Vladimir Bagirov

In this name that followsEastern Slavic naming customs,thepatronymicisKonstantinovichand thefamily nameisBagirov.

Vladimir Konstantinovich Bagirov(Russian:Влади́мир Константи́нович Баги́ров;Latvian:Vladimirs Bagirovs;August 16, 1936 – July 21, 2000) was aSoviet-Latvianchessplayer, author, and trainer. He played in tenUSSR Championships,with his best result being fourth place in his debut in 1960. Bagirov wasworld senior championin 1998.

Vladimir Bagirov
Bagirov in 1965
Full name	Vladimir Konstantinovich Bagirov
Country	Soviet Union → Latvia
Born	(1936-08-16)16 August 1936 Baku,Azerbaijan SSR Soviet Union
Died	21 July 2000(2000-07-21)(aged 63) Jyväskylä,Finland
Title	Grandmaster(1978)
Peak rating	2545 (January 1979)
Peak ranking	No. 30 (January 1980)

He was the coach of Mikhail Tal and Garry Kasparov, both of which are considered to be among the greatest chess players of all time.

Biography

Vladimir Bagirov was born to anArmenianfather and aUkrainianmother in Baku.He showed chess talent as a youth, and came under the wing of the master and trainerVladimir Makogonov.He made his debut in the semi-finals of the Soviet Championship in 1957, but did not advance to the final. Bagirov qualified for the final for the first time in 1960, and finished in 4th place at the 27thUSSR ChampionshipinLeningrad,which was won byViktor Korchnoi.

In 1961, he was selected to play for the Soviet team in theEuropean Team ChampionshipatOberhausen1961and at the World Student Championship in Helsinki.Bagirov was awarded the title ofInternational MasterbyFIDEin 1963 and that ofGrandmasterin 1978.

Bagirov moved into training work in the 1970s, and for a short time in 1975, asAzerbaijannational coach, was the sole trainer of future World ChampionGarry Kasparov.Following a dispute with chess officials, Bagirov moved toLatviain the late 1970s, and coached former World ChampionMikhail Tal,and future grandmastersAlexei ShirovandAlexander Shabalov.

Bagirov was also anopeningstheoretician,with one of his favourites the unusualAlekhine's Defence.He published two books and a CD-Rom from 1994 to 2000.

Following thecollapse of the Soviet Unionin 1991, Bagirov played more tournament chess than he ever had before, taking part in many open tournaments in Europe. He won the 1998World Senior ChampionshipatGrieskirchen,Austria,with a score of 8½/11.

Bagirov played for Latvia inChess Olympiads:

• In 1992, at fourth board in the30th Chess Olympiadin Manila (+1 –1 =6);
• In 1996, at third board in the32nd Chess Olympiadin Yerevan (+3 –2 =3).

Bagirov played for Latvia inEuropean Team Chess Championships:

• In 1992, at second board in the 10th European Team Chess Championship in Debrecen (+1 –1 =4).

Bagirov played for Latvia inWorld Team Chess Championships:

• In 1993, at fourth board in the 3rd World Team Chess Championship in Lucerne (+0 –0 =5).

Bagirov died while playing a tournament in Finland in 2000. He had started the Heart of Finland Open event with three straight wins to take the lead and, after a time scramble, had an extra pawn in round four against Teemu Laasanen, but suffered a heart attack, and died the next day, on July 21, 2000.

Publications

• English Opening:Classical and Indian, by Vladimir Bagirov, translated from the Russian by Ken Neat, London,Cadogan Chess,1994,ISBN1-85744-033-1.
• English Opening: Symmetrical, by Vladimir Bagirov, translated from the Russian by Ken Neat, London, Cadogan Chess, 1995,ISBN1-85744-032-3.
• Queen's Gambit Declined,Exchange Variation, CD-Rom by Vladimir Bagirov, Amsterdam,New In Chess,2000.

Notable games

• Leonid Stein vs Vladimir Bagirov, Leningrad 1963, French Defense: Tarrasch, Closed Variation (C05), 0-1
• Vladimir Bagirov vs Karen Ashotovich Grigorian, URS 1976, Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Indian Variation (A01), 1-0
• Vladimir Bagirov vs Mark Taimanov, URS 1977, Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation (D37), 1-0

External links

• Vladimir Bagirovplayer profile and games atChessgames
• Grandmaster Games Database - Vladimir Bagirov
• Vladimir Bagirov - Products - New In Chess