Mark Bluvshtein

Mark Bluvshtein
Mark Bluvshtein, Barcelona 2010
Full name	Mark Bluvshtein
Country	Canada
Born	(1988-04-20) April 20, 1988 (age 28) Yaroslavl, Soviet Union
Title	Grandmaster
FIDE rating	2590 (March 2017)

Mark Bluvshtein (born 20 April 1988 in Yaroslavl, Soviet Union) is a Soviet-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. As of October 2011, he is no longer listed as an active FIDE player and has stated to be pursuing "other goals".

Bluvshtein graduated from York University in Toronto, majoring in Science and Technology Studies. He is currently taking a break from competitive chess.

Bluvshtein and his family moved from Russia to Israel when he was five years old. They moved again, to Toronto, 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).

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 Dvoretsky 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 Tony Miles (in his last tournament before his death a few weeks later) and Larry Christiansen.