Renjuplayers in the world - 47. Yuriy Tarannikov

yutaran@mech.math.msu.su

0.Your name, your nationality, your age, male or female.

 Yuriy Tarannikov, Russia, was born in 1967, male

1.When did you start to play renju and how did you learn it? How many years have you played renju?

 I start to play in tic-tac-toe at the infinite board near 1980 when I had wrote about this game in the book "Mathematics at the chess board" by Eugeny Gik (in Russian). About the game "Free Renju" (Five-in-a-Row) I had known in the beginning of 1983, and at that time I had participated in my first tournament - school championship. I was second. I remember that in the last game I needed in win to divide the first place. We played by drawing signs at the paper. All 225 possible signs were drawn and after this during some time I continued to find an accidental winning five. 

My first Renju tournament was Kyoto Open in 1989 (after Five-in-a-Row World Championship where I was second). I remember that during the game with Tanaka I had asked Sokolsky: "If one of two fours is open then is this a double four?" In Kyoto Open I took 4 point in 7 games and was 13th from 40 participants.

2.Do you play in a club? In which clubs have you played?

Until 1984 I played in school and one small section. Beginning from 1984 I play in Moscow Renju Club.

3.Which are your best results in national and international tournaments (Usual tournaments and e-mail tournaments). Which is your international rating for the moment?

My best results:

In Five-in-a-Row:

1989 Soviet Union Championship - 1st place

     World Championship        - 2nd place (Sergey Chernov was the winner)

     Baltic Open Tournament   - 1st place (2 points advantage over 15 years old Ando Meritee who was second)

1990 "Champions Match" with Mikhail Lomakin - 6,5:1,5

     Soviet Union Championship - 2nd place (Meritee was first)

1991 World Championship - 1st place (1,5 points advantage over Meritee who was second, Chernov was third)

In Renju:

1995 Moscow Soosyrv Cup   -    had the right to play in the final, final match with Alexander Mikhailov was not played

1996 Moscow Open               - 2nd place (by coefficients, with minus in the last round, Ants Soosyrv was first,

                                            Mikhail Kozhin was third, I won dream game against Kozhin)

1997 Moscow Open               - 1st place (Soosyrv was second)

       Moscow Championship       - 1st place (13 games without losses)

1998 Moscow Soosyrv Cup        - winner    (Makarov, Nikonov and Kozhin were beaten)

       Moscow Cup                - winner

1999 Russia Championship       - 3rd place

 In Renju by e-mail:

 1997 World Championship        - 1st place (Roman Kolpakov was second, Aldis Reims was third, Meritee was 6th,

                                            Notihiko Kawamura was 7th)

4.Which is the best player you have met?

All players mentioned above. Besides I had met Sigeru Nakamura but I did not play with him. Of course, Meritee and Nakamura are the strongest in the world now.

5.Can you explain why you enjoy renju?

When I had started to play in tic-tac-toe at the infinite board I found in this game something general mathematical idea that satisfy to some general Laws. In Five-in-a-Row and especially in Renju the number of exception is a much more, of course, and probably I played in these games because they are more popular. Exceptions give a much deep and beauty for a game but they isolate this game from outside world. As a result a game loses its educational significance and becomes "a thing in itself".

6.Which is your plans for the future as a player?

I was already a World Champion in Five-in-a-Row and by e-mail in Renju. It seems that I shall never win World Championship in Renju over real board. So, my ambition is satisfied and I have not a serious motivation now. But I am going to fight in all tournaments where I shall play.

7.Is your image is already on the RIF site and we should use it or do

you attach another image?

I send my image. Unfortunately its quality is not quite good. Also I send image of my daughter. She played in some Moscow children tournament.

8.Have you anything else interesting to tell that you think that I should have asked for?

Visit my Web Page: http://liapunov.inria.msu.ru/PERSONAL/Taran/index.html

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