Mark Bluvshtein
Encyclopedia
Mark Bluvshtein is a Russian-born Canadian chess
player, a Grandmaster, who resides in Canada. He became the youngest Canadian International Grandmaster
(GM) ever in 2004, at the age of 16, having become an International Master (IM) at the age of 13. He took part in the Chess World Cup 2011
, but was eliminated in the first round by Alexander Riazantsev
.
, Canada, six years later, where he attended Newtonbrook Secondary School
. Mark graduated from Newtonbrook in 2006.
Mark's father Ilya Bluvshtein is a Candidate Master level player himself.
Bluvshtein was Israel Boys Under-10 Champion (1998), and Israel Boys Under-12 Champion (1999).
before moving to Canada.
Bluvshtein's first major Canadian success came in 2000, when he tied for 2nd-3rd places in the Toronto Closed Championship, with 8/11, behind only FM Eduardo Teodoro IV. His first full International event in Canada was the Toronto Summer International Open 2000, where he made an even score with 4.5/9. He claimed clear first place in the Toronto Thanksgiving Open 2000 with 5/6, ahead of several strong Masters. In the Junior Canadian Chess Championship
,
Montreal
2001, he placed clear second with 7/9, behind winner Yaacov Vaingorten. He won the Canadian Grade 7 Championship in 2001, and in the Canadian Youth Championship 2001 (Boys' U14 Group), held at Sackville, New Brunswick
, he took clear first with 6.5/7. Staying on for the Canadian Open Chess Championship
, also at Sackville, his successful run continued with a superb tied 3rd-7th place, with 7.5/10, and only one loss, behind only winners Anthony Miles (in his last tournament before his death a few weeks later) and Larry Christiansen.
in Montreal. He tied for 3rd-4th places, behind only winners Kevin Spraggett
and Alexandre LeSiege
.
He won the 2001 Toronto Christmas Open with 4.5/5.
In 2002, he won the Canadian Grade 8 Championship, and made a perfect score of 8/8 in the Canadian Youth Championship (Boys' U14 Group). Then, in the Canadian Open Chess Championship
, Montreal 2002, he tied for 4th-10th places, with 7.5/10, behind only winners
Jean-Marc Degraeve
, Pascal Charbonneau
, and Jean Hebert
. Bluvshtein's first Grandmaster round-robin was the 2002 Montreal International, where he tied for 10th-11th places with a creditable 4/11; the winner was Degraeve. Just a couple of weeks later in the 2nd Chess'n Math Association
Futurity in Toronto, he tied for 1st-4th places, with 6/9, along with Yuri Shulman, Walter Arencibia
, and Dmitry Tyomkin, missing a GM norm by only half a point. In the Toronto Labour Day Open 2002, he tied for first at 5/6 with Goran Milicevic.
International, with 5/9. But he had a rough tournament at the 2003 Montreal International, as he could only score 3.5/11 in a very powerful field which had nine GMs out of 12 competitors. However, he was gaining the necessary experience to earn the higher title.
Bluvshtein switched trainers, working with Grandmaster Dmitry Tyomkin for a time, with success. With funding assistance from generous chess patron and successful businessman Sid Belzberg, Bluvshtein was able to work with Israeli Grandmaster Alexander Huzman
, and this provided the impetus for his next qualitative advance.
Bluvshtein made a very impressive Grandmaster norm at the 2004 Canadian Open Chess Championship
in Kapuskasing, where he played eight Grandmasters in ten rounds, while scoring 6.5/10 to tie for 13th-26th places; he played by far the toughest schedule in the tournament, as he beat the highly experienced Vladimir Epishin
and Arencibia, and lost only one game.
The next month, at the 2004 Montreal International, he made his third and final qualifying Grandmaster result with 6.5/11 to place fourth; the winner was Zahar Efimenko
. Then he placed third, following a tie-break playoff, at the Zonal Canadian Chess Championship
in Toronto, with 6.5/9, behind only co-winners Charbonneau and Eric Lawson. A couple of months later, Bluvshtein raised his International rating above 2500, completing the requirements for the GM title, and he received it at age 16 at the Calvià
Olympiad, where he made a further Grandmaster norm, for good measure!
Bluvshtein won the Canadian Youth Championship (Under 18 Group) in 2005, and tied for first in a powerful field at the Canadian Open Chess Championship
at Edmonton
2005, with 8/10. He defeated super-GM Alexei Shirov
in a dazzling sacrificial game.
In 2006, Bluvshtein tied for 2nd-5th places at the Zonal Canadian Chess Championship
in Toronto, with 6.5/9, behind only champion Igor Zugic
. Bluvshtein shared the title at the Budapest
First Saturday tournament in June 2007, with 8/11. He scored 7/10, unbeaten, in the 2007 Canadian Open Chess Championship
in Ottawa. At Montreal
2007, he defeated former world finalist Nigel Short
.
in 1939. Bluvshtein was also selected in 2004 and 2006. He played excellently each time.
His totals so far for Canada in Olympiad play are: 34 games, +19 =10 -5, for 70.6 per cent.
Bluvshtein was selected as the Canadian Chess Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. http://web.ncf.ca/bw998/canchess.html#BLUVSHTEIN
Bluvshtein is currently attending York University
in Toronto, majoring in Science and Technology Studies.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player, a Grandmaster, who resides in Canada. He became the youngest Canadian International Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
(GM) ever in 2004, at the age of 16, having become an International Master (IM) at the age of 13. He took part in the Chess World Cup 2011
Chess World Cup 2011
The Chess World Cup 2011 was a chess 128-player single-elimination tournament, played between 26 August and 21 September 2011, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia...
, but was eliminated in the first round by Alexander Riazantsev
Alexander Riazantsev
Alexander Riazantsev is a Russian chess player and International Grandmaster.In 1997, he won the World Chess U12 Championship in Cannes, France. In 2006, he came first in the Moscow championship....
.
Early life
Bluvshtein and his family moved from Russia to Israel when he was five years old. They moved again, to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada, six years later, where he attended Newtonbrook Secondary School
Newtonbrook Secondary School
Newtonbrook Secondary School is a high school for students in Grades 9 to 12 in the Newtonbrook neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was part of the North York Board of Education until the Toronto school boards were amalgamated in the late 1990s....
. Mark graduated from Newtonbrook in 2006.
Mark's father Ilya Bluvshtein is a Candidate Master level player himself.
Bluvshtein was Israel Boys Under-10 Champion (1998), and Israel Boys Under-12 Champion (1999).
Canadian success and records
Upon arriving in Canada, Bluvshtein earned a National Master ranking within a few months at age 11, making him the youngest Canadian to achieve this level. He was training during this time with IM Yan Teplitsky, a Canadian Olympic team member who had studied in the famed Russian school run by Mark DvoretskyMark Dvoretsky
Mark Izrailovich Dvoretsky is a world-renowned Russian chess trainer, writer and International Master.He was awarded the International Master title in 1975 and for a while, was widely regarded as the strongest IM in the world...
before moving to Canada.
Bluvshtein's first major Canadian success came in 2000, when he tied for 2nd-3rd places in the Toronto Closed Championship, with 8/11, behind only FM Eduardo Teodoro IV. His first full International event in Canada was the Toronto Summer International Open 2000, where he made an even score with 4.5/9. He claimed clear first place in the Toronto Thanksgiving Open 2000 with 5/6, ahead of several strong Masters. In the Junior Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
,
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
2001, he placed clear second with 7/9, behind winner Yaacov Vaingorten. He won the Canadian Grade 7 Championship in 2001, and in the Canadian Youth Championship 2001 (Boys' U14 Group), held at Sackville, New Brunswick
Sackville, New Brunswick
Sackville is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town...
, he took clear first with 6.5/7. Staying on for the Canadian Open Chess Championship
Canadian Open Chess Championship
The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
, also at Sackville, his successful run continued with a superb tied 3rd-7th place, with 7.5/10, and only one loss, behind only winners Anthony Miles (in his last tournament before his death a few weeks later) and Larry Christiansen.
Youngest Canadian IM
A few weeks later, Bluvshtein became the youngest International Master in Canadian history, at age 13, when he scored 6/9 at the Zonal Closed Canadian Chess ChampionshipCanadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
in Montreal. He tied for 3rd-4th places, behind only winners Kevin Spraggett
Kevin Spraggett
Kevin Spraggett is a Canadian chess grandmaster. He is the fourth Canadian to earn the grandmaster title, after Abe Yanofsky, Duncan Suttles and Peter Biyiasas. Spraggett is the only Canadian to have qualified for the Candidates' level, having done so in 1985 and 1988...
and Alexandre LeSiege
Alexandre Lesiège
Alexandre Lesiège is a Canadian chess grandmaster, who has won three Canadian championships and represented Canada in World Championship qualifying events and Olympiads....
.
He won the 2001 Toronto Christmas Open with 4.5/5.
In 2002, he won the Canadian Grade 8 Championship, and made a perfect score of 8/8 in the Canadian Youth Championship (Boys' U14 Group). Then, in the Canadian Open Chess Championship
Canadian Open Chess Championship
The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
, Montreal 2002, he tied for 4th-10th places, with 7.5/10, behind only winners
Jean-Marc Degraeve
Jean-Marc Degraeve
Jean-Marc Degraeve is a Grandmaster of chess from France.-Accomplishments:Degraeve won the French Junior Championship in 1987, and had attained the title of International Master in 1991, followed by the Grandmaster title in 1998. He played for France in various international tournaments,...
, Pascal Charbonneau
Pascal Charbonneau
Pascal Charbonneau is a Canadian Grandmaster of chess, a financial analyst, and an avid supporter of the NYC Club, Tenjune...
, and Jean Hebert
Jean Hébert
Jean Hébert is a Canadian International Master of chess, an International Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess, and a chess writer, journalist, and commentator. He is the current Canadian chess champion, a title he first won in 1978. He tied for this title in 2007 as well, but lost in playoffs...
. Bluvshtein's first Grandmaster round-robin was the 2002 Montreal International, where he tied for 10th-11th places with a creditable 4/11; the winner was Degraeve. Just a couple of weeks later in the 2nd Chess'n Math Association
Chess'n Math Association
The Chess'n Math Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing chess into Canadian schools...
Futurity in Toronto, he tied for 1st-4th places, with 6/9, along with Yuri Shulman, Walter Arencibia
Walter Arencibia
Walter Arencibia is a Cuban chess grandmaster. He learned chess at the age of eight and has won various tournaments, including the 1986 World Junior Chess Championship, for which he automatically gained the International Master title. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster in 1990...
, and Dmitry Tyomkin, missing a GM norm by only half a point. In the Toronto Labour Day Open 2002, he tied for first at 5/6 with Goran Milicevic.
Youngest Canadian Grandmaster
In June 2003, Bluvshtein scored his first Grandmaster norm at a Grandmaster Round Robin tournament in Balatonlelle, Hungary, by winning his last three games and finishing with 6.5/9. Bluvshtein scored solidly at the 2003 GuelphGuelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
International, with 5/9. But he had a rough tournament at the 2003 Montreal International, as he could only score 3.5/11 in a very powerful field which had nine GMs out of 12 competitors. However, he was gaining the necessary experience to earn the higher title.
Bluvshtein switched trainers, working with Grandmaster Dmitry Tyomkin for a time, with success. With funding assistance from generous chess patron and successful businessman Sid Belzberg, Bluvshtein was able to work with Israeli Grandmaster Alexander Huzman
Alexander Huzman
Alexander Huzman is an Israeli Chess Grandmaster and trainer., his Elo rating was 2596, making him the # 9 player in Israel and the 188th-highest rated player in the world...
, and this provided the impetus for his next qualitative advance.
Bluvshtein made a very impressive Grandmaster norm at the 2004 Canadian Open Chess Championship
Canadian Open Chess Championship
The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
in Kapuskasing, where he played eight Grandmasters in ten rounds, while scoring 6.5/10 to tie for 13th-26th places; he played by far the toughest schedule in the tournament, as he beat the highly experienced Vladimir Epishin
Vladimir Epishin
Vladimir Epishin is a Russian chess grandmaster with an Elo-rating of 2610.He finished third in the 58th USSR Chess Championship...
and Arencibia, and lost only one game.
The next month, at the 2004 Montreal International, he made his third and final qualifying Grandmaster result with 6.5/11 to place fourth; the winner was Zahar Efimenko
Zahar Efimenko
Zahar Efimenko is a Ukrainian chess player. He has been a grandmaster since 2002.-Chess career:In 1999 Efimenko won the U-14 World Youth Chess Championship in Oropesa del Mar, Spain. In the same year he was a member of the Ukrainian national youth team, which won the U-16 Chess Olympiad in Artek,...
. Then he placed third, following a tie-break playoff, at the Zonal Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
in Toronto, with 6.5/9, behind only co-winners Charbonneau and Eric Lawson. A couple of months later, Bluvshtein raised his International rating above 2500, completing the requirements for the GM title, and he received it at age 16 at the Calvià
Calvià
Calvià is a municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is located in the southwestern part of the island of Majorca, between the Serra de Tramuntana and the Serra de Na Burguesa. The municipal seat is the town of Vila Calvia.Calvià...
Olympiad, where he made a further Grandmaster norm, for good measure!
Bluvshtein won the Canadian Youth Championship (Under 18 Group) in 2005, and tied for first in a powerful field at the Canadian Open Chess Championship
Canadian Open Chess Championship
The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
at Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
2005, with 8/10. He defeated super-GM Alexei Shirov
Alexei Shirov
Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
in a dazzling sacrificial game.
In 2006, Bluvshtein tied for 2nd-5th places at the Zonal Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
in Toronto, with 6.5/9, behind only champion Igor Zugic
Igor Zugic
Igor Zugic , is a Canadian International Master of chess who was the 2006 Canadian Champion. He is an engineer by profession.Zugic was born in Yugoslavia and emigrated to Canada with his family at age 12, settling in Toronto...
. Bluvshtein shared the title at the Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
First Saturday tournament in June 2007, with 8/11. He scored 7/10, unbeaten, in the 2007 Canadian Open Chess Championship
Canadian Open Chess Championship
The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
in Ottawa. At Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
2007, he defeated former world finalist Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
.
Youngest Canadian Olympian
Bluvshtein was first selected to play for the Canadian Olympiad team at age 14 in 2002; this tied the record for the youngest Canadian male chess Olympian, first set by Daniel YanofskyDaniel Yanofsky
Daniel Abraham Yanofsky, OC, QC was Canada's first chess grandmaster, an eight-time Canadian Chess Champion, a chess writer, a chess arbiter, and a lawyer.-Life in chess:...
in 1939. Bluvshtein was also selected in 2004 and 2006. He played excellently each time.
- Bled 200235th Chess OlympiadThe 35th Chess Olympiad took place from October 25th to November 11th, 2002, in Bled, . In the men's tournament there were 136 teams, and in the women's, 92 teams...
: 1st reserve: 8/11, +7 =2 -2, 2553 performance; - Calvià 200436th Chess OlympiadThe 36th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 14 and October 31, 2004, in Calvià on the Spanish island of Majorca.-Chess...
: 3rd board: 8.5/12, +7 =3 -2; 2638 performance; - Turin 200637th Chess OlympiadThe 37th Chess Olympiad, comprising an open and women's tournament and the general assembly of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs , took place between 20 May and 6 June 2006, in Turin, Italy.-Open tournament:...
: 2nd board: 7.5/11, +5 =5 -1; 2576 performance.
His totals so far for Canada in Olympiad play are: 34 games, +19 =10 -5, for 70.6 per cent.
Bluvshtein was selected as the Canadian Chess Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. http://web.ncf.ca/bw998/canchess.html#BLUVSHTEIN
Bluvshtein is currently attending York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto, majoring in Science and Technology Studies.
Notable chess games
- Dmitri Tyomkin vs Mark Bluvshtein, Oakham 2001, Bogo-Indian Defence (E11), 0-1 Young Mark downs a Grandmaster at just age 13.
- Mark Bluvshtein vs Irina Krush, New York Generation Chess International 2003, Sicilian Defence, Richter-Rauzer Variation (B66), 1-0 Bluvshtein defeats one of the world's best young woman players.
- Mark Bluvshtein vs Dmitri Tyomkin, Canadian Zonal Championship, Toronto 2004, Sicilian Defence, Kan / Taimanov Variation (B42), 1-0 Crafty maneuvering eventually explodes into tactical fireworks.
- Mark Bluvshtein vs Ognjen Cvitan, Calvia Olympiad 2004, King's Indian Defence, Classical Variation (E91), 1-0 Impressive positional performance against a strong GM.
- Mark Bluvshtein vs Viacheslav Dydyshko, Calvia Olympiad 2004, Nimzo-Indian Defence (E20), 1-0 Bluvshtein has played some important original games in this variation.
- Mark Bluvshtein vs Normunds Meizis, Calvia Olympiad 2004, Budapest Defence, Rubinstein Variation (A52), 1-0 Bluvshtein defeats Black's sharp offbeat opening in precise positional style.
- Mark Bluvshtein vs Ildar Khairullin, World Youth Championship, Boys' Under 18 Group, Belfort 2005, Benko Gambit, Fianchetto Variation (A58), 1-0 Another sharp opening is dealt with in fine fashion.
- Alexei Shirov vs Mark Bluvshtein, Canadian Open, Edmonton 2005, Petroff Defence (C42), 0-1 Bluvshtein's biggest scalp to date, as Shirov is humbled when Black sacrifices two pieces.
- Nigel Short vs Mark Bluvshtein, Montreal International 2007, King's Gambit Accepted (C34), 0-1 Former World Finalist Short sacrifices his Queen for strong attacking chances, but Bluvshtein defends perfectly and scores with his counterattack.