Eccentric Character
"Chucky", as Ivanchuk is called, has been described by Viswanathan Anand as the most eccentric player in the chess world. Anand, tongue-in-cheek, gave his view on Ivanchuk like this:
- He's someone who is very intelligent ... but you never know which mood he is going to be in. Some days he will treat you like his long-lost brother. The next day he ignores you completely.
- The players have a word for him. They say he lives on "Planet Ivanchuk". (Laughs) ... I have seen him totally drunk and singing Ukrainian poetry and then the next day I have seen him give an impressive talk.
- For a while he was trying to learn Turkish. Don’t ask me why ... Every day is a surprise with him.
When he plays, Ivanchuk often stares at the ceiling and walls with a blank stare (although this is not uncommon with top players who calculate without looking at the board). His playing style is unpredictable and highly original, making him more dangerous but sometimes leading to quick losses as well.
After a string of unsuccessful performances culminated in his elimination at the early stages of the 2009 World Cup, Ivanchuk announced, in a highly emotional interview, his retirement from professional chess. However, he soon recanted this decision.
Read more about this topic: Vassily Ivanchuk
Famous quotes containing the words eccentric and/or character:
“It was when the trees were leafless first in November
And their blackness became apparent, that one first
Knew the eccentric to be the base of design.”
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“The true index of a man’s character is the health of his wife.”
—Cyril Connolly (1903–1974)