About Slaven Pastar

Slaven started playing chess at four years old, learning the basic movements of the pieces from his mother before advancing to more strategic concepts with his father and brother. At the age of six, he began working with his first formal coach, Candidate Master Mirko Cvijić. Under Cvijić's guidance, Slaven finished second in the Under-8 section of the Bosnia and Herzegovina National Championship, qualifying for the European Championship.

During middle school, he transitioned to his second coach, Jovan Stanišić. Throughout his youth career, Slaven became a multiple-time cadet champion and vice-champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside finishing as the runner-up in the Junior Championship twice. This success allowed him to compete in numerous European and World Youth Chess Championships, proudly representing his country and gaining a wealth of international experience.

When he started university, he trained with Miodrag Perunović for six months, though his primary focus remained on his academic studies. Earning his university degree coincided with achieving the FIDE Master (FM) title. From that milestone forward, Slaven began training under Grandmaster Aleksandar Kovačević while simultaneously offering chess lessons of his own. Although he achieved strong individual competitive results and earned more than enough norms required for the International Master title, a lack of consistency kept him just under the 2400 rating threshold.

In 2023, Slaven began a year-long coaching collaboration with Grandmaster Milan Vukić. Learning the white repertoire and gaining priceless strategic advice from the four-time Yugoslav champion, who remains an active player at 84 years old, propelled Slaven past the 2400 rating barrier, officially earning him the International Master (IM) title in 2024. Since then, Slaven has played regularly in leagues across the Balkan peninsula and has won several rapid and blitz tournaments.