...It is hardly a secret for anybody that here in Ukraine there are plenty of young and talented chess players. To attract attention to a junior Ukrainian player, it is not enough to win a national championship in one of the children age groups or even get a medal in a relevant world or European tournament. People began to talk seriously about Andrei Volokitin only after his sensational victory in a minimatch against Ruslan Ponomariov in Switzerland last May. Since then, each appearance of Volokitin confirms that a new and exceptionally strong chess player of the international level has appeared in Ukraine. We might have written has grown instead of has appeared but Andrei is just 15 and we might just try to guess his true potential.
Odessa and Lviv are far apart, and my actual acquaintance with Andrei and his father Alexander Valerievich took place only at the 2001 Ukrainian Championship in Ordzhonikidze. As the trains depart Ordzhonikidze (more precisely, from Chertomlyk station) not so often, we had a chance to communicate the next day after the end of the tournament, i.e. on 17 September. I asked Andrei to assist me in completing his dossier and answer several questions for the Ukrainian chess website. As far as the materials are being published just now (two weeks before the FIDE World Championship commences), the dossier was added with the information on two last performances. The questions and answers remain, naturally, as they were without any changes.
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DOSSIER
Andrei Volokitin
volok@complex.lviv.ua
- Born on 18 June 1986 in Lviv.
- Became the champion of Ukraine in age group under-12 in 1997 and 1998.
- In 1998 shared the 1st and 2nd places with T.Radjabov in the world championship in age group under-12 getting 9.5 points out of 11.
- Shared the 1st-3rd places in the world championship in the age group under-14 in Oropesa del Mar (Spain) in 1999 (the other representative of Ukraine - Zakhar Efimenko - became the champion with the best additional parameter).
- Played for the Ukraine team in the Childrens' Chess Olympiads in Artek in 1999 and 2000 where he, together with the team, was awarded gold and silver medals, respectively.
- Fulfilled the International Master norms in the Lviv, Krasnodar, Lausanne (2000) tournaments; the result achieved in the last one entitled him to participate in Lausanne Young Masters 2001.
- In 2000 was successful also in the famous Bad Wiessee open tournament in Germany where he gained 7 points out of 9.
- In May 2000 sensationally outplayed Ruslan Ponomariov in Lausanne Young Masters and put his countryman and tournament favourite out of the fight for the 1st place.
- Fulfilled his first GM norm in the European Championship in Ohrid (June 2001), where he took the 28th place with 203 participants and won the right to play in 2001 FIDE World Championship having left behind eleven Ukrainian GMs among others.
- In July 2001 took the 3rd place in the widely covered in chess press Dr. Vidmar memorial (14th category tournament) in Portoroz where he reached the grandmaster norm again.
- In September 2001 shared the 2nd and 3rd places in the exceptionally representative Ukrainian Championship, having fulfilled the GM norm for the third time in sequence.
- In the Bad Wiessee Tournament (27 October - 4 November 2001) scored 7 points out of 9 again and took the 5th place with 512 participants. One more norm.
- In November 2001 Andrei made his debut with the Ukrainian national team in the European Team Championship (Leon, Spain).
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INTERVIEW
Andrei, are you always going to competitions with your father?
My mother went with me a couple of times but usually it's my father. He accompanied me already at four world championships...
In other words, is your father your main coach?
Yes.
How did you start to play chess?
It was my father who taught me how to play in 1995.
(The question to Alexander Valerievich) How does the father play?
(Smiling) Managed to learn some openings for the last six years.
Please, tell us who was your first coach.
Vladmir Alexandrovich Grabinskiy, a coach of the Childrens' Chess School «Debyut».
Do you consider yourself a professional?
Close to a professional level.
What games of yours do you consider the best by now?
The games against Kozul from Portoroz, against Vladimir Georgiev... In Ukrainian Championship, I would say the game against Eljanov. Still there were some mistakes...
What can be your comments on the results of the tournament? Is the GM norm more important than the struggle for the first place?
My targets in this tournament were not defined specifically, getting the title was not the ultimate goal. I wish to enter the national team and would like to meet some criteria... The optimum formula would be: the best by the rating plus the champion of Ukraine (Strange: I used to always tell the same but we never discussed this with Andrei. Maybe, there is something in the formula? M.G.).
Please, tell us the names of the chess players whose style of play you like.
(Without much thinking) Ivanchuk, Anand, Shirov, Morozevich, Alekhine...
What was your first chess book?
Chess puzzles book by Ivashchenko.
And what did you like later?
Bronstein (Zurich 1953), Nimzowitsch («My System»), Dvoretsky books...
What is more important for you: a computer or books?
When preparing against opponents, it's computer.
When did you begin to use a computer?
(After long thinking) In 1998 or 1999.
Do you play with a computer?
No, I never use it even for the analysis. I work with the database only.
(Short pause) You don't analyze with a computer? Follow Ivanchuk's example?
(Short pause) Probably, yes.
What does a «serious game» mean for you? How much time do you need?
If players have an hour each - it is a serious game.
Do you like to play blitz?
I play blitz in Lviv, however, infrequently. Now I cannot recollect when it happened last time. This year I did not play... (Pause). Wrong, I played once when we had the students' competitions.
What's your forecast as to Kramnik vs Fritz Match?
I believe, Kramnik will win.
Who is more of a world champion: Kramnik or Anand?
Anand.
Why not Kramnik?
There was no qualification.
Do you have a task for the World Championship?
To go as far as possible!
Having heard that, I frankly wished Andrei to go, really, as far as possible in the World Championship, and retreated at last... Alexander Valerievich bravely passed the trial of questions and assisted us in completing Andrei's dossier though he never attempted to answer some questions instead of his son. It gives me a hope that Andrei will play chess as long as he wishes and will hardly start learning surgery or qualify for a presidency in the near future. I sensed no differences in Volokitins team - this is the only thing that I could present to those who seek similarities with the Kamsky historical family/team.
Besides the Volokitins, I am thankful to Thomas Leckner, the chess organiser, who provided a photo taken during Bad Wiessee 2001 tournament.
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