Born: July 4, 1972 in Riga, USSR (now Latvia)
Playing Style:
Shirov is known as an attacking player who isn't afraid of heading for complications at any time. His style is perhaps best described by the title of his two game collections, Fire on Board.
World Championship Matches and Tournaments:
2000: Lost to Viswanathan Anand 3.5-0.5 (-3 =1) in the finals of the FIDE World Chess Championship; Anand becomes FIDE World Chess Champion
Notable Accomplishments:
- Defeated Vladimir Kramnik 5.5-3.5 (+2 =7) in 1998 Candidates Match; however, no agreement for a championship match was reached with World Champion Garry Kasparov
- Won 2009 M-Tel Masters tournament
- Reached finals of 2007 Chess World Cup (lost to Gata Kamsky)
