Ivan Cheparinov

Ivan Cheparinov (born November 26, 1986 in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian Grandmaster. He is quarter-finalist at the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk 2007.

Career

Coached by his father, Nedelcho Cheparinov, Ivan started playing chess at the age of five. Seven years later, when barely reaching his teen years, he won the junior title of Bulgaria. In 2000 he claimed the third place on Wijk an Zee, working up the IM norm and catching the eye of manager, Silvio Danailov. In 2004 Ivan became national champion of Bulgaria and received his GM status in October the same year.

Until 2007, he was best-known as the second of former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov. Cheparinov was responsible for many of the opening novelties Topalov played during his 2006 World Championship match against Vladimir Kramnik.

In October 2006 Cheparinov won the Essent Open in Hoogeveen with 7/9, and in April 2007 he won the Sigeman & Co tournament in Malmoe with the same score. He also shared first place—with six others—at the 2007 European Individual Chess Championship in Dresden, but Vladislav Tkachiev won the tie-break.

On the January 2008 FIDE rating list, Cheparinov was for the first time rated higher than 2700—often seen as the line that separates "elite" players.