International Master Kostya Kavutskiy of Mountain View, California is a chess professional who has done it all.
He's travelled to Europe to play in high-level tournaments... written for big-name chess magazines and publishers... coached countless students across every skill level... and created interactive courses for your favorite chess training platform.
Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Kavutskiy was raised in Los Angeles and picked up the game from his grandfather when he was 5 years old. He turned out to be a formidable scholastic player — winning local tournaments and delivering strong performances at several national junior events.
However, it wasn't until Kavutskiy took lessons from professional coaches that he made a significant leap in playing strength. The private sessions not only pumped up his over-the-board skills. They also helped him develop a strong work ethic and play fearless chess, especially when facing higher-rated players.
By the time he was 16, Kavutskiy had reached a rating of 2200 and earned the National Master title.
The year 2014 was particularly fruitful for the Californian chess master. Not only did he earn his MBA from Lindenwood University. Kavutskiy also won the 26th Southern California State Invitational Chess Championship without dropping a single game!
Kavutskiy credits intense calculation and visualization training as the primary driver of his progress in chess.
Now that he's a FIDE trainer and course creator, Kavutskiy is out to teach the same thinking methods and decision-making techniques that brought him his biggest successes yet.
