Mihail Marin

GM Mihail Marin, born in 1965, has several times been Romanian champion, played in 12 Olympiads (earning an individual bronze medal in 1988) and first made the leap over the Elo barrier of 2600 in 2001. Marin possesses a rare gift for a grandmaster — he is able to explain in readily comprehensible terms the ideas behind moves, variations and positions. This ability is there for all to admire in his contributions to ChessBase Magazine. Marin has written or co-authored more than a dozen books which have earned the highest of praise, among them are "Secrets of Chess Defence" and "Learn from the legends". Marin lives in Bucharest and is married to women's FIDE Master Maria Yugina.

Recent news

Mihail Marin: My most memorable game

7/7/2021 – A multiple Romanian champion, Mihail Marin’s first major international success was achieved in 1987, when he qualified to the Interzonal Tournament played in Szirák. A famed author, he was described by Jeremy Silman as “one of the world’s finest chess writers”. Marin shares with us his most memorable game, a fantastic win with the white pieces played at the 1996 Chess Olympiad in Yerevan.

Attacking with opposite-coloured bishops

5/22/2020 – There are a few rules of thumb about opposite-coloured bishops, e.g. "in the middlegame, they favour the attacker" or "endgames with opposite-coloured bishops are difficult to win". But there are also guidelines how to attack in a middlegame with opposite-coloured bishops. In ChessBase Magazine #195 Mihail Marin shows how strong players handle opposite-coloured bishops in complex positions. Have a look!
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NEW: Marin’s English Love

3/7/2019 – A two-volume series on the English Opening from opening theoretician and Grandmaster MIHAIL MARIN who offers a complete repertoire for White after 1.c4! For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs.

Seniors triumph in a natural paradise

7/12/2018 – Grandmaster MIHAIL MARIN reflects on the attractive environs, inside and outside the playing hall, at the 10th Capo d'Orso International ACP Open. GM Karen Movsziszian took top honours with 7½ / 9. | Pictured: From left to right: International arbiter Laurent Freyd, Mihail Marin (2nd), Karen Movsziszian (1st), Vladislav Nevednichy (3rd) and organizer/the tournament's factotum Yuri Garrett | Photo: Caissa Italia

The Global Chess Festival 2015 (2/2)

10/27/2015 – The first report about the Global Chess Festival in Budapest conveyed a general impression of the Festival and showed how visitors saw the 1000 faces of chess. The second part brings analyses of the games of the Highlander Cup and shows the many different ideas and ways Judit Polgar and her organizing team had to attract children to chess. Pictures, games, analyses .

The Global Chess Festival 2015

10/22/2015 – Judit Polgar became a grandmaster in 1992 when she was 15 years and four months old. At that time she was the youngest grandmaster of all time, breaking Bobby Fischer's record from 1958 by one month. She soon developed into the best female player of all time. Now she helps to make chess more popular, for instance, by organising the Global Chess Festival.

Mihail Marin: Winning against the Grünfeld

3/11/2015 – Writing about your openings is tricky. Revealing your secrets is good for your readers but what if they are your future opponents? But Mihail Marin knows that things are not that easy. He follows his recommendations because he trusts them. Against a well-prepared opponent this recently gave him another chance to win against the Grünfeld.

India wins U16 Olympiad in Gyor

12/23/2014 – The U16 Olympiad finished with drama. Before the last round the Iranians led the field and winning against Hungary would have given them gold. But they lost and finished third. Now India secured gold by beating Turkey convincingly. Russia won against Ukraine to take silver. Mihail Marin sends a final report with pictures and an interview with Judit Polgar.

Gyor, U16: Surprises, fun and delight

12/20/2014 – Chess talents from all over the world gather at the U-16 World Youth Chess Olympiad in Gyor, Hungary. In the first rounds Russia and India dominated the event but in the seventh round Russia suffered a surprising upset and lost to the Iranian team. After eight rounds India and Iran share the lead with 14 from 16 possible points. One point behind Russia is third.

U16 Olympiad began in Gyor

12/15/2014 – Judit Polgar promotes chess whenever she can. At the moment she supports the U16 Olympiad in Gyor, Hungary. 54 teams from more than 40 countries compete. In the past players such as Nigel Short, Wesley So or Kateryna Lahno showed their talent in U16 Olympiads. But future world class player or not, for all participants it will be a memorable chess event.

Marin on Tromso R4 – battle of the kings

8/6/2014 – In team events often the top games end in rapid draws, while it is left to the lower-ranked players to decide the ultimate outcome of the matches. Our commentator GM Mihail Marin knows the feeling from his early youth. He prefers it when, just like medieval hero kings, the players on the top boards decide the matches – which happened in some of the top encounters of round four.

Marin on Tromso R3 – Breaking Black

8/5/2014 – Sounds like a smash hit TV series but it has nothing to do with drugs: we are talking about the problem White faces these day, when up against fashionable hyper-solid lines. But at the very top of the Elo scale in Tromsø Black's walls – Berlin, Petroff and Dutch – did not always stand up to White's pressure, as GM Mihail Marin shows in these three wonderfully annotated games.

Marin on Tromso R2 – round two selection

8/3/2014 – For many participants, one of the main attractions of the Olympiads is the presence of World Champions (the reigning one, former ones and, who knows, maybe the next one). And the champions themselves do not mind rubbing shoulders with mere mortals, even though this may look risky for their ratings. GM Mihail Marin looks at three interesting and exciting games.

Marin on Tromso – round one selection

8/2/2014 – More than six hundred games are played per day at the Chess Olympiad in Tromsø – which should you watch and which replay after the round is over. The most important games are covered in our report, which appears soon after the round is over. As a special service we have asked one of our star commentators, GM Mihail Marin, to shine the spotlight on other interesting and exciting games.
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