Dragan Barlov is a Serbian chess grandmaster and writer. Born on August 14, 1957, he achieved the Grandmaster status in 1986. Barlov won the 1978 Yugoslav championship and the 2000 Greek championship, in addition to many other prestigious European and international tournaments.
In 1984, Barlov shared 1st place in the inaugural Plzeň Open with Vlastimil Hort, Ian Rogers, and Eric Lobron. He also finished 1st in the 1986 international tournament in Niš, ahead of Grandmasters Ljubomir Ljubojević, Lev Psakhis, Simen Agdestein, and others. He secured a shared 9th position in the 1989 international tournament in Belgrade, where 10 out of 16 players were Grandmasters.
Barlov began representing Greece in 1991 and wrote a book called "Winning in the Opening", teaching strategies and tactics for beginner chess players. His peak national ranking was achieved in January 2000 when he was rated Greece's second-highest chess player. His peak world ranking was achieved in January 1988 when he was ranked as the world's 64th strongest player.
In his career, he has played against various famous chess grandmasters, including Anatoly Karpov, the 12th World Champion and one of the greatest players in the history of chess. He is known for his wins against grandmasters Eduard Gufeld, Nenad Sulava, Alexey Dreev, and others. Barlov also competed successfully in team competitions at various chess Olympiads representing Yugoslavia and Greece.
Barlov's game is described as solid and positional, relying on strategic advantages and small positional gains to outmaneuver his opponents. This slow, strategic approach makes his games excellent study material for aspiring chess players. Today, he continues to remain active in the world of chess, often representing Serbia. He also contributes to the development of chess in Serbia through coaching and authorship of instructional materials.