Ilya Smirin
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Ilya Smirin is a Belarusian-Israeli chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1990. Champion of Israel in 1992, 2002 and 2023.
Smirin winning at Athens 2007
Aleksandra Goryachkina
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Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina is a Russian chess grandmaster. She is the highest rated Russian woman in chess history with a peak FIDE rating of 2611. Goryachkina was the challenger in the 2020 Wome
Ilya Smirin
…round of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2022–23, admitted that he had privately asserted that chess was "maybe not for women", and also praised Grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina for playing like a man. FIDE apologized through Twitter and called Smirin's comments embarrassing and offensive. The same day, FIDE fired Smirin for…
Goryachkina at the Russian Chess Championship Superfinal 2024
Goryachkina with her father (2015)
Goryachkina at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2013
Goryachkina (center) holding the winner's prizes at the 2017 Russian Women's Championship Superfinal, left Natalia Pogonina and right Alina Kashlinskaya