Russian GM Igor Kurnosov dies in car accident

by ChessBase
8/9/2013 – Tragic news: the chess grandmaster was crossing Komsomolsk Avenue in Chelyabinsk on the night of August 8, at 2:45 a.m. local time when he was hit by a Ford Fiesta car, driven by a 20-year-old girl. He died at the scene of the accident. Igor was an honest, kind, positive person; a great friend; and a chess professional who had a true passion for the game (Poginina web site). Rest in peace!

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Russian Chess Grandmaster Dies in Road Accident

Russian chess grandmaster Igor Kurnosov died in a road accident, local chess newspaper reported Thursday. The 28-year-old Kurnosov and another pedestrian were hit by a car driven by a 20-year-old girl, according to The Chess News. The accident happened in the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia's South Urals. The grandmaster died at 2:45 local time (20:45 GMT Thursday).

In the World Chess Federation (FIDE) official rankings, Kurnosov held the 89th position among all world chess players (84th among active players) and 22nd position among the Russian players (20th among the active players). Kurnosov obtained his highest title in 2003, five years after he started to participate in official tournaments.

Kurnosov's latest achievement was the first place in an open tournament in Abu Dabi, UAE in July, where 48 players attended. – Source: CRI.

Lenta.ru reports that the 28-year-old Kurnosov was crossing Komsomolsk Avenue in Chelyabinsk on the night of August 8, at 2:45 a.m. local time when he was hit by a Ford Fiesta car, driven by a 20-year-old girl. The car also knocked down a 42-year-old man who was admitted to hospital in serious condition. It is reported that the driver had one year and two months of experience driving the vehicle.

The Pogonina web site writes: "Igor Kurnosov was a strong Russian grandmaster, winner of many international tournaments (Arctic Chess Challenge, Hastings Masters, Biel Open, Politiken Cup, Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, Nakhchivan Open, etc.), and was rated as high as FIDE 2680 at some point of his chess career. More importantly, he was an honest, kind, positive person; a great friend; and a chess professional who had a true passion for the game. Igor, we will be missing you a lot! Rest in peace!"

Kurnosov won the 20th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival 2013

Just last month Igor Kurnosov scored his final success when he tied for first with GMs Zahar Efimenko, Mikhailo Oleksienko abd Avetik Grigoryan in the Masters Tournament of the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, beating them on tiebreak points. Kurnosov's performance was 2709. You can read our report here.

You can see Igor Kurnosov at the prize-giving ceremony in this video report


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