It is with deep sadness that the International Chess Federation has learned of the passing of Sergey Pinchuk, a respected FIDE Senior Coach who made immense contributions to developing chess talent in Uzbekistan. He was 83.
Born in 1943 in Tashkent, Pinchuk honed his chess skills through self-directed study and extensive reading of chess literature. Soon he became a Master of Sports in Chess represented the Uzbekistan national team in various competitions and secured numerous titles in the national championship.
In 1970, Sergey Pinchuk transitioned to professional coaching upon receiving an invitation from the Republican Youth School of Sports Mastery (RYSSM). As head coach, he led the Uzbekistan national youth teams for twenty years. In 1984, the national team of Uzbekistan became the champion of the All-Union Spartakiad of Schoolchildren in Tashkent.
Under his guidance, Uzbekistan’s national team earned silver medals at the 1992 Chess Olympiad in Manila.
Throughout his long coaching career, Pinchuk worked closely and productively with grandmasters Grigory Serper and Rustam Kasimdzhanov.
In recognition of his students’ distinguished performances in both individual and team competitions, Pinchuk received the following honors:
- Honored Coach of Uzbekistan (awarded in 1979)
- Honored Worker of Public Education of Uzbekistan (awarded in 1985)
In 1992, S.T. Pinchuk was awarded the Certificate of Merit of the Republic of Uzbekistan for his long-term and fruitful work and participation in public and political life. Pinchuk’s successful professional activities were twice recognized with certificates from the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, in 2009 and 2011.
FIDE expresses its deepest condolences to Sergey Pinchuk’s family, friends, and loved ones.