Raset Ziatdinov is an American chess Grandmaster who originally hails from Kazakhstan. Born on July 11, 1968, he started attracting international attention after moving to the United States in the late 1990s. Ziatdinov earned the title of FIDE Master in 1998, the International Master in 2000, and the coveted International Grandmaster title in 2003, which is conferred to world-class chess players by the World Chess Federation.
Ziatdinov's training approach emphasizes memorizing hundreds of classic chess games to internalize high-quality play and decision-making strategies. His philosophy on chess skills suggests that they are more related to memory and experience rather than innate ability. Besides being a professional chess player, Ziatdinov has also worked as a chess trainer. As illustrated in his book, he believes that any average person can attain Master level with appropriate training and guidance.
Ziatdinov was profiled in the 2013 documentary movie "Brooklyn Castle" because of his slightly unconventional chess training methodologies such as recommending students to study classic games as it gives a deeper understanding of the game.