foto · Šahovski savez Srbije
Portrait · GM
Bojan
Maksimović
A grandmaster from Banja Luka and Serbia’s 2026 champion. In these games, passed pawns connect positional play with tactics.
Years
2002
Title
GM
City
Banja Luka
FIDE ID
14408120
Rating peak
2537 (July 2026)
Bojan Maksimovic, born in Banja Luka in 2002, earned the FIDE Master title in 2017, International Master in 2021 and Grandmaster in 2025. He joined the Serbian federation in early 2026.
He won the national championship that same year. Before that success, he had already advanced past the opening round of the World Cup.
At the 2025 World Cup in Goa, Maksimovic faced Turkish grandmaster Emre Can in round one. Two classical draws were followed by two wins in the rapid tiebreak.
In the second of those wins, the queens are exchanged but the position remains tense. White creates a passed queenside pawn and activates a rook behind it.
Bojan Maksimović - Emre Can · World Cup 2025, Goa (round 1, rapid tiebreak), 2025.11.03
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Move · · starting position
0/77 · ← →
0/77 · ← →
?! inaccuracy? mistake?? blunder
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Maksimovic–Can, Goa 2025: after 38.b6 Rb7, White plays 39.Ra5. The rook enters the a-file while the b-pawn restricts Black’s pieces.
Anish Giri eliminated Maksimovic in round two. The Goa appearance preceded his federation change, announced by the Serbian Chess Federation in January 2026.
At the Serbian Championship in Senta in June 2026, Maksimovic scored 6½ points from nine games, finishing ahead of Stefan Tadic and Mikhail Bryakin.
His win against Ivan Ivanisevic produces an unusual material balance: White loses the queen but retains active minor pieces. Pause before 31.d6+ and examine the diagonal of the bishop on b3.
Bojan Maksimović - Ivan Ivanišević · 20th Serbian Championship, Senta (round 5, board 1), 2026.06.17
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Move · · starting position
0/61 · ← →
0/61 · ← →
?! inaccuracy? mistake?? blunder
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Maksimovic–Ivanisevic, Senta 2026: 31.d6+ uncovers a check from the b3-bishop while the d6-pawn attacks the queen on e7.
In both wins a pawn advances deep into enemy territory, but with different roles. Against Can it ties pieces to defence; against Ivanisevic its move uncovers check while attacking the queen.
These are useful exercises: before each pawn break, check which lines open and which piece gains a new target.