Daniil Dubov is highly valued for the creativity and ideas he has brought to the game of chess. Despite his high status and numerous victories over the very best, he has not won many titles. Yet many players, including Carlsen, are happy to collaborate with him because Daniil can spot nuances in positions that sometimes even world champions miss!
Dubov was born on April 18, 1996, in Moscow and was "destined" to become a chess player—his grandfather was a famous mathematician and arbiter who instilled a love for chess in him from childhood. Having already become a successful player, Daniil gladly noted that people stopped calling him "the grandson of that very Dubov." But he had to work hard for that: in 2006, he took 3rd place in the European Championship under 10, in 2008, 2nd place in the under 12, and in 2009, he won the major children's tournament "Young Stars of the World" in Kirishi. That same year, aged 13 and as part of the Russian Under 16 team, he won team gold at the Youth Olympiad and won bronze for4 his results on the second board. Two years later, he repeated this result—team gold and individual bronze, this time playing on the first board.
At the age of 13, Dubov became an International Master, and at 14 years, 11 months, and 14 days, he became a Grandmaster (only Karjakin, who was then Ukrainian, achieved this faster). In 2012, he tied for 1st-3rd place in the Russian Championship Higher League, earning a spot in the country's main tournament at 16, narrowly missing Kasparov's record. In the Superfinal, Daniil performed well – 4/9, and earned the right to participate in the 2013 World Cup. There, he advanced through two rounds. The rising Russian star was invited to Wijk aan Zee "B" (7.5/13), followed by the "Match of Generations" against Shirov. Unexpectedly for everyone, the veteran crushed Danya – and forced him to completely rethink his approach to chess.
Two years later, he was a completely different chess player, opening a new chapter! In 2015, Dubov shared victory with Nepomniachtchi at the Aeroflot Open – 7/9. In 2016, he achieved global recognition, winning bronze at the World Blitz Championship with 14.5/21. And in 2017, he cemented his status as one of Russia's best players: he once again won the Higher League and then caused a sensation in the Superfinal, finishing with a bronze medal in the championship – 6.5/11.
But the key events in Dubov's career happened in 2018. One day, inviting Carlsen to play a friendly blitz match, he became friends with the champion and found himself on his team – Daniil assisted him in preparing for Caruana (2018) and later for Nepomniachtchi (2021), provoking anger and misunderstanding among his compatriots who couldn't grasp: "How can you work against your own?!" Working with Magnus benefitted him: he won the Abu Dhabi Masters, and at the end of the year, the World Rapid Championship with 11/15. Moreover, having studied the world champion's style closely, Dubov became one of the main "specialists" on Carlsen, giving him plenty of trouble, defeating and eliminating him multiple times in major online tournaments between 2020 and 2022. He particularly excelled in attacks on the king seemingly "out of nowhere," unconventional sacrifices, and active positional play, especially with White in his signature Catalan.
He has yet to view a World Championship match from a perspective other than that of a second. In the following years, Dubov played many brilliant games and was often the "hero of the day," but he did not achieve consistent success. He participated several times in the FIDE Grand Prix, advanced far in the World Cup, placed among the prize-winners at Wijk aan Zee 2020 – 7/13, and even won the Russian Championship in 2022 – 7/11, but he has not yet reached the level matching his talent. Daniil is one of the brightest commentators, a chess player whose interviews on any topic attract millions, and still one of the most creative and dangerous players in the world!
