Grandmaster Ivan Cheparinov (peak 2718 FIDE) may not be a name you'd find in the most prestigious and publicized chess tournaments today. But this native of Asenovgrad, Bulgaria is no stranger to top-level competition.
After picking up the game as a five-year-old, Cheparinov wasted no time climbing the ranks, and won the junior championship of Bulgaria in 2000. In 2004, only a few years after his first national-level success, he won the Bulgarian championship — a feat which he would repeat three more times in 2005, 2012 and 2018.
Cheparinov was also a frequent participant in the FIDE World Cup. He played in the 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015 and 2017 editions of the tournament — and bested many super-grandmasters including Vasyl Ivanchuk (peak 2787 FIDE), Shakhiryar Mamedyarov (peak 2820 FIDE), and Wang Yue (peak 2756 FIDE).
Cheparinov also found success in many opens and invitationals.
He shared first place in the 2006 Essent Open, where he didn't drop a single game in nine rounds. He also shared first place at the 2007 Morelia Open, scoring 6/7 for a whopping 85% win rate. And in the 2007 Sigeman & Co. Invitational, he finished clear first with 1.5 points over the closest competitor.
Cheparinov's performance in the 2009 and 2010 Ruy Lopez Masters also echoed in the chess world, especially in the last edition where he finished with a performance rating of 2904. He also won or shared first place in the 2012 Politiken Cup, 2014 Tradewise Gibraltar Open, 2020 and 2021 Sunway Sitges Open... and the list just keeps on growing!
Perhaps one can say he's "Ivan the Terrible" of open tournaments.
Away from the board, however, Cheparinov was best known as the second of FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov.
Many of his novelties were critical to the champ's success, including the surprising knight sacrifice in Topalov - Kramnik, Corus Group A, 2008. So it's no surprise that other top players like Alireza Firouzja have enlisted his help, especially in the opening.
In 2020, Cheparinov earned the FIDE senior trainer title, and entered the world of chess instruction. If you want to experience what it's like to learn chess from one of its most successful players and analysts, check out his courses below and see if for yourself.
