Veselin Topalov

Born 1975 in Rousse/Bulgaria; Grandmaster 1992; peak Elo rating: 2813; World Champion (FIDE) 2005-2006; notable tournament victories: Amsterdam 1996, Dos Hermanas 1996, Novgorod 1996, Vienna 1996, Madrid 1997, Dortmund 2001, Cannes 2002, Sofia 2005, 2006, 2007, Wijk aan Zee 2006, Bilbao 2008. The master of attack is one of the four players in chess history to cross the 2800 Elo barrier.