Shirov - Sveshnikov Match

     On Sunday, September 28 a friendly rapid match between Alexei Shirov and Evgeny Sveshnikov was concluded in Riga. The time control was 50 moves per game plus 10 seconds per move. All six games were the Sicilian Defense, two of them the Sveshnikov.   Unfortunately the match came 20 years too late. A match between the two had been discussed over twenty years ago, but unfortunately it never came to fruition.
     At 42 Shirov is rated 2701 placing him at number 45 on the FIDE rating list while the 64 year-old Sveshnikov is currently rated 2502 which puts him at number 752 on the ranking list of active players. So it’s not surprising that Sveshnikov took a beating scoring only a half point in six games. Still, the games themselves were exciting despite both players being past their prime. Shirov was always the stronger of the two and being a 'senior citizen' didn't help Sveshnikov despite his fighting spirit. A 2010 interview with Sveshnikov can be read at Chessdom.