R.I.P.: Mark Dvoretsky (9.12.1947 to 26.09.2016)

by André Schulz
9/26/2016 – Today, the Russian Chess Federation announced that the well-known Russian chess coach and author Mark Dvoretsky had died. As a young player Dvoretsky was a promising talent but he soon decided to end his career as a player to focus on a career as a coach. Since then he has supported and trained countless strong players and has helped many of them to make it to the top.

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Today, the well-known Russian chess coach and author Mark Dvoretsky died suddenly at the age of 68.

Mark Dvoretsky - strong player and fantastic coach

Mark Israilewitsch Dvoretsky was born on 9th December 1947 in Moscow. After finishing his studies of Mathematics and Economics in 1972 Dvoretsky focused on a career as chess trainer and among other things worked for Botvinnik's school of chess.

As a young player Dvoretsky achieved a number of notable sucesses: in 1973 he won the Championship of Moscow and in 1974 he finished fifth at the USSR-Championship in Leningrad. One year later, in 1975, he won the B-tournament in Wijk aan Zee. But he soon decided to focus on his career as a chess trainer

Dvoretsky has trained countless strong players, and among his regular students are well-known players such as Valery Chechov, Nana Alexandria, Sergei Dolmatov, Alexej Dreev and Artur Jussupow. Among the players who occasionally trained with Dvoretsky are Garry Kasparov, Viswanthan Anand, Veselin Topalov, Evgeny Bareev, Viktor Bologan, Loek van Wely and lots of others.

One training method of Dvoretsky was to play selected positions with both colors against his students - and he often surprised his students by winning the same position with Black and with White.

Dvoretsky was an International Master and FIDE Senior Trainer. He published a number of textbooks, sometimes with Artur Jussupow as co-author. ChessBase published a digital version of his "Endgame Manual".

Dvoretsky was a firm part of chess life in Moscow and popular guest at chess events all over the world.

Russian Chess Federation...

 

André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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taupette taupette 9/27/2016 08:39
Sad new... I have two of his books : Endgame Manual and Analytical Training.
You read this and it's an entire world that opens to you.
What I learned from him is that analysis never ends.
Be patient and work !

Thank's a lot and RIP Mark. Maybe you'll meet Lasker in heaven !
KevinC KevinC 9/27/2016 12:58
A great loss. I have three of his books in my bedside table. He also once smoked me (NM) and all of the other FMs and IMs at a friends house in blitz.

As someone, who once owned 1800 chess books, Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual is the best chess book ever written, in my opinion. It will teach you more practically than any other book.
Denix Denix 9/27/2016 12:11
I haven't been shocked like this by Chessbase. RIP great mentor ...
scoobeedo scoobeedo 9/27/2016 04:39
I met him sometimes in munich when he trained Yussupov. His training was amazing.

R.I.P.l Mark
ujima24 ujima24 9/27/2016 12:59
r.i.p
KrushonIrina KrushonIrina 9/26/2016 11:59
The sound you hear is one of whole future chess libraries burning.

The man was a giant of the game.
billvan61 billvan61 9/26/2016 11:21
Not simply a great coach, player, and analyst, but a wise and generous commentator in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the great players (read his insightful comments on Tal in his Analytical Manual, pp. 263-276; see also his comments on Fischer, pp. 183-208). He sought truth over the chessboard and expended decades of his life in pursuit of it. His readers were the happy recipients of his tireless search. He reminded me of a truth about certain authors, how reading their books makes one wish one could have met them and thanked them for their dedication to chess. He is irreplaceable.
bbrodinsky bbrodinsky 9/26/2016 07:52
Best endgame book ever. What a loss
Heavygeardiver Heavygeardiver 9/26/2016 07:29
Great master and teacher. R.I.P.
digupagal digupagal 9/26/2016 07:25
The first complicated chess book i read was "Secrets of chess training"

That led me to impression of how complicated chess is, and how do these guys analyse, one of the best author IMO. you could actually live through his process of teahing yusupov and dolmatov.

RIP Mark , i always read his book with some story (tournament) behind it, and now the storyteller is gone.........
Camembert Camembert 9/26/2016 06:31
May your name be inscribed in the "Book of Life" !
We will miss you !
Rooplal Rooplal 9/26/2016 05:53
True shocking news to read that this great figure in chess has left us. R.I.P. Mark.
X iLeon aka DMG X iLeon aka DMG 9/26/2016 05:33
Oh! I am shocked! He looked fine in the last live event I remember watching him attend. He was arguably the most prolific trainer of the last few decades, influencing so many other trainers and schools. But also such a nice person! He will be missed!
mozartiano123 mozartiano123 9/26/2016 05:24
My Sincere condolemnses to the family and close friends.
It is an imense loss to chess world.
R.I.P Mark, and thanks for everything.
Mr TambourineMan Mr TambourineMan 9/26/2016 05:22
69 aint that bad. Hope to beat that but one should be glad of the years one get and fill them with Life. His books was full of Life one must say. RIP Mark from a happy reader!
MJFitch MJFitch 9/26/2016 05:18
I love his books. He was just giving interviews it seems like a few days ago..."Tomorrow is promised to no one???"
Chess has lost another icon...
R.I.P. Mark Israilewitsch Dvoretsky 
fightingchess fightingchess 9/26/2016 04:50
i am shocked. i learned so much from his books. Such a fantastic trainer. RIP.
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