GM Vladimir Malaniuk

Vladimir Pavlovich Malaniuk (21 July 1957 – 2 July 2017) was a Ukrainian chess grandmaster, who was awarded the International Master title in 1984 and the GM title in 1986. He was Ukrainian champion in 1980 and 1990. Malaniuk won the European Junior Championship in 1978 and twice reached the USSR Championship final. He was a well-known expert on the Leningrad variation of the Dutch Defence, and played it for his entire career with very good results. He represented Ukraine at the 2002 and 2004 Chess Olympiads. From 1992-96 he played for Moldova and returned to Ukraine in 1996. He remained active as a chess player up to his death in 2017.