Nationality Russia Alma mater Duke University Role Chess Player | Name Alexander Volzhin Title Chess Grandmaster | |
Born 2 February 1971 (age 53) ( 1971-02-02 ) | ||
Alexander Volzhin (born 2 February 1971; Russian: Александр Волжин) is a prominent Russian chess grandmaster.
Contents
Chess career
Alexander Volzhin was born on 2 February 1971 in the southern Russian city of Makhachkala. He started playing chess when he was 5 years old. Volzhin was awarded the title of chess grandmaster in 1997. Notable tournament results include:
In addition to being an active player, Volzhin has been a coach of a number of outstanding players, including Evgeny Bareev, Almira Skripchenko, Ekaterina Kovalevskaya, and Iweta Rajlich. Also, Volzhin has been a coach of Russian national women team during Chess Olympiads in Elista in 1998 (under the Head Coach Naum Rashkovsky, silver medal) and in Istanbul in 2000 (under the Head Coach Yuri Yakovich, bronze medal).
Notable Games
Anti-Cheating Activism
Alexander Volzhin has been an outspoken fighter for integrity of professional chess. His article in the 64 Chess Magazine was one of the first on the issue of computer cheating when a player gets illegal help from computer engines. He also exposed a number of players involved in game fixing and pumping up their ratings.
Business career
After retirement from international chess in early 2000s, Volzhin pursued career in business. Since 2007, he has worked for Barclays in London rising through the ranks to the position of a vice-president at Barclays Capital, the securities division of Barclays plc.