GMIvan Cheparinov

Ivan Cheparinov was born in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria, in 1986 and learned chess at five. He won the Bulgarian junior championship in 2000. He became a grandmaster in 2004, the year of his first national championship. He added Bulgarian titles in 2005, 2012 and 2018. Alongside his own playing career, he worked as a second for Veselin Topalov.

Cheparinov shared first at the Essent Open in 2006 and the Morelia Open in 2007. He won the 2007 Sigeman tournament outright and joined the tie for first at that year's European Individual Championship. He won successive Ruy López Masters tournaments in 2009 and 2010. In 2012, he took first on tiebreak at the Politiken Cup in Copenhagen. He won the 2014 Gibraltar Masters after a playoff. He also competed in five World Cups between 2005 and 2017. His teaching later included courses for Killer Chess Training on his work with Topalov and on middlegame pawn sacrifices.