foto · GFHund · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Portrait · GM
Ivan
Ivanišević
Seven Serbian titles and a broad chess repertoire, from Sicilian counterattacks to precise endgames.
Years
1977
Title
GM
FIDE ID
912417
Rating peak
2665 (January 2016)
Games in the archive
1
Ivan Ivanisevic, born in 1977, became a grandmaster in 2000. He won the Serbian Championship seven times: in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2025. In July 2025, he was appointed acting head coach of Serbia's men's national team. His games show the range of skills behind that career.
At the 1999 Yugoslav Championship, he had Black against Dragoljub Velimirovic, one of the country's best-known attacking players. White advances his pawns and castles queenside. Ivanisevic responds on that side of the board: a rook sacrifice on c3 opens a route to White's king.
Dragoljub Velimirović - Ivan Ivanišević · Yugoslav Championship 1999, 1999.03.23
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Move · · starting position
0/46 · ← →
0/46 · ← →
?! inaccuracy? mistake?? blunder
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Velimirovic–Ivanisevic, 1999: 19...Rxc3 opens White's castled position, and a bishop delivers decisive checks on a3 and c1.
Against Slavoljub Marjanovic in the 2013 Serbian First League, Ivanisevic has White and advances his f- and g-pawns early. Watch the centre too: 19.d6 makes it harder for Black to develop. White's queen and rook then join the attack while Black's king is still seeking safety.
Ivan Ivanišević - Slavoljub Marjanović · Serbian First League 2013, 2013.08.25
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Move · · starting position
0/49 · ← →
0/49 · ← →
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Ivanisevic–Marjanovic, Serbian First League 2013: the central push 19.d6, a queen check on h5 and a rook entering on b7 lead to a 25-move win.
The third game changes the pace. With Black against sixteen-year-old Magnus Carlsen at the 2007 European Team Championship, Ivanisevic reaches an endgame from a Catalan Opening. After the queen exchange, his rook enters the second rank and his knight finds active squares.
Magnus Carlsen - Ivan Ivanišević · European Team Championship 2007, Heraklion, 2007.11.06
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Move · · starting position
0/84 · ← →
0/84 · ← →
?! inaccuracy? mistake?? blunder
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Carlsen–Ivanisevic, European Team Championship 2007: after the queens come off, Black's rook and knight work together against White's pawns.
Ivanisevic scored 11½/13 at the 2009 Serbian Championship and won the title again sixteen years later. That longevity takes more than one good opening. These three wins show both an eye for attack and the ability to use an advantage patiently once the queens have left the board.