Kirill Alekseenko

Alekseenko was born in Vyborg, and moved to Saint Petersburg as a child.{{cite web |url=https://chess24.com/en/read/news/alekseenko-the-candidates-wild-card-should-be-abolished |title=Alekseenko: "The Candidates wild card should be abolished" |first=Colin |last=McGourty |website=chess24 |date=9 February 2020}} His father was a soldier and his mother was a teacher. {{As of|2019|post=,}} Alekseenko is a student at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.[http://xn--80apbncz.xn--p1ai/sport/52314 Санкт-Петербург: Студент Кирилл Алексеенко вошел в топ-16 лучших шахматистов мира]

Together with 43 other Russian elite chess players, Alekseenko signed an open letter to Russian president Vladimir Putin, protesting against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people.[https://www.chess.com/news/view/stop-the-war-44-top-russian-players-publish-open-letter-to-putin "'Stop the war.' 44 Top Russian Players Publish Open Letter To Putin"], Chess.com, 3 March 2022 After playing under the neutral FIDE flag, in July 2023 he transferred to the Austrian Chess Federation.{{cite news |last=Schulz |first=André |date=20 July 2023 |title=Switching Federations |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/switching-federations |work=ChessBase |access-date=27 July 2023}}

Alekseenko's grandfather was a chess enthusiast and taught Alekseenko the rules of the game when he was four years old. Aside from his grandfather, no one in his family played chess. At the age of seven, Alekseenko played his first tournament, the St. Petersburg U8 Championship. At the European Youth Chess Championship, he was the U10 champion in 2007, and the U16 champion in 2013. At the World U14 Chess Championship, Alekseenko won bronze in 2010, and gold in 2011.[http://vppress.ru/stories/Valerii-POPOV-Piterskie-shakhmaty--v-sistemnom-krizise-12547 Валерий ПОПОВ: Питерские шахматы — в системном кризисе] He then won silver and bronze in 2012 and 2013, respectively, at the World U16 Chess Championship.

File:Kirill Alekseenko 2015.jpg in Greece]]

Alekseenko achieved the necessary norms for the grandmaster title in 2012, but did not reach a FIDE rating of 2500 necessary for the granting of the title until 2015. He competed in the 2015 World U18 Chess Championship held in Greece from 24 October to 6 November, placing second with 8½/11 (+8–2=1}, one point behind winner Masoud Mosadeghpour.[http://chess-results.com/tnr187413.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=11&flag=30 World Youth Ch 2015 - Open under 18] Chess-Results Alekseenko won the Chigorin Memorial in 2015.{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/kirill-alekseenko-wins-chigorin-memorial |title=Kirill Alekseenko wins Chigorin Memorial |first=Dorsa |last=Derakshani |publisher=ChessBase |date=29 October 2015}} He repeated the success in 2016{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/chigorin-memorial-alekseenko-wins-abdusattorov-shines |title=Chigorin Memorial: Alekseenko wins; Abdusattorov shines |first=Priyadarshan |last=Banjan |publisher=ChessBase |date=26 October 2017}} and 2017.{{cite web |url=http://theweekinchess.com/chessnews/events/chigorin-memorial-2017 |title=Chigorin Memorial 2017 |first=Mark |last=Crowther |website=The Week in Chess |date=31 October 2017}}

Alekseenko won the 2017/18 Rilton Cup.[https://en.chessbase.com/post/grandmaster-chef-kirill-alekseenko Grandmaster Chef: Kirill Alekseenko] ChessBase In February 2018, he participated in the Aeroflot Open. He finished 13th out of 92,{{cite web |url=http://www.chess-results.com/tnr322070.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9 |title=Aeroflot Open 2018 A |website=Chess Results |date=28 February 2018}} scoring 5½/9 (+4–2=3).{{cite web |url=http://www.chess-results.com/tnr322070.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=RUS&snr=29 |title=Aeroflot Open 2018 A: Alekseenko Kirill |website=Chess Results |date=28 February 2018}} In March, Alekseenko competed in the European Individual Chess Championship. He placed 34th,{{cite web |url=http://chess-results.com/tnr295754.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=11&turdet=YES&flag=30 |title=European Individual Chess Championship 2018 |website=Chess Results |date=28 March 2018}} scoring 7/11 (+6–3=2).{{cite web |url=http://chess-results.com/tnr295754.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=RUS&turdet=YES&flag=30&snr=62 |title=European Individual Chess Championship 2018: Alekseenko Kirill |website=Chess Results |date=28 March 2018}} He competed in the European Championship again in 2019, placing 63rd with 6½/11 (+5–3=3).[https://chess-results.com/tnr404992.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=RUS&turdet=YES&flag=30&snr=26 European Individual Chess Championship 2019: Alekseenko Kirill] Chess Results

Although he failed to qualify for the Chess World Cup 2019 through European Championship placement, Alekseenko was chosen as a wildcard nominee by the organiser of the tournament. He defeated Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn and Johan-Sebastian Christiansen in rounds one and two, then eliminated the 17th-seed Pentala Harikrishna in the third round.{{cite web |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/2019-fide-chess-world-cup-round-3-day-2 |title=FIDE Chess World Cup Ends For Karjakin, Harikrishna |first=Peter |last=Doggers |website=Chess.com |date=18 September 2019}} He faced the 1st-seed Ding Liren in the fourth round. Alekseenko drew both of the classical games but lost in the rapid tiebreaks.{{cite web |url=https://chess24.com/en/read/news/fide-world-cup-r4-tiebreaks-xiong-wins-thriller |title=FIDE World Cup R4 Tiebreaks: Xiong wins thriller |first=Colin |last=McGourty |website=Chess24 |date=23 September 2019}}

At the 2019 European Team Chess Championship held in Batumi from 24 October to 2 November, Alekseenko represented Russia on the third board. He scored 4½/8 (+2–1=5) as Russia won gold. Alekseenko defeated Kacper Piorun of Poland in the final round, which proved decisive to Russia's first-place finish.{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/euro-teams-2019-r9 |title=Double gold for Russia at the European Team Championships |first=Carlos Alberto |last=Colodro |website=ChessBase |date=2 November 2019}}

In December 2019, he competed in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. He placed 57th in the rapid with 8½/15 (+6–4=5),[http://chess-results.com/tnr499127.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=RUS&flag=30&snr=37 2019 King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championship Rapid Open] and 71st in the blitz with 11½/21 (+8–6=7).[http://chess-results.com/tnr499129.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=RUS&flag=30&snr=102 2019 King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championship Blitz Open]

At the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019 held in October on the Isle of Man, Alekseenko took third place on tie breaks with 7½/11 (+4–0=7), half a point behind winner Wang Hao and runner-up Fabiano Caruana.[http://chess-results.com/tnr478041.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=11&flag=30 "Grand Swiss Final Ranking after 11 Rounds"] Alekseenko thus became eligible to be chosen as the wildcard nominee for the Candidates Tournament 2020 as the next-highest placed finisher at the Grand Swiss, apart from Caruana (who had already qualified for the Candidates).{{cite web |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/wang-hao-wins-fide-chess-com-grand-swiss-qualifies-for-candidates |title=Wang Hao Wins FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss, Qualifies For Candidates |first=Peter |last=Doggers |website=Chess.com |date=21 October 2019}}

On 23 December 2019, Alekseenko was announced as the wildcard nominee for the Candidates Tournament, originally scheduled to be held in Yekaterinburg from 17 March to 3 April 2020.[https://www.chess.com/news/view/alekseenko-candidates-vachier-lagrave-open-letter Alekseenko's Candidates Participation Confirmed As MVL Appeals With Open Letter] Peter Svidler acted as Alekseenko's second during that tournament.{{Cite web |title=Candidates 2020: A day of draws in Yekaterinburg |url=https://www.fide.com/news/457 |last= |first= |date=21 March 2020 |website=www.fide.com |language=en |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2020-05-29}} On 26 March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was suspended. With seven rounds played, Alekseenko was tied for last with Ding on a score of 2½/7.{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/candidates-2020-press-conference-live |title=The Candidates: Postponed after Round 7 |website=ChessBase|date=25 March 2020 }} After the resumption of the Candidates Tournament 2020–21 in April 2021, Alekseenko returned to Yekaterinburg and played the final seven games. He finished in seventh place with 5½/14.{{cite web |last1=Doggers |first1=Peter |title=FIDE Candidates Tournament: 3 Winners in Final Round, Wang Hao Announces Retirement |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/2021-fide-candidates-chess-tournament-round-14 |website=Chess.com |access-date=29 April 2021}}

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• {{Chess.com player|kirill-alekseenko|member=BilodeauA}}
• {{Chessgames.com player|117648}}

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Category:1997 births

Category:Living people

Category:Russian chess players

Category:Chess Grandmasters

Category:Chess players from Saint Petersburg

Category:Sportspeople from Vyborg

Category:Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University alumni

Category:Austrian chess players