Mark Tseitlin (Hebrew: מארק צייטלין; Russian: Марк Данилович Цейтлин, romanized: Mark Danilovich Tseitlin; 23 September 1943 – 25 January 2022) was a Soviet-born Israeli chess player.
Tseitlin got acquainted with chess in Leningrad's Pioneers Palace.
During his playing career he defeated Viktor Korchnoi four times and beat many famous grandmasters.
His best tournament achievements include first place at Polanica Zdroj 1978 (ahead of Andersson), and second at Trnava 1979 (after Plachetka).
Tseitlin was the many-time Beer-Sheva chess club champion.
Tseitlin won the European Seniors Championship four times: in 2004 in Arvier, 2005 in Bad Homburg, 2008 in Dresden and 2013 in Plovdiv.
[1] In 2004 Tseitlin won the first World Senior Team Championship, held in the Isle of Man, playing for team Israel together with Jacob Murey, Yair Kraidman and Yedael Stepak.
Among his pupils were such famous chess players as grandmasters Alexander Finkel, Boris Avrukh, Ilya Smirin, Victor Mikhalevski and Dimitri Tyomkin.
Mark Tseitlin assisted the rise of former world champion Anatoly Karpov, and strong Soviet grandmaster Rafael Vaganian.
He was known for his sharp tactical vision at the chessboard, and was an acknowledged expert in many chess openings, such as the Grunfeld Defence.
Born in Leningrad, Tseitlin immigrated to Israel in 1990, and was a trainer at the Beer-Sheva Eliahu Levant chess club.
Tseitlin died in Beer Sheva on 25 January 2022, at the age of 78.
The following game illustrates Tseitlin's sharp tactical style.
(diagram) In time trouble Vladimir Karasev fails to find best defence 28.