Anatoly Karpov]] in the final stages.
*The [[Chess Olympiad]] is switched to Moscow, after problems are encountered with the planned venue of [[Thessaloniki]]. First place goes to Russia (37½/56), ahead of Bosnia & Herzegovina (35), Russia II and England (both 34½). 124 teams take part. Georgia wins the Women's event (32/42), ahead of Hungary (31), China and Romania (both 27). [[Yuri Averbakh]] is the Chief Arbiter for both events.
*Karpov wins at [[Linares chess tournament|Linares]]. An immensely strong entry results in FIDE's first ever [[Category (chess tournament)|Category 18]] classification.
*Kasparov and Ivanchuk share success at the double round [[Novgorod]] tournament with 7/10 ahead of Kramnik (5).
*Kasparov wins the [[Amsterdam]] double rounder with 4/6.
*Kamsky is the winner at [[Las Palmas]] with 6½/9, ahead of Karpov (6).
*The [[Horgen]] tournament is a runaway success for Kasparov with 8½/11.
*[[Jeroen Piket]] wins at the [[Dortmund Sparkassen Tournament]] with 6½/9, ahead of Adams (5½).
*[[Munich]] is a triumph for Ivanchuk with 7½/11.
*Gelfand is the victor at [[Dos Hermanas]] with 6½/9, ahead of Karpov on 6.
*[[Judit Polgár]] wins at [[Madrid]] with 7/9.
*Salov is the winner of a knockout event in [[Tilburg]].
*[[Alexander Morozevich]] wins the final [[Lloyds Bank (historic)|Lloyds Bank]], London event with an almost perfect 9½/10.
*[[John Nunn]] wins the 1993/94 [[Hastings International Chess Congress]].
*A double [[Estonia]]n success occurs at the 12th New York City Open when [[Lembit Oll]] and [[Jaan Ehlvest]] share victory.
*The [[Armenia]]n GM [[Artashes Minasian]] wins the World Open.
*Icelander [[Helgi Grétarsson]] wins the [[World Junior Chess Championship]] in Brazil, and becomes a [[Grandmaster (chess)|chess grandmaster]] as a result.
*The [[World Youth Chess Championship]]s are held in [[Szeged]], Hungary.  A stronger than average entry reveals many exceptional talents, including winners [[Peter Svidler]] (Under 18), [[Peter Leko]] (Under 16), [[Levon Aronian]] (Under 12) and [[Natalia Zhukova]] (Under 16 girls). Svidler crowns a special year by also winning the [[Russian Chess Championship]].
*[[Boris Gulko]] wins the [[U.S. Chess Championship]] in [[Key West]], Florida. He takes home an $8,000 prize for first place.
*[[Mark Taimanov]] wins the 4th World Senior Championship at [[Biel]].
*Georgi Orlov wins the 95th [[U.S. Open Chess Championship]] in [[Chicago]].
*[[Josh Waitzkin]] wins the U.S. Junior Championship in [[Bloomington, Illinois|Bloomington]].
*[[Joel Benjamin]] wins the 5th Harvard Cup, but the computer program ''Wchess'' outperforms the Grandmasters.
*[[Peter Leko]] becomes a Grandmaster at 14 years, 4 months, 22 days.
*[[Valery Salov]] wins a 'double round' themed tournament in [[Buenos Aires]]. Themed tournaments at the top level are nowadays rare; in this one, every game commences with an Open [[Sicilian Defence|Sicilian]].
*[[Alexei Shirov]] is married for the first time (to the Argentinian, Veronica Alvarez) and moves to [[Tarragona]], Spain, where he settles and takes citizenship.

==Births==

*[[Hou Yifan]], World Girls' Under-10 Champion (2003) and Chinese Women's champion (2007) at 13 years.
*[[Srinath Narayanan]], Indian prodigy, World Under-12 Champion in 2005.
*[[Ray Robson]], USA's youngest ever IM-elect.

==Deaths==

*[[Olga Rubtsova]], former [[Women's World Chess Champion]] – December 13
*[[Vladimir Zagorovsky]], former World [[Correspondence Chess|Correspondence]] Champion and [[Moscow City Chess Championship|Champion of Moscow]] – November 6
*[[Igor Platonov]], Ukrainian-Soviet Grandmaster – November 13
*[[Gyula Kluger]], Hungarian International Master – September 23
*[[Theo van Scheltinga]], Dutch International Master – July 30
*[[Triantafyllos Siaperas]], Greek International Master, twice the national champion – February 25

==References==

*{{cite book | author=Burgess, Graham | title=Chess Highlights of  the 20th Century | publisher=Gambit Publications | year=1999 | isbn=1-901983-21-8}}
*[http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/history.txt Chess History & Chronology - Bill Wall]( {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420103523/http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/history.txt |date=2008-04-20 }} 2009-10-20)
*[http://www.olimpbase.org Olimpbase - Olympiads and other Team event information]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091126000035/http://chess.eusa.ed.ac.uk/Chess/Trivia/AlltimeList.html FIDE rating list data 1970-97]

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[[Category:1994 in chess| ]]
[[Category:20th century in chess]]
[[Category:Chess by year]]