Yermolinsky, Alex  - Khmelnitsky, Igor (left, black pieces)

1996 US Closed Championship

I was born in Kiev, Ukraine. My father Naum taught me Chess at age 6. My mother Polina brought  to the "Avangard" chess club when I was 9.

 

I participated in several individual and team events on local,  regional and national level. I was a member of Ukrainian Junior team along with current super GMs Vassiliy Ivanchuk, Boris Alterman and others... Thanks to M. Gorbachev's policies, in 1989 I played my first tournament abroad.

 

Currently I live and work in King of Prussia, a suburb of Philadelphia - "The City of Brotherly Love!" and a home of the World Open. I share my success with my beautiful wife Svetlana, son Alec and daughter Nikki. I  have a degree in Business from Temple University. I work as an actuary for Aetna inc. Chess is my passion! I still play, coach, write and do some public speaking, trying to promote this great game.

 

The Player The Coach The Writer

 

 

The Player

International Chess Master (since 1991)

Highest FIDE Rating 2495; Highest USCF Rating 2644;

 

International Tournament Results

Winner or shared 1st Place in Major International Tournaments

Europe  -

1989 - Ruse Open (Bulgaria) 

1990 - Crancal Open (Germany) 

1990 - Shibenik, Porech Opens  (Yugoslavia)

1990 - L'vov Invitational Stein Memorial (Ukraine)

  USA -

1992, 1993, 1995 Liberty Bell Open

1993 Philadelphia Open

1995 PA State Co-Champion

2001 National Congress

Several times NJ Open Champion

Participant of 1995 and 1996 US Championship (top 14 US players Invited).

Participant of 2001/2002 US Championship

 

Playing and Beating World Elite GMs

I have Victories in a tournament game against the following Grandmasters:

Alburt, Alterman, Aseev, Bologan, Brodsky, Garcia, Golod, Golubev, Gurevich D., Dlugy, Ivanov A., Komarov, Michalchishin, Maximenko, Palatnik, Ruban, Romanishin, Svechinikov, Shabalov, Wolf, Yermolinsky and others

Play over some of my most important wins against GMs, games from the recent events, my best games ever!

 

 

The Coach

 

Coaching Experience:

Check my training methods, examples and offers and comments from my students.

 

The Writer

Writing:

 

Chess Exam Matches against Chess Legends: You vs. Bobby Fischer, play the match, rate yourself, improve your game!

 

You will see examples from Bobby Fischer's games that are educational, and entertaining, and can be studied without a board. In each of the "games" you will take a seat of Fischer's opponent and be asked to come up with an assessment and a move. Based on your response you are assigned points towards your rating evaluation and a game score towards your "match." Once finished, you will learn how well you have done in the "match," have an estimate of your rating, and know what you need to work on to improve your game.

 

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In 2007, Chess Exam and Training Guide: Tactics provided readers with 30 rating reports to help assess and improve their Tactical skills. It became a best-seller and generated a lot of positive feedback  

Joel Benjamin, grandmaster, former U.S. Champion: "...With innovative methodology Chess Exam and Training Guide: Tactics, aspires to rise a cut above other books in this genre...I love the creative and novel approach to quizzing....The variations of themes is so impressive... The selections of positions and posing of questions is skillfully done that every page is a learning experience..."

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Press Release (11/2006) from Kasparov Chess Foundation: The three-volume curriculum, titled Teaching Chess Step by Step, features a Teacher's Manual (336 pages), Exercises (160 pages) and Activities (48 pages). Authored by notable chess educators Igor Khmelnitsky, Michael Khodarkovsky and Michael Zadorozny, and editorialized by Pete Tamburro, the materials provide teachers with mechanics to lead a group of beginning students from the rudiments of chess rules to the ability of playing a full game in a competent manner. Combined, they bring a 21st Century approach to teaching one of the oldest strategy games in existence.

 

My main contribution was writing the entire Exercises book. I am very pleased with the final product. Schools can get the books free, so please pass the information.

 

My first book Chess Exam and Training Guide: Rate Yourself and Learn How to Improve (2004) is a big hit with players and experts. Winner of the 2005 Cramer Award - Best Chess Book by Chess Journalists of America. Made the "Short list" - top 3, in 2004 Book of the Year voting by the readers of ChessCafe.com. Translated into French, Italian and Russian. 

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I am a contributing author to Wall Street Journal bestseller  Masters of Success Proven Techniques for Achieving Success in Business and Life (2004). 

Here are some other contributors to this inspiring book: Erin Brokovich, Tom Hopkins, John Gray, Wayne Dyer, Vince Lombardi Jr., Michael Gerber, Tony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen, Harvey Mackay, Lou Holtz, Brian Tracy, Tony Alessandra and many others.

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Over the years my work has been published in various chess media. Among them are most prestigious publications – Chess Informant, New in Chess, ChessBase, 64, Chess Life, Chess Today and others.