The Belgrade Sparrows Know Their Theory
As the former capital of Yugoslavia and the capital of Serbia, Belgrade has a long chess tradition. Besides several grandmasters, a famous chess publication was born in this city in 1966: Chess Informant. The Belgrade Sparrows have a strong link with that publication.
FM Josip Asik is playing for the Sparrows and happens to be the editor-in-chief of Chess Informant. Dusan Krunic, another team member, works for the famous periodical as well.
Recently this publisher has launched something new: the American Chess Magazine. Below is a video where this magazine is explained and introduced by Josip.
This team, clearly helped with the latest opening theory within reach, has a grandmaster on top board: GM Branko Tadic. Here's an interesting game by the 44-year-old grandmaster against another grandmaster from Serbia.
The other team members are IM Goran Arsovic, FM Rastko Svicevic, and CM Miroslav Simonovic. More about the team members is explained by Josip Ask:
"GM Tadic and IM Arsovic are both employees of Chess Informant; they are members of Editorial board. Tadic was the trainer of the Faroe Islands at the Baku Olympiad. At home, he runs his Tadic Chess Academy for aspiring kids. Goran Arsovic is half of the Arsovic twins; his brother Zoran is an IM as well.
"Both players are very experienced and the real challenge for them will be online chess since they are used only to 'real.'
"Rastko Svicevic is a well known lawyer who is taking chance whenever possible to jump on some tournaments. He loves chess, and he actually came back actively to the game after several years of absence. In his youth, he was also an active basketball player even in the league of American universities.
Josip Asik won the 2015 Pro Bizz Cup at the London Chess Classic
together with Hikaru Nakamura. | Photo Ray Morris-Hill.
"Miroslav Simonovic runs an IT company. He is one of the main importers of IT equipment, computers etc. for the Serbian market. So he is responsible that all the lines work properly in our matches 
He was very active as a junior, but keeps his interest in chess now as an amateur player.
"The entire team is about friends from youth. We are of just about the same generation and played together in Belgrade's junior events in late 80s, early 90s.
"The sparrow, by the way, is the symbol of Belgrade, hence the name. And it sounds quite harmless for the team full of crazy Balkans.
The PRO Chess League welcomes the Belgrade Sparrows!
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