FIDE Champion
1999-2000
Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman was born in Leningrad (Saint
Petersburg), Russia in 1966. He was taught chess by his father at
the age of six.
He gained the Grandmaster title in 1990 with one particularly
good early result being his first place in the 1990 New York Open
ahead of a host of strong players.
His most notable achievement was winning the FIDE World Chess
Championship in 1999, a title he held until the following year. He
was rated 44th in the world at the time, which some compared
unfavorably to "Classical" World Champion Garry Kasparov being
rated #1. Khalifman said after the tournament, "Rating systems work
perfectly for players who play only in round robin closed events. I
think most of them are overrated. Organizers invite same people
over and over because they have the same rating and their rating
stays high. Perhaps in response, Khalifman was invited to the next
Linares chess tournament, and performed credibly (though placing
below joint winner Kasparov).
With his trainer Genadi Nesis he runs a chess academy in St.
Peterburg, called "The Grandmaster Chess School." There he trains
players from all over the world following the motto: "chess =
intellect + character".
The Puzzle:
1ЙФЯЧЫЦ23УВСМАК45ЕПИ
Eight more please...