View source for 1998 in chess

{{Year nav sports topic5|1998|chess|sports}}
Below is a list of events in chess in 1998, as well as the top ten FIDE rated chess players in July of that year.

==Top players==

[[FIDE]] top 10 players by [[Elo rating]] - July 1998

#[[Garry Kasparov]] {{RUS}} 2815
#[[Viswanathan Anand]] {{IND}} 2795
#[[Vladimir Kramnik]] {{RUS}} 2780
#[[Vassily Ivanchuk]] {{UKR}} 2730
#[[Anatoly Karpov]] {{RUS}} 2725
#[[Alexei Shirov]] {{ESP}} 2720
#[[Gata Kamsky]] {{USA}} 2720
#[[Michael Adams (chess player)|Michael Adams]] {{ENG}} 2715
#[[Peter Svidler]] {{RUS}} 2710
#[[Veselin Topalov]] {{BUL}} 2700

==Chess news in brief==

*[[Anatoly Karpov]] defeats [[Viswanathan Anand]] (5-3) in [[Lausanne]] to retain the FIDE [[World Chess Championship]]. There is some dissatisfaction that Karpov had significantly greater opportunity to rest and prepare beforehand.
*[[Garry Kasparov]] announces the formation of the [[World Chess Council]] (WCC). Humorously, the world's chess media later dubs WCC as standing for 'World Championship Cancelled', when a succession of sponsorship deals fall by the wayside.
*Following Anand's refusal to play, the WCC [[Candidates match]] is held in Spain between substitute [[Alexei Shirov]] and [[Vladimir Kramnik]]. Shirov wins the contest 5½-3½, but there is no financial reward, only the belief that the winner goes on to play against Kasparov for the world title. However, following the loss of sponsorship, the title match is cancelled and Shirov is left with nothing. Meanwhile, Kasparov invites a challenge from Anand, as world No.2 in the ratings, instead.
*Victory at the 60th (Hoogovens) [[Corus chess tournament]], [[Wijk aan Zee]] is shared by Anand and Kramnik (8½/11). Karpov can only manage a 50% score.
*Anand wins strong events at [[Linares chess tournament|Linares]], [[Madrid]] (6½/9), [[Frankfurt]] and [[Tilburg]] (7½/11, ahead of [[Peter Leko]] on 7/11).
*Anand wins the 1998 [[Chess Oscar]].
*[[Dortmund]] [[Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting|Sparkassen Tournament]] is won by Kramnik, on tiebreak from [[Michael Adams (chess player)|Michael Adams]], [[Peter Svidler]] (all 6/9).
*7th [[Melody Amber]] tournament, [[Monte Carlo]] is won jointly by Shirov and Kramnik.
*The [[33rd Chess Olympiad]] is held in [[Elista]], Kalmykia. Russia wins gold; USA wins silver and [[Ukraine]] wins bronze on tie-break from [[Israel]]. 110 teams participate, comprising 634 players (including 171 GMs, 135 IMs and 58 FMs). The Women's event is won by China, ahead of Russia and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]].
*The [[Professional Chess Association|PCA]] publishes its own rating list: Kasparov - 2825; Anand - 2775; Kramnik - 2758 ...
*Kasparov and [[Veselin Topalov]] play out a 3-3 draw in an [[Advanced Chess]] match; the players are allowed to use a computer to access databases and for analysis purposes.
*Kasparov and Kramnik play a 24-game blitz (5 minute) match at the [[Cosmos Hotel]] in Moscow. The match, spread over two days and broadcast 'pay per view' on ICC, is drawn 12-12.<ref name="twic212">
{{The Week in Chess|issue=212|date=30 November 1998}}</ref>
*[[Alexander Morozevich]] wins the 51st [[Russian Chess Championship]] in [[Saint Petersburg]], a strong [[Pamplona]] tournament (8/9) and is Russia's top scorer at the Olympiad. Such rapid progress gives rise to speculation that he will soon enter the world top 10.
*Ukrainian prodigy [[Ruslan Ponomariov]] wins the [[Donetsk]] Zonal at the age of fifteen, ahead of established masters [[Alexander Onischuk]], [[Oleg Romanishin]], [[Vladimir Tukmakov]], [[Gennady Kuzmin]] and [[Vladimir Malaniuk]].<ref name="twic211"/>
*The [[World Junior Chess Championship|World Junior Championship]] is held in [[Kozhikode]], India. The winner of the open section is [[Darmen Sadvakasov]] of Kazakhstan, from [[Zhang Zhong]] and [[Hristos Banikas]]. In the girls' event, [[Hoang Thanh Trang]] of Vietnam takes gold from [[Iweta Radziewicz]] and [[Irina Krush]].<ref name="twic213">{{The Week in Chess|issue=213|date=7 December 1998}}</ref> 
*[[Alexander Goldin]] wins the World Open in [[Philadelphia]] with an 8½/9 score.
*English Grandmaster [[Julian Hodgson]] wins the National Open in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]], on tie-break.
*[[Boris Gulko]] wins the [[Saitek]] U.S. Masters in [[Waikiki]].
*Armenian grandmaster [[Artashes Minasian]] wins the New York Open.
*Chess organiser and Spanish businessman [[Luis Rentero]] suffers serious injuries in a car crash and then recovers from a 23-day coma.<ref name="twic212"/><ref name="twic215">{{The Week in Chess|issue=215|date=21 December 1998}}</ref> 
*[[Matthew Sadler (chess player)|Matthew Sadler]] wins the 73rd [[Hastings International Chess Congress]].
*The [[U.S. Chess Championship]] is won by [[Nick DeFirmian]] in [[Denver]].
*[[Irina Krush]] wins the [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship]], aged just 14.
*[[Nigel Short]] takes his third [[British Chess Championship]] in [[Torquay]].
*[[Judit Polgár]] and Gulko share the 99th [[U.S. Open Chess Championship|U.S. Open]] in Hawaii.
*Some exceptional young talents are on display at the [[European Youth Chess Championship]]s, held at [[Mureck]]. Boys' winners include [[Teimour Radjabov]] (Under-12) and [[Gabriel Sargissian]] (Under-16). In the girls' categories, [[Anna Muzychuk]] wins the Under-10, while [[Marie Sebag]] takes home the Under-12 gold medal.
*[[Vladimir Bagirov]] of [[Latvia]] wins the 8th [[World Senior Chess Championship]] (on tie-break from [[Wolfgang Uhlmann]]) in [[Grieskirchen]], Austria. Former world championship candidates [[Mark Taimanov]] and [[Borislav Ivkov]] also take part.<ref name="twic211">{{The Week in Chess|issue=211|date=23 November 1998}}</ref>
*Shirov plays a match with [[Zbyněk Hráček]] in [[Ostrava]] and wins by a convincing 5-1 margin.<ref name="twic211"/>
*[[Hikaru Nakamura]] becomes the youngest ever U.S. master at 10 years, 79 days.

==Deaths==

*[[Efim Geller]], leading Soviet Grandmaster and former World Championship Candidate - November 17
*[[László Szabó (chess player)|László Szabó]], Hungarian Grandmaster and former world top 10 player - August 8
*[[Mona May Karff]], seven times [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship|U.S. Women's Champion]] - January 10
*[[Carlos Guimard]], Argentine Grandmaster, three times the national champion - ?
*[[Boris Blumin]], twice champion of Canada - February 16
*[[Rosendo Balinas, Jr.]], Filipino Grandmaster, writer, journalist and lawyer - September 24.
*[[Leho Laurine]], Estonian master and former national champion - January 31
*[[David Vincent Hooper]], leading chess historian and former London Champion - May
*[[Tivadar Kardos]], Hungarian chess problemist and author - May 15
*[[Joan Targ]], sister of [[Bobby Fischer]] - June 2

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==

*{{Citation | author=Burgess, Graham | title=Chess Highlights of the 20th Century | publisher=Gambit Publications | year=1999 | isbn=1-901983-21-8 | oclc=44499274}}
*[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]

{{chess}}

[[Category:1998 in chess| ]]
[[Category:20th century in chess]]
[[Category:Chess by year]]