Chess world mourns GM Igor Naumkin
We recently learned with sadness that GM Igor Naumkin has died.
Igor Gennadyevich Naumkin got his IM title in 1988 and his GM title in 1990, and sported wins over Mikhail Tal and David Bronstein.
He left Russia for Europe searching for better chess opportunities in 1991, eventually settling in Italy. For 30 years, he was a regular at many tournaments throughout Italy and the rest of Europe, always suited up.
He lived a solitary life dedicated entirely to playing chess. Not everyone understood or agreed with his choices but on learning of his untimely death, GM Alexey Shirov said: “He was a good-hearted guy. Still it’s hard to understand what he did with his life. Why play so much, instead of teaching for example?”
Naumkin lived out of a suitcase, carrying neither a computer nor a smartphone, just scoresheets.
In an interview with the Corriere della Sera, he admitted to not preparing for his games, as otherwise he “would arrive tired already”. He preferred to spend his time away from the board enjoying his food and drink with chess friends, letting his innate talent to the rest. He once quipped, “When they try to make me drink more, it backfires for them: I play even better!”
His...