GM Mesgen is currently the number one rated player in his homeland of Turkmenistan. He has represented his home country in the 2006 and 2008 Olympiads and will do so again in 2010. Mesgen also has represented Turkmenistan in multiple World Youth Championships. In 2009 he was the IL State Co-Champion along with one of his Chicago Blaze teammates. Mesgen became an International Master in 2007 and achieved his Grandmaster title in 2009.Feb 172012
GM Mesgen is currently the number one rated player in his homeland of Turkmenistan. He has represented his home country in the 2006 and 2008 Olympiads and will do so again in 2010. Mesgen also has represented Turkmenistan in multiple World Youth Championships. In 2009 he was the IL State Co-Champion along with one of his Chicago Blaze teammates. Mesgen became an International Master in 2007 and achieved his Grandmaster title in 2009.Feb 172012
GM Alex OnischukHe is currently the third-ranked American grandmaster, behind Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky.
Career Highlights:
World Youth Championship – 2nd place, Brazil, 1991
World Junior Championship – 1-2 place, Germany, 1995
Groningen Chess Tournament – 1st place, Netherlands, 1995
Chess Olympiad – Silver medal, Armenia, 1996
Wijk aan Zee Chess Tournament – 2-4 place, Netherlands, 1997
European Club Championship – 1st place, Russia, 1997
Chess Olympiad – Bronze medal, Russia, 1998
Beijing – 1st place, China, 1998
Ukrainian Championship – 1st place, 2000
Pojkovsky Chess Tournament – 1st place, 2002
3 Times tied for 1st place in the World Open Tournament, 2001, 2002, 2004
Lindsborg Knockout Tournament – 1st place, 2004
US Open – 1st place, 2004
Continental Championship - 2nd place, 2005
US Chess Championship – 1st place, 2006
Chess Olympiad – Bronze medal, Italy, 2006
Tied for first place in Biel Chess Tournament, 2007
Carlos Torre Memorial – 1st place, Mexico, 2008
Chess Olympiad – Bronze medal, Germany, 2008
World Team Championship – Silver medal, won personal gold medal on board two, Turkey, 2009
Moscow Open – 1st place, 2009
Two time Mexican Open Champion, 2009 – 2010
Spice Cup – 1st place, Lubbock, Texas, 2010
UT Dallas Grandmaster Invitational – 1st place, 2011
World Youth Championship – 2nd place, Brazil, 1991
World Junior Championship – 1-2 place, Germany, 1995
Groningen Chess Tournament – 1st place, Netherlands, 1995
Chess Olympiad – Silver medal, Armenia, 1996
Wijk aan Zee Chess Tournament – 2-4 place, Netherlands, 1997
European Club Championship – 1st place, Russia, 1997
Chess Olympiad – Bronze medal, Russia, 1998
Beijing – 1st place, China, 1998
Ukrainian Championship – 1st place, 2000
Pojkovsky Chess Tournament – 1st place, 2002
3 Times tied for 1st place in the World Open Tournament, 2001, 2002, 2004
Lindsborg Knockout Tournament – 1st place, 2004
US Open – 1st place, 2004
Continental Championship - 2nd place, 2005
US Chess Championship – 1st place, 2006
Chess Olympiad – Bronze medal, Italy, 2006
Tied for first place in Biel Chess Tournament, 2007
Carlos Torre Memorial – 1st place, Mexico, 2008
Chess Olympiad – Bronze medal, Germany, 2008
World Team Championship – Silver medal, won personal gold medal on board two, Turkey, 2009
Moscow Open – 1st place, 2009
Two time Mexican Open Champion, 2009 – 2010
Spice Cup – 1st place, Lubbock, Texas, 2010
UT Dallas Grandmaster Invitational – 1st place, 2011
Feb 172012
GM Gregory KaidanovHe learned to play when he was 6 years old from his father. At age 8, he started to attend a chess study group in ‘Pioneer’s House.’
As an adult, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1991, with his two children and wife. He now coaches the chess team for Sayre School.
He won the 1992 World Open in Philadelphia, and the 1992 U.S. Open.
His first major tournament win came in Moscow 1987, where he defeated Indian star Vishwanathan Anand. He earned the IM title that same year, and was awarded the GM title just a year later in 1988.
He is the head coach of the www.uschessschool.com founded in 2006 by IM Greg Shahade.
He is one of the most active Grandmaster teachers in the United States. In 2009 he was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.
Chess awards:
Became an International Master, 1987
Became a Grandmaster, 1988
Became a Grandmaster, 1988
member of US team, in World Chess Olympiad (Istanbul, Turkey,2000)
member of US team, in World Chess Olympiad (Bled Slovenia,2002)
winner of Aeroflot Open, one of the strongest open tournaments ever (80+ GMs) Moscow, Russia,2002
member of US team,who finished 4th in World Chess Olympiad (Calvia, 2004)
member of US team, who finished 3rd in World Chess Olympiad (Torino, 2006)
3rd place in US Championship (Stillwater, OK, 2007)
Coach of U.S Women’s Bronze Medal Team (Dresden, Germany, 2008)
member of US team, in World Chess Olympiad (Bled Slovenia,2002)
winner of Aeroflot Open, one of the strongest open tournaments ever (80+ GMs) Moscow, Russia,2002
member of US team,who finished 4th in World Chess Olympiad (Calvia, 2004)
member of US team, who finished 3rd in World Chess Olympiad (Torino, 2006)
3rd place in US Championship (Stillwater, OK, 2007)
Coach of U.S Women’s Bronze Medal Team (Dresden, Germany, 2008)
Feb 172012
GM Yury Shulman
Chess Awards:
2011 and 2010 U.S. Championship Runner-up, 2009 World Team Championship: Silver, 2008 Chess Olympiad Bronze Medalist, 2008 U.S. Champion, 2006 U.S. Open Champion, T-1st World Open 2001, 1st: Montreal 2008
Yury Shulman achieved the Grandmaster title in 1995 and moved to the U.S. four years later to become one of the top American players
Shulman also coached the 2006 Women’s Olympiad team in Turin to an impressive fourth place finish. In 2008, Yury joined the men’s Olympic team and helped lead them to a fantastic bronze medal finish. Yury scored the final clutch win over Ukraine’s board four, Efimenko to clinch bronze.
Yury credits his excellent results in the past few years to his chess students. Yury has been teaching since he graduated from UTD. He also founded the organization Chess Without Borders.
Teaching has helped him see chess in a different way, and he even came up with opening novelties while working with his students. Some chess professionals only teach because of the financial reward, but Yury claims that even if he were rich, he’d still coach. To learn from Shulman, you can buy his book Chess! Lessons From a Grandmaster. (Read Elizabeth Vicary’s CLO review.)