Veselin Topalov (pronounced [vɛsɛˈlin toˈpɑlof]; Bulgarian: Веселин Топалов) (born 15 March 1975) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster and former FIDE world chess champion. He currently (October 2009) has the highest rating in the world.
Topalov became the FIDE World Chess Champion by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005. He lost his title in the World Chess Championship 2006 match against Vladimir Kramnik, during which he accused his oppon...
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Veselin Topalov (pronounced [vɛsɛˈlin toˈpɑlof]; Bulgarian: Веселин Топалов) (born 15 March 1975) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster and former FIDE world chess champion. He currently (October 2009) has the highest rating in the world.
Topalov became the FIDE World Chess Champion by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005. He lost his title in the World Chess Championship 2006 match against Vladimir Kramnik, during which he accused his opponent of cheating. He defeated Gata Kamsky between 16-28 February 2009 in Sofia, Bulgaria to earn the right to be the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2010.
Topalov won the 2005 Chess Oscar. He was ranked #1 in the world from April 2006 to January 2007, and had the second highest Elo rating of all time (2813). He regained the world #1 ranking again in October 2008.
Topalov was born in Rousse, Bulgaria. His father taught him to play chess at the age of eight. In 1989 he won the World Under-14 Championship in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and...
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