Burstein Almog (13.02.1950)

burstein 1Israeli chess amateur.

Between 1972-76 Burstein was the Secretary of the Israel Chess Federation and in 1976 – Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Haifa Chess Olympiad, which was the first Olympiad to be run according to the Swiss System. Ten times (more than anyone else) he was a member of the Olympiad Pairings Committee, and in 1994 – 2008 the Chess Olympiads were run according to the Burstein System. In 1995 – 1998 he was a member of FIDE Central Committee and since 2004 he is the Delegate of ICF to  ECU. Between 2010-2014, Almog was elected as ECU Treasurer and a member of FIDE Executive Board.

As an International Chess Arbiter (since 1977) he has been the organizer and/or arbiter of many local, national and international tournaments including the chief arbiter of the 2010 Nanjing Super Tournament and deputy chief arbiter of the 2012 World Championship Match between Anand and Carlsen.

Burstein was also quite successful as a player. In simultaneous exhibitions held in Jerusalem, he drew against the World Champion Garry Kasparov (in 1996) and won against the world’s best world rated woman player, Judit Polgar (in 2005). In 2007 he won the title of Deputy World Amateur Champion (and got a FIDE rating of 2100).