The player from Omsk trained in Evgeny Sveshnikov’s sessions and attended the Mikhail Botvinnik Chess School, where he defeated the 13th world champion Garry Kasparov at the age of 13 in a simul. He was Junior Vice-Champion of the USSR in 1989 and he won the Russian Junior Championship in 1992, after the collapse of the USSR.
Article by Kenya Chess Masala.