"Form is temporary, but class is permanent."
Words which FIDE Master Viktor Neustroev have lived.
Viktor is from Novosibirsk, Russia...and chess has always been in his blood. He picked up the game when he was five years old, and he didn't waste time climbing the ranks.
Viktor scored a top-three finish in his city's Regional Junior Championship no less than four times (1994, 1995, 1996, 1999). In 2003, he finished clear second place in the Novosibirsk Under-18 Chess Championship. His strong performance at the event also brought him to his then-peak rating of 2220 FIDE. But...
University life got in the way, and Viktor had to give up tournament chess.
More than 15 years of chess drought followed, during which Viktor built up his professional credentials. He earned his Bachelor and Master of Economics Degrees from Novosibirsk State University, and he became a PhD-Candidate in the Institute Of Economics And Industrial Engineering.
Viktor eventually became a trader — starting out with FOREX and commodities before switching to options trading. His day job made excellent use of the analytical and strategic thinking skills he developed through chess. But trading was no substitute for his first love.
So in 2018, Viktor participated in the open section of 2018 International Chess Festival of Monastir, Tunisia — and the results must've washed through him like cold water. After scoring 4.5/9... and finishing behind players rated 300-plus points lower... it's clear that he is out of shape.
But as they say, "Form is temporary, class is permanent."
For over a year since his unimpressive showing in Tunisia, Viktor trained like a warrior and played in tournaments around Europe. All to turn him back into the classy player he once was.
The journey was a rough one.
The "meh" results in Moscow Open 2019 and Novosibirsk Science House Championship 2019 set him back about 70 precious rating points. Other people could've stopped there with a clear conscience — convinced that their best chess days were 15 years behind them.
But not Viktor!
Through persistence, the lacklustre performances were soon followed with a string of strong showings — which reached its climax in the October edition of 2019 First Saturday IM Tournament. When the dust settled, Viktor took home clear second place... broke through the 2300-rating mark... and earned the FIDE Master title.
Nowadays, Viktor spends most of his time helping students of the game realize their full potential...and many of his students went on to become world champions for their age group.
"Viktor has an exceptional teaching style which I think makes him quite unique as a teacher. He has helped me improve my play from 800 to nearly 1350 now so far and I am still improving all of the time." — Bryce Neal
"Three months of training with Viktor improved my game more than a few years of self-study. I like his individual and flexible approach to training according to my level, abilities and playing style. At our first meeting, I was impressed with how he was able to point exactly what my problems were and what I needed to focus." - Natalia Chalaya
Most recently, Viktor expanded his reach to students by becoming a Chessable author.
His debut course "The Viktorious Kan Sicilian" has already earned 4.83 stars from satisfied students. And if you're looking for a club player-friendly way to beat 1.e4, his repertoire might be just what you need!
