It is Never Too Late to Become a Grandmaster

“Chess is not for the faint of heart,” Steinitz once said. I agree 100%! Chess players do not need pumped up muscles, they need a stable neuropsychic organization. How else can you resist the constant pressure that every nerve cell of the player experiences? I don’t always like this constant struggle with the stress that hangs over you, especially when you are wrong in a winning position. And in recent years, another “problem” has been added – incredibly powerful computer engines that younger opponents skillfully use in preparation for the game. But when you win a beautiful game or use a theoretical novelty invented at home (albeit with the help of a computer), or defend a difficult hopeless position, how great it is! And at such moments you don’t think what chess is – it is science, art or sport. At times like these, they are just part of your life.” ~ Vladimir Okhotnic

After graduating from Dnepropetrovsk University with a degree as a mechanical engineer with a specialty in rocket engines, Vladimir chose the career of a professional chess player! From that time till 1983 he worked at the Dnepropetrovsk University as a professor of sports where a chess specialization was experimentally opened. In 1976 he became a national master. In 1979 he won the Ukrainian Championship but in 1980 only finishing in third place. In 1981, as a member of the Ukrainian National Team, he played in Moscow at the USSR Team Championship. Having moved to Transcarpathia in 1983, Vladimir, having taken part in an international tournament for the first time, won the Hungarian Open Championship in Eger in 1984 (in 2000 in Zalakaros he repeated this success ), and in 1987 he became an International Master. In 1988, for the first time playing in the West, in France, Vladimir won the famous open tournament Cappelle la Grand (during his career, Vladimir either won or placed as a prize winner in more than 100 international events held in Europe) and two years later he received an invitation to play in the French team championship. In 2006, Vladimir moved to the French Chess Federation. At the FIDE congress (Torino, Italy), the French Chess Federation submits documents for conferring the title of Grandmaster to Vladimir, but due to a referee's error, the title was not awarded . Already playing under the French flag Vladimir was 2nd at the European Senior Championship held in Courmayer, Italy in 2011. In addition to this victory he won the World Senior Championship in 2011 held in Opatija, Croatia, thereby earning the title of International Grandmaster. 

• Casa editrice Thinkers Publishing
• Code 7944
• Anno 2021
• Pagine 320
• Isbn 9789464201284