Soviet born American chess Grandmaster and former World Rapid Chess Champion.
He was a chess Prodigy in his native Soviet Union.
He has been ranked as high as fourth in the World and he reached the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996 at the age of 22
His father Rostam moved him to the United States in 1989.
He was on pace to be the next Boris Spassky when he and his father defected to the United States.
