About Ilya Smirin
Ilya (or Ilia) Smirin (Hebrew: איליה יוליביץ' סמירין; Belarusian: Ілля Юльевіч Смірын, romanized: Illa Juljevič Smiryn; Russian: Илья Юльевич Смирин, romanized: Ilya Yulievich Smirin; born January 21, 1968) is a Belarusian-Israeli chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1990. Champion of Israel in 1992, 2002 and 2023. == Chess career == Born in Vitebsk, Smirin's chess career began in the Soviet Union. He was certified as a chess teacher by the Belorussian State Institute of Physical Culture in Minsk. In 1987, Smirin won the championship of the Byelorussian SSR. In 1992, he immigrated to Israel and has since been one of the leading Israeli players. Smirin competed in four FIDE World Championships (1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004) and in three FIDE World Cups (2005, 2009, and 2015). Smirin's tournament successes include equal first places at Sverdlovsk 1987, New York 1994, and the 2002 Israeli Championship. He has also won the first league of the USSR Championship (1987, 1989), the Israel Championship (1992, 1994, 1999), and the qualifying tournaments for the 1994 and 1995 PCA World Grand Prix. In 2000, he won the New York Open in its last edition.
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