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Veselin Topalov

FIDE World Champion (2005–2006) · Bulgaria · 1975–present · active c. 1989–present

“Bulgaria's fighting World Champion”

Winning the unified FIDE World Championship in 2005 and his uncompromising, attacking style

2816Peak ratingpeak FIDE rating, July 2015

World #1April 2006 – January 2007; October 2008 – January 2010

Born1975–present

CountryBulgaria

Active erac. 1989–present

TitleFIDE World Champion (2005–2006)

Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (born 15 March 1975, in Ruse, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian grandmaster and former FIDE World Chess Champion. A child prodigy, he was coached from an early age and rose rapidly through the elite ranks during the 1990s, becoming one of the most dangerous attacking players in the world.

His crowning achievement came at the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 in San Luis, Argentina, an eight-player double round-robin to reunify the title. Topalov scored 6½/7 in the first half, effectively clinching the championship by the halfway mark, and finished a clear point and a half ahead of the field to become World Champion.

In 2006 he played the 'Reunification Match' against Vladimir Kramnik, a tense contest overshadowed by an off-the-board dispute that became known as 'Toiletgate'. Topalov lost the match in a rapid tie-break, surrendering the unified crown. He remained a top contender for years afterward, challenging again at the highest level.

Topalov reached world No. 1 on the FIDE rating list from April 2006 to January 2007, and again from October 2008 to January 2010. His peak rating of 2816, achieved in July 2015, places him among the highest-rated players in history.

He is famous for his aggressive, double-edged style and his willingness to take enormous risks in pursuit of the initiative — qualities on full display in his 1999 game against Garry Kasparov at Wijk aan Zee, where he was on the receiving end of one of the greatest combinations ever played.

Playing style

Topalov is an intensely combative, attacking player who thrives in sharp, irrational positions. He calculates deeply, sacrifices readily for the initiative, and plays for a win in almost every game, making him one of the most entertaining champions of the modern era.