The programme for the Munich 1954 Zonal gives Burstein's date of birth as 10 October 1931, in Paris. It also mentions that he was associated with the Cercle des Vincennes club, finished second in the 1952 Paris championship, and played at Hastings 1953-54 in the Premier Reserves.
The 1954 BCM shows that Burstein shared fourth and fifth places at that Hastings event, his score of 5/9 including wins against Peter Hugh Clarke (tournament winner) and Victor Soultanbeieff. 1
In the 1950s, Sylvain Burstein was one of the most promising young players in France, but finished his chess career at a very early age. In 1950, he participated in the International Junior Chess Tournament in Birmingham, and one year later he represented France in the first World Junior Chess Championship, where he drew with tournament winner Borislav Ivkov. In 1951, Burstein made his debut in the French Chess Championship final, finishing eighth. During the decade, Burstein regularly participated in French Chess Championships, achieving his best result in 1955 in Toulouse, where he shared 3rd-4th place. In 1952, he came second in the Paris City Championship.
The last known tournament in which Burstein participated was held in the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, which was won by American grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky, but Burstein finished at the bottom of the table. There is no reliable information about the remainder of Burstein's life.
Burstein played for France in the following Olympiads:
In 1954, as second reserve board in the 11th Chess Olympiad in Amsterdam (+6, =5, -0),
In 1956, on third board in the 12th Chess Olympiad in Moscow (+4, =6, -3).
Alan McGowan
Wikipedia article: Sylvain Burstein
Kibitzing
