Ruben Felgaer

Overview

Ruben Alejandro Felgaer (born 4 April 1981) is an Argentine chess Grandmaster (GM) representing the Argentine Chess Federation (ARG). He was awarded the International Master (IM) title in 2000 and achieved the Grandmaster title in 2002. Felgaer achieved his career-high classical FIDE rating of 2624 in October 2005, reaching a peak global ranking of No. 86. He is primarily known as a five-time Argentine Chess Champion, an active open and invitational tournament competitor, a multiple-time Olympiad representative, and an elite national coach.

Biography & Major Career Milestones

Felgaer developed his chess in Buenos Aires, where he was coached by the prominent Argentine Grandmaster Oscar Panno. He gained early prominence on the junior circuit, winning the Pan American Junior Chess Championship in consecutive years (2000 and 2001). In 2000, he also led the Argentine national team to gold at the World Youth Team Championship (U20) in Buenos Aires, where he additionally captured individual gold by scoring a perfect 5.0/5 on the top board.

Felgaer secured his Grandmaster title in 2002, with his final norm achieved during his victory at the Politiken Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over the course of his career, he has claimed the Argentine National Chess Championship five times: 2001 (Pinamar), 2007 (Mendoza, played in 2008), 2008 (La Plata), 2010 (Buenos Aires), and 2014 (Resistencia).

His other major tournament successes include:

• Sharing first place at the Mar del Plata Open in 2001.
• Winning the Magistral Casino de Barcelona in 2004.
• Winning the Vila de Sort Open in 2005.
• Sharing second through fifth at Sevilla in 2005.
• Winning the Lienz Open in Austria in 2007.

In world championship cycle events, Felgaer participated in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2002, where he was eliminated in the first round by Loek van Wely. During the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004 in Tripoli, he advanced past the first round by defeating Baadur Jobava, before being eliminated in the second round by Alexey Dreev. He also competed in the FIDE World Cup in 2005, 2011, and 2013. In 2011, he notably defeated top-level GM Vladimir Malakhov in the first round after a rapid tiebreak, eventually falling in the second round to Yaroslav Zherebukh.

Elite Team & Event Performance

Felgaer has been a cornerstone of the Argentine national team at international team events, appearing in multiple Chess Olympiads. His documented appearances include:

• 35th Chess Olympiad (Bled, 2002): Represented Argentina on Board 1, scoring +1 –4 =4.
• 36th Chess Olympiad (Calvià, 2004): Represented Argentina on Board 1, scoring +2 –4 =5.
• 37th Chess Olympiad (Turin, 2006): Represented Argentina on Board 1, scoring +2 –1 =2.
• 38th to 41st Chess Olympiads (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014): Represented Argentina as a primary team player, including a critical performance in Istanbul 2012 where his late-round victories helped secure key team matchups.
• 45th Chess Olympiad (Budapest, 2024): Represented Argentina on Board 3, including matchups against Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Alan Ormsby.
• National Captaincy: Served as the official Captain and Coach of the Argentine national team during the 42nd Chess Olympiad (Baku, 2016) and the 43rd Chess Olympiad (Batumi, 2018).

Playing Style, Material Tendencies & Endgame Profiling

Felgaer’s style of play is highly strategic and classical, heavily influenced by his training under Oscar Panno. He has a pragmatic approach to the game, preferring clear positional plans, secure king safety, and logical piece coordination over highly speculative tactical complications. He is highly capable in complex maneuvering games, particularly those arising from classical central pawn structures such as the Maróczy Bind and open files.

In terms of material imbalances, Felgaer demonstrates a strong understanding of bishop-versus-knight dynamics and the strategic utility of the bishop pair. His defensive resilience in inferior structures is a notable aspect of his identity. He excels in converting technical endgames and constructing defenses in passive positions. This was notably demonstrated in his high-level defensive performance against Vladimir Malakhov at the 2011 World Cup, where he held a difficult rook, knight, and pawn versus rook ending.

Opening Repertoire & Theoretical Move Orders

Felgaer’s opening repertoire is theoretically solid, structured primarily around classical variations that lead to active piece play.

1. As White

When playing as White, Felgaer is almost exclusively a 1.e4 player, utilizing mainline systems to fight for a spatial or development advantage.

• Sicilian Kan / Paulsen Variation: Felgaer frequently meets 1...c5 setups with Open Sicilian lines, often choosing the 5.Nc3 Kan lines to combat Black's flexible setups:

• Italian Game (Giuoco Piano): Against 1...e5, Felgaer frequently adopts the solid Giuoco Pianissimo, focusing on a slow, controlled build-up in the center and on the queenside:

• Caro-Kann Defense (Two Knights Attack): Against the Caro-Kann, he often prefers the flexible Two Knights system, which avoids the deep theoretical mainlines of the Advance or Classical variations while keeping positional tension:

2. As Black

As Black, Felgaer utilizes dynamic defensive systems that emphasize active counter-play and solid pawn structures.

• Sicilian Sveshnikov: Against 1.e4, Felgaer frequently utilizes the Sveshnikov variation, accepting structural compromises (such as the backward d6-pawn) in exchange for active piece play in the center:

• Sicilian Accelerated Dragon: He has a long-standing preference for the Accelerated Dragon, often defending the black side of the Maróczy Bind and utilizing tactical pressure along the long dark-squared diagonal:

• Slav Defense (Czech Variation): Against 1.d4, Felgaer's primary weapon is the Slav Defense, routinely opting for the active Czech system to solve Black's light-squared bishop development problems early on:

Links

• FIDE: https://ratings.fide.com/profile/107069
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rub%C3%A9n_Felgaer