Name-

Birthplace-

Age-

Title-

USCF Rating-

FIDE Rating-

NY Masters Win%-

Money Won -

White Opening-

Opening vs e4-

Opening vs d4-

Alex Shabalov

Latvia

36

GM

2697

2605

63% (17/27)

$250

e4,d4

Sicilian Kalashnikov

Nimzo/Benoni/QID

 

2003 US Champion - GM Alex Shabalov

Grandmaster Alex Shabalov is arguably the most creative and imaginative player in the United States right now. Born in Latvia, home of former World Champion Mikhail Tal, Shabalov exhibits many similar traits as the Wizard of Riga. His desire to shift the game towards complicated, double edged positons makes him a crowd favorite and an extremely dangerous opponent to face. Alex is always playing for the win, with the white and black pieces. With white he can play e4 or d4, and usually chooses the sharpest variations. With black he is very versatile, coming up with new ideas in many different openings. One of his favorites the Kalashnikov defense, which he has used with great success. He is ranked 6th in the USA as of August 2004.