Tuesday, January 03, 2006

The best chess couples?


This afternoon, a non-chess friend asked me if chess players date or marry each other? The obvious answer is yes but it wasn't something I thought about until I was asked this question. Which are some of the most formidable chess couples in history? (ex or current, married or committed dating)

Some pairs that come to my mind are:

GM Ivanchuk - IM Galliamova (x)
GM Shirov - IM Cmilyte
GM Lautier - IM Skripchenko (x)
GM Grischuk - IM Zhukova (GM when rating = 2500)
GM Gulko - WGM Anna Akhsharumova Gulko
GM Shaobin Wu - GM Jun Xie
GM Kosashvili - IM Sofia Polgar
GM Al-Modiahki - GM Zhu Chen
GM Sergei Movsesian - WGM Petra Krupkova-Movsesianova
GM Atalik - WGM Polovnikova
GM Bellon - GM Pia Cramling
GM Bobby Fischer - Zita Rajcsanyi
GM Bobby Fischer - WIM Watai
GM Yermolinsky - WGM Baginskaite
GM Keith Arkell - IM Susan Arkell
GM Lalic - IM Susan Lalic
GM Ribli - WIM Maria Grosch
GM Seirawan - WFM Yvette Nagel Seirawan
GM Rogers - WFM Cathy Rogers
IM Charbonneau - IM Krush

GM R.B.Ramesh - WGM Aarti Ramaswami
GM Peng Xiaomin -WGM Qin Kanying
GM Zhang Zhong - WGM Li Ruofan
IM Orlov - WGM Elena Donaldson
GM D. Barua - WIM Saheli Dhar Barua
GM Nunn - WFM Petra-Fink Nunn
GM Stripunsky - WFM Julia Shiber
GM Sagalchik - WIM Olga Sagalchik
GM Alex Ivanov - WIM Epstein
GM Sher - WGM Grinfeld
GM Christiansen - wc Natasha Christiansen
IM Foisor - IM Foisor
IM Sriram Jha - IM Vijayalaxmi S.
IM William Hartston - WGM Jana Hartston
GM Bellin - WGM Jana Bellin
GM Miles - WGM Jana Miles
GM Peter Biyiasas - WIM Ruth Haring
IM Root - WIM Alexey Root
IM Wu Xibin - WIM Lou Hongyu
IM LiWenling - WIM Gao Zhiqian
FM Tegshuren Enkhbat - WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg
GM Kosteniuk - Diego Garces


Can you think of more names? I will continue to update this list.
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66 comments:

Anonymous said...

GM Yasser Seirawan - WFM Yvette Nagel Seirawan

SusanPolgar said...

Thanks! Forgot about that one :)

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.PolgarChess.com
www.SusanPolgar.com

Anonymous said...

GM Bobby Fischer - Zita Rajcsanyi

Anonymous said...

GM Peter Biyiasis - Ruth Haring

Draw In Three said...

I can think of Larry and Natasha Christiansen. I have no idea what her rating is but that doesnt change the fact that he is Larry Christiansen and that makes them an awesome chess couple.

Anonymous said...

IM Douglas Root - WIM Alexy Root

GM Tony Kosten - I can't remember her name, but she is daughter of Hungarian GM.

SusanPolgar said...

Awesome names! Thanks! Keep them coming!

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.PolgarChess.com
www.SusanPolgar.com

Anonymous said...

Fischer - Miyoko Watai (she has written Japanese chess books).

Kosten's wife last name is Forintos. Still haven't figured out her first name.

I should get back to work but I have about 7 so far.

Chess marriages more stable than Hollywood marriages it seems.

Anonymous said...

IM William Hartston - WGM Jana Hartston

GM Tony Miles - WGM Jana Bellin

GM Bellin - WGM Jana Bellin

Killed 3 birds with 1 stone with that one. OK, back to my daytime job.

Anonymous said...

GM John Nunn - Petra Nunn

Anonymous said...

GM Joerg Hickl - can't remember her name. Petra?

Anonymous said...

GM Keith Arkell - WGM/IM Susan Arkell

GM B Lalic - WGM/IM Susan Lalic

I lived in USA/Germany/England, so all are people I've run into!

Anonymous said...

Fedor Skripchenko - Naira Agababian (WGM)-- parents of Almira Skripchenko.

Anonymous said...

Alexander Ivanov and Esther Epstein.

Michael C.M. said...

Kosten-Forintos, Gyongyver (F) * 1800

Interesting first name

ver=blood in Hungarian

gyongy= pearl

Maybe it means dark red pearl

Forint is actually the unit of currency in Hungary

VishyFan said...

IM Sriram Jha - IM Vijayalaxmi S

Anonymous said...

WHAT ABOUT DIEGO AND kOSTENIUK? THEY SEEM NICE.

Anonymous said...

WHAT ABOUT DIEGO AND kOSTENIUK? THEY SEEM NICE.

Anonymous said...

Do you even read the list? They are on it already. The chess goddess Kosteniuk and her $ daddy. LOL

MiamiMaca said...

You mean the 2 ego maniac? Don't you know she's a three time World Champion and they claim she's higher rated than Judit Polgar? How pathetic!

SusanPolgar said...

OK folks, let's be nice to everyone, OK? Thanks!

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.PolgarChess.com
www.SusanPolgar.com

Anonymous said...

Also, IM Ben Finegold and Kelly Cottrell-Finegold. Both will be playing in the 2006 US Championship.

Anonymous said...

All players here are at least 2000-2100 and titles. Kelly is not up there yet. Maybe soon. I don't think they belong there.

Anonymous said...

GM Glenn Flear - WIM Christina Flear

IM (GM) Ben Finegold - Gina Finegold (I think she is a correspondence master). Married during Hasting tournament 1988/89!

unsui said...

GM Pravin Thipsey - IWM Bhagyashree Thipsay

unsui said...

BTW isn't Vijaylaxmi WGM (?)

samikd said...

what about GM Susan Polgar ?

Anonymous said...

Her ex husband is not a chess player.

Anonymous said...

GM Ian Rogers and WFM Cathy Rogers

Anonymous said...

Scandinavian team
Bjarke Sahl (denmark) and WIM Sheila Barth Berntsen (norway. 4540 all together

fun_chess said...

GM Me - (W)GM My Better Half

Anonymous said...

GM Sergei Movsesian - WGM Petra Krupkova-Movsesianova is very strong couple missing here.

Anonymous said...

Kosteniuk - Diego Garces??? Is Garces a chess player?? I thought this was abt chess playing couples??!!

Anonymous said...

Diego Garces aka Mr. Kosteniuk is over 2100 FIDE. He's a very strong player.

Anonymous said...

GM Peng Xiaomin --WGM Qin Kanying

GM Zhang Zhong -- WGM Li Ruofan

IM Wu Xibin--WIM Lou Hongyu

IM LiWenling -- WIM Gao Zhiqian

Anonymous said...

GM R.B.Ramesh and WGM Aarti Ramaswami India

Anonymous said...

GM D. Barua and WIM saheli dhar barua

SusanPolgar said...

Thanks for the additional names!

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.PolgarChess.com
www.SusanPolgar.com

Ed said...

How about a couple that played in the last couple of US Championships, FM Tegshuren and WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg?

Ed said...

FM Tegshuren Enkhbat and WIM Tsagaan Battsetseg

SusanPolgar said...

Excellent addition Ed!

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.PolgarChess.com
www.SusanPolgar.com

samikd said...

Didn't you date a chess player once, Susan ? (of course, its absolutely ok if you dont want to mention it..I just thought you mentioned you him in breaking through)

Anonymous said...

GM Becerra and WGM Martha Fierro . I don't know whether they are / were dating / married.

Anonymous said...

Recent one. GM Suat Atalik and WGM Ekaterina Polovnikova.

SusanPolgar said...

Atalik is listed. I'm not sure how serious was Becerra and Fierro. That is why I didn't include them.

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.PolgarChess.com
www.SusanPolgar.com

Anonymous said...

I try again
Scandinavian team
FM Bjarke Sahl (denmark) and WIM Sheila Barth Berntsen (norway). 4540 all together

Anonymous said...

GM Susan Polgar and FM Paul Troung

Anonymous said...

best buddies don't count I think.

Anonymous said...

WGM Elena Akmilovskaya and IM Georgi Orlov;
WGM Elena Akmilovskaya and IM John Donaldson (exes)

Anonymous said...

from hungary

Zoltan Gyimesi (GM) and Nora Medvegy (WGM)

Anonymous said...

And if they are more than "best buddies"?

Goran said...

GM Igor Miladinovic and WGM Anna Maria Botsari. I think divorced now.

siadat said...

GM Ehsan GhaemMaghami - WIM shayesteh Ghaderpour

Anonymous said...

marinelli gian marco - zimina olga

Anonymous said...

IM Wu Xibin - WIM Lou Hongyu

?!

Neither of them have any of the titles you gave?!

Anonymous said...

GM Bartosz Socko - IM (WGM) Monika Socko (born Bobrowska)

Anonymous said...

IM Johan van Mil - WGM Erika Sziva

Anonymous said...

I found this long list of relatives of chess players. For many entries, it specifies if the spouse is a chess player.
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/relative.htm

queen's knight said...

Hi Susan, just discovered your nice blog. I remember Tony Miles and Gisela Fischdick, and how come Murray Chandler and Helen Milligan are not mentioned?

Anonymous said...

Dear Susan, some more names for your interesting list: IM Mark van der Werf with WIM Esther de Kleuver, IGM Alexander Grishuk with WGM Natalia Zhukova, IGM Laurent Fressinet with IM Almira Scripchenko, IM Jan-Willem de Jong with WIM Bianca Muhren and IGM Levon Aronian with WIM Arianne Caoili. Many greetings from Bolivia, Hans Meijer.

Anonymous said...

GM Pal Benko - WIM Ruth Cardoso

Anonymous said...

GM Martin Mrva (SVK) - Alena Mrvova (SVK, ELO FIDE 2221/max. 2247)

GM Jiri Stocek (CZE) - IM (WGM) Zuzana Stockova, born Hagarova (SVK)

Alejandro Hutt (Encargado de Prensa F.A.P.C.) said...

GM Gilberto Hernandez from Mexico and WGM Claudia Amura from Argentina. They have 4 children, 2 of them are good chess players.

Anonymous said...

Hi Susan, is your sister - Sophia's husband Georgian?

Anonymous said...

Hi! what about ex couple Shirov-Veronica Alvarez? she is an argentinian chessplayer
Regards

Peter Zhdanov said...

WGM Natalia Pogonina (2501) - Peter Zhdanov (2038) :-)