Soviet born chess master and champion who later became an American champion.
He won his first Ukrainian Championship was in 1972.
He won three Ukrainian Championships and then, after defecting to the United States to escape Soviet control, he won three U.S. Championships.
He was born and raised in Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time.
He is the male counterpart to Anjelina Belakovskaia as they are both Ukrainian players who have found success in the United States.
