Grandmaster Alexander Shabalov

Born in Riga, Latvia on September 12, 1967 GM Alexander Shabalov discovered the game of chess by watching his father play with his friends. He soon proved to be a talent by winning the highly competitive Under 16 Championship of the Soviet Union in 1982.

In 1988 he chose the career of being a professional player and it paid off as he became a grandmaster in 1991. Among his chess teachers were the late Mikhail Tal and Vladimir Bagirov. Because of political turmoil, Alex decided to move to America in 1992 and ended up in Pittsburgh where his wife obtained a medical residency.

In 1993 Alex won both the prestigious U.S. Open and the U.S. Championship sharing the later title with Yermolinsky. Alex debuted for the U.S. team during the 1994 Moscow Olympiad and later played second board at the Elista Olympiad. Alexander is an open tournament warrior and is often seen playing in events both in the U.S. and Europe. Other interests include tennis and music.

View his rating and tournament history.