Igor Kurnosov
Igor Kurnosov (May 30, 1985 – August 8, 2013) was a Russian chess grandmaster. He earned his title in 2003 and reached a peak rating of 2680 in May 2010.
Kurnosov won several important chess events. In 2004 he won the Bavarian Open in Bad Wiessee on tiebreak. He was first in the Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromsø in 2008, the Hastings Masters in 2008/09, and the Politiken Cup in 2011. He also did well in national and international events, including the Russian Championship Superfinal in 2010 (finishing 7th–10th) and the Zurich Christmas Open in 2011, which he won on tiebreak.
In 2012 he qualified for the World Rapid Championship Final after winning the Astana semi-finals and tied for first–third at the Biel Masters Open, winning on tiebreak. In 2013 he won the Nakhchivan Open on tiebreak and the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, also on tiebreak.
On the August 2013 FIDE list, his rating was 2662, ranking 84th in the world.
Kurnosov was killed in his hometown of Chelyabinsk on August 8, 2013, after being hit by a motorist. He was 28. A notable game in his career came in 2009 when he defeated top seed Shakhriyar Mamedyarov at the Aeroflot Open; Mamedyarov later filed a cheating complaint, which was dismissed.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:22 (CET).