Champions Rapid: Participants
Viswanthan Anand Werner Hug Anatoly Karpov Alexander Khalifman Vladimir Kramnik Judith Polgar Ruslan Ponomariov Veselin Topalov
 Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Khalifman
Khalifman, Alexander
Born 1966 in St. Petersburg/Russia; Grandmaster 1990; peak Elo rating: 2702; World Champion (FIDE) 1999-2000; World Team Championship 1997; Chess Olympiad, Gold Medal: 1992, 2000, 2002; notable tournament victories: Groningen 1990, St. Petersburg 1995, 1997, Russian Chess Champion 1996. Just as Korchnoi and Spassky had, he joined the legendary chess section of the Leningrad Pioneer Palace. Khalifman now heads the St. Petersburg Chess School and is a renowned author of chess books.
Further information on Alexander Khalifman's life and chess here
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