Igor-Alexandre Nataf
Nataf in 2008
CountryFrance
Born (1978-05-02) 2 May 1978
Paris, France
TitleGrandmaster (1998), Senior International Correspondence Chess Master (2017)
FIDE rating2506 (December 2023)
Peak rating2596 (April 2007)
Peak rankingNo. 161 (July 2006)[1]

Igor-Alexandre Nataf (born 2 May 1978) is a French chess player. He received the FIDE title of Grandmaster in 1998.

Chess career

Nataf represented France at the European Team Chess Championship in 1999[2] and at Olympiads in 2000 and 2004.[3] In the 2000 FIDE World Championship, he beat Emil Sutovsky and Nigel Short before losing to the Brazilian grandmaster Rafael Leitão in round 3.[4] He was less successful in the 2001–02 World Championship, beating Viktor Bologan in round 1 but losing to Konstantin Sakaev in round 2.[5]

Notable games

Nataf's win against John Nunn at the 1999 French Team championship was voted best game in Chess Informant 76 in 1999.

Nunn vs. Nataf, 1999
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
f8 black rook
g8 black king
b7 black pawn
e7 black bishop
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
a6 black pawn
c6 black knight
d6 black pawn
c4 white pawn
e4 white pawn
g4 black knight
a3 white knight
c3 white knight
g3 white bishop
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
e2 white bishop
f2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
d1 white queen
e1 white king
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 14.Be2


Sicilian Defence, Kalashnikov Variation (ECO B32)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Be7 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 f5 9.Bd3 f4 10.g3 Nf6 11.gxf4 exf4 12.Bxf4 0-0 13.Bg3 Ng4 14.Be2 (diagram) Nxf2!! 15.Qd5+ Kh8 16.Bxf2 Nb4 17.Qh5 Rxf2 18.Kxf2 Bh4+ 19.Kg2 g6 20.Qf3 Qg5+ 21.Kf1 Bh3+ 22.Qxh3 Rf8+ 23.Bf3 Qe3 24.Qxh4 Nd3 25.Nd5 Qxf3+ 26.Kg1 Nf2 27.Kf1 Qxh1+ 28.Ke2 Qxa1 0–1[6]

References

  1. "Nataf, Igor-Alexandre". benoni.de. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  2. "Nataf, Igor-Alexandre; European Men's Team Chess Championship". OlimpBase.
  3. "Nataf, Igor-Alexandre; Men's Chess Olympiads". OlimpBase.
  4. "World Chess Championship 2000 FIDE Knockout Matches". Mark Weeks.
  5. "World Chess Championship 2001-02 FIDE Knockout Matches". Mark Weeks.
  6. Nigel Short (20 July 2003). "The Sunday chess column". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
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