Arkadij Rotstein is a German chess Grandmaster (GM) who was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on July 26, 1961. His grandmaster title was bestowed upon him by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) in 1992.
Rotstein bagged several junior and city championships in Ukraine before moving to Leningrad, Russia. He played for the Russian team in the Soviet Union national chess team championship, celebrated a win in the Moskovskij komsomolets tournament, and scored over other grandmasters in the traditional Summa tournament in 1987.
After residing in Leningrad, Rotstein moved to Germany. His successes in the country include multiple chess tournaments in Gelsenkirchen (1989), Crailsheim (1990), Krefeld (1995, 1998), Bad Wörishofen (1999, 2000), Lippstadt (2001, 2002), and Andorra (2003).
In 1989, Rotstein arrived second in the 1st Lippstadt Chess Days tournament and scored consistent wins in the subsequent 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 tournaments. His performance in the Bad Wörishofen open chess tournament (1999 and 2000) saw him secure the shared first place.
Rotstein coached German Chess Champion Joachim Heinrich, as well as the German youth national team. He contributed regularly to the German-language chess magazine "Rochade" as a columnist and was an active member of the Bundesliga playing for several chess clubs, including SC Bochum 31 and SV Mülheim Nord.