The chess world lost another soul last week, as Ukrainian master-strength player Daniil Kucherenko (FIDE 2365) succumbed to injuries sustained in a car crash. Kucherenko, who's name was sometimes spelled Danylo but was known to some friends by the affectionate Danica or Danya, was also a chess coach. He died on the morning of January 14, 2014.
Daniil Kucherenko, 1983-2014
He was known as "
Chessresearcher" here on Chess.com and was originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine. He claimed to learn the game at the age of seven. While he never got the "FM" title (but met the requirements by being 2300), he wrote on his profile that he had earned three IM norms (he died with his peak rating). His listed occupation was chess coach.
His girlfriend also died in the accident. According to Chess.com member Frank Vermeulen, Kucherenko recovered enough to be sent home from the hospital, after which a "thrombus," otherwise known as a blood clot, took his life.
A more detailed and anecdotal obituary can be found on GM Valeriy Aveskulov's
blog. For those that don't read Ukrainian or Russian, here are some excerpts from Aveskulov via Google Translate (which I have edited for clarity):
"We met in 2000 at a tournament in Lviv. Danica then beat me in the opening, which very accurately characterized his nature - King's Gambit, romantic, assertive, sweeping. Only real men can play the King's Gambit and the Dragon. He was such a fighter, Danya. He will never give in to difficulties, never renounce his promises...He always felt a responsibility to those who are lucky enough to be his friends."
"In the last few weeks Danica demonstrated by example what the saying means - 'Do not have a hundred rubles, have a hundred friends!'"
Kucherenko's last rated tournament was the semifinals of the
Ukrainian Championship in May, 2011. ("He loved his country, his country's history, veterans who produced a victory in 1945." - Aveskulov) He finished with a plus score, including draws against Aveskulov and GM Mikhailo Oleksienko. He also drew future World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov in the Ukrainian U-12 Championship in 1995.
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Aveskulov closes, "Danya was a friend - real, loyal and trustworthy. He was an indispensable 'nuclear reactor,' whose energy always beats over the top. During his 30 years he managed to give a lot of pleasant moments to a vast number of people. He inspired optimism and often repeated, 'Do not focus on the bad...we must live with positive emotions.'"
Kucherenko played for the group "Team Ukraine" here on Chess.com. Sadly he died with several games in progress. His away message was, "Enjoy studying chess!"
