I played Igor many times in Tournaments in Arizona. I guess I was lucky to draw him several times. The closet I ever came to winning was a tournament where Igor came to my hometown and I put him up for the night, we stayed up playing blitz and drinking all night. The sunday morning round came and we were both alot worse for wear. I being many years Igor's junior held up a little more
and I won a piece for nebulous compensation for Igor. I had been in this spot with hime before and he ended up drawing easily. He lived his life doing what he loved playing chess,I was shocked when I heard the news. I have not played chess in several years now. I like many

I found myself leaving my games at the major So. Cal Tourney's just to observe the fascinating play of Igor. He was always very accessable, friendly to all players no matter their skill level. More than any other player I've known, he played chess for the shear love of the game. Chess obviously gave him great pleasure, witnessed by his magical laugh when discussing his knowledge of the game.

I got to know Igor for a brief period of time in Salt Lake City, 1993. I had known his wife Elizabeth from So. Cal. and found myself chatting with them both at the Utah Open. I was privileged to be paired with Igor in the Blitz Tourney. Had him on the ropes playing a Morra, but naturally his exceptional speed skills won out the game.

I had the opportunity to play this legend in Colorado Springs in the mid-90s. It was a weekend swiss tournament with a top prize of probably $400. I did not know who he was then. But before the round, someone told me that I was paired against a very strong International Master. It was a classic example of trading one advantage for an even bigger advantage. The game was lost even with equal pieces on the board. I wish I had taken the time to engage his mind off the board.

Andy Hortillosa
2000 Denver Co-Champion

I recall first seeing Igor at the 1985 Canadian Championships in Edmonton. Igor simultaneously played in the Open and Closed tournament sections. I do not recall if he had won both, but I think he won one section. There was a 5x5x5 Rubik's cube positioned beside the board he was playing on in the Open Section. Igor was trying to solve it while his opponents were thinking. I will always link Igor Ivanov with that tournament and that Rubik's cube.

I hadn't seen Igor in many years. When I met him, I was a 16 year old kid working at Labate's Chess Center in Anaheim, CA, where Igor was a regular. In addition to his obvious skill at chess, he was one of the nicest guys around, and had a great sense of humor. I remember him walking around the parking lot at Labate's during a tournament once, and someone came up to him and told him that it was his move. Igor said, "Yes, I know." Puzzled, the guy asked, "Well, what are you doing out here?" Igor said, "Analyzing." STILL puzzled, the guy said, "Well, why aren't you analyzing at the board?" Igor smiled and said, "Sometimes the pieces get in the way."

Igor played in several small tournaments in Moab, across Southern Utah from St. George, and won all but one. With a must-win situation as black against IM Odendahl in 1995, he overextended his attack and lost. Of course the game was brilliant on both sides and subsequently published in the Moab Times Independent as the "match of the titans," the most monumental chess game in the history of Southern Utah to that date.

I claim partial responsibility for Igor's loss that day, having kept him up to about 3am the night before arguing about politics and religion. At the time Igor was a confirmed atheist. My other guest was Doug Taffinder, a born-again Christian, chess master and student of Igor's who had held him to a fascinating draw that Saturday afternoon, creating the must-win situation for Igor on Sunday. Seeing the two of them go at it about religion was as interesting and complex as watching a great chess game. With an academic background in comparative religion, I ventured into the fray, taking a middle road, sometimes moderating and mediating, and sometimes being attacked equally from both sides. MORE...

Hi Igor it is me James Beltran. My Mom and I flew from florida to see you one week before you passed away. In that short time we played seven matches. Of course you won all of them, however I don't think I ever came as close as I did to beat you before. Since I moved to florida I been trying to teach myself(it was easier when you taught me). I won a chess tournament in July in Orlando and when I showed you my games which I was so proud of, you made me look like a fool. But that is okay you learn by making mistakes. Now at age 14 I am starting a chess club at my school that is the same age you were when you run your first chess club. I even got a student to teach on my own. I will do my best to teach my student and all the kids at the club everything you tought me, which was alot. I miss ever day.

Hi,

My name is David Cole, and I was asked to host Igor Ivanov at my apartment when I was living in the Atlanta metro area back in the mid 1990's. Igor decided to attend a tournament at the Atlanta Chess Center, and Thad Rogers asked for a volunteer to accommodate Igor for the weekend. I volunteered, and I made the unfortunate mistake of engaging Igor in a conversation regarding politics. I should have known better, and Igor rightly lambasted me. However, driving him to Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, I apologized for my choice in conversation, and he quickly forgave me, as I knew Igor to be a man that did not hold grudges. I had forgotten that he endured far worse politics than I, as I was constantly frustrated trying to bring national tournaments to Atlanta, and before that, St. Louis where I also used to live. Igor was even nice enough to play some speed chess against me in my apartment, and we did a demonstration for a friend of mine that stopped by my apartment. Igor, may you rest in peace as you are in a better place now.

I met GM Igor Ivanov when I first came to work as a chess coach for the Chess Emporium in Phoenix six years ago. There he would play every Friday night as part of the US Chess Grand Prix tournament circuit along with several of his scholastic students from the Shelby school in which he taught chess to against masters and beginners alike. He scored victory after victory racking up enough points to claim the title of US Grand Prix tournament champion an unpresidented nine times.
There Igor and I became friends as he always called me by my last name only. He loved chess and would spend many hours showing me many beautiful games he had played against other GM's and IM's around the world.