Needless to say, my interest in chess did not diminish when I learned to play seriously, and it is not surprising that at 7 I was sent for instruction to a chess club.

I remember well my first day at the chess club, when I first appeared with parents. The coach for the youngest group explained to us that the chess class was full and that the children had been playing for several months. In any case, I was given a chance to play a game to see my level of play. I played my first game, as I later would find out, with a local champion. It is interesting that I still remember the player’s name. This was a very remarkable moment in my life. We played 1.e2-e4 e7-e5 2.Qd1-h5 Nc6 3.Bc4 and here I thought for some time. My father had never played in this way against me. I knew that 3…Nf6 was bad, but could not on the third move make a ‘nonstandard’ move like Qe7. The students had gathered to see the beginner and when I did play Nf6, they began to laugh at me. I was crushed. My father had just told the coach that I had certain abilities; and yet here, a mate in 4. Right now I realize that had I been told to come in half a year, I may not have become a chess player; however, my opponent offered a second game. I was white, and drew to a great surprise. I was allowed to join; lessons were twice or three times a week…

Sevastopol, the town in which I was born and grew up, though small in size, is geographically disparate. Public transportation from my house to the Pioneer palace, where the club was located, took 1.5 hours. A bus ride, a ferry, and by foot.

My parents could not always take me, and for the first several of the 7 seven years of instruction, I was often accompanied by my sister Olga. My sister was then in 6th grade. In order to arrive by 4pm, it was necessary to go to the club without first going home. In time, she too started playing chess and would achieve substantial results, becoming Candidate Master and the winner of several women’s tournaments.

My chess progress was strong. In about half a year my sister and I were graduated to a higher group. Here I was clearly the youngest and for the start the weakest. Our coach Alexander Bondar was a professional teacher, who had attained a degree at an elite sports university in Moscow. Alexander was my coach until 16, when I was practically ready for adult tournaments. He did accompany me to many chess tournaments.

I consider a great strength of my coach the ability to allow a chess player to pursue their interests. For instance, he would never force his ideas in openings and in contrast, encouraged exploration of new ideas.

The chess studies were a great experience, where many were older and stronger in chess.

In a chess club we analyzed classical games, studied popular openings and of course, played tournaments. In time I entered the first team and started to travel to tournaments in different cities. Traveling was very interesting and it was additional incentive to study chess. In Soviet times the state paid for tournament expenses. This was a fair system, in which talent outranked material wealth.

Between tournaments I often visit the Crimea. The chess successes of my sister and myself brought my other younger sisters, Anya, Nastya, and Jana, to the game. Even though chess was for them a hobby, they did reach the level of 2150-2250 FIDE.

We played a lot together. Even now, when at home in the Crimea we still play chess. Clearly this occurs rarely, since we live not only in different cities, but in different countries.

Of the eight members of our family, six of us play chess (on a high level). Although I have never seen my mother and my older sister Vera at the board, I still believe that they know how to play.

In order to have attained anything in chess in Soviet times, it was necessary to pass a vigorous selection. Severe competition did not allow some deserving to succeed, but those who did became real fighters.

For instance, to have qualified for the World Championship under 16 it was necessary to pass through 4 official tournaments. You have to be best in your age category in your town, in your region, in your republic, and finally in the USSR (with a qualifying match to follow).

In 1991 when I was 15, I was able to complete this path. The most dramatic tournament in this cycle was the USSR Championship, held in Alma-Ata, the capital of the then Soviet republic of Kazakhstan. I began the tournament with 1 out of 4 and then played the fifth game with my future friend, Yura Shulman.The tournament consisted of 60 players, who played in 3 rooms. Our game was played in the last room and we were certainly not in contention for a prize. I drew with effort, passing from a lost position into a winning one.

The next day was free, and then I managed to win 6 games in a row, a record for the Junior USSR championship. Some of my opponents are now grandmasters.

I had accomplished what I had dreamed for. The quick rise made me one of the best young players, and not only in the USSR but in the world.

In the World Championship that was held in Brazil I took second place after a difficult struggle.In front of me I saw a great future. I already had felt a practical strength. The grandmaster title and new successes were in reach, but here the country was undergoing serious changes.

The disintegration of the Soviet Union became a tough economic trial for many athletes.In the first few years of the independent Ukraine, little money was allocated for sports. Many tournaments were no longer held in the country, and money was lacking to travel abroad for open tournaments.

I believe that it was great luck that I was invited to play for the Magdeburg University at the second Bundesliga. I played 9 seasons for this team; I had played 5 or 6 seasons in the first league and always board 1. We had a young and friendly team. Roman, Nisipiani, Vladko Georgiev, and Doru Rogozenko also played on this team. I began to play in German opens and in ’94 I became a grandmaster with a rating above 2600. My first tournament as a grandmaster I had played in the US. This was a quick chess tournament; I beat Topalov in this tournament… I was impressed at first leaving the Manhattan subway. It was then, like entering a new civilization.

In the same year, I played my first Olympiad in Moscow, representing the Ukraine. I made a big contribution in our bronze and silver successes in 1996 and 1998.

In 1995 I entered the university and also began working with the well known coach Vladimir Yurkov. I started playing new openings and beginning the game with 1.e4. New successes followed: I took 1-2nd, tied with my friend Roman Slobodjan, in the Championship under 20, a win in a big open in Groningen, 1st place Wijk aan Zee (tournament B).

In 1996 I transferred to the Moscow State University and settled in Moscow. The work load was increased and there was less time for chess. I did, however, manage to win several opens and to share 2nd place in Wijk aan Zee (tournament A).

In the same year I began my collaboration with Anatoly Karpov. I helped him in his match against Anand (1997) and Bacrot (2000) and also held many training sessions as preparation. The ordinary day of work with Karpov began with the study of the openings. Later Anatoly always had business, and at night we often played blitz. We played a lot, and two games often became four, often six, and we often stayed up until late at night. Work with such a great player as Karpov certainly did not pass as a gift. I improved my positional understanding.

In 1999 I graduated from Moscow State with the degree in sociology. The next day after graduation I headed to Kiev with my young and future wife.

It seemed to me that in the brighter economic and political picture of the new Ukraine, a leading chess player like me could make a difference in Ukrainian chess.

My optimism was not confirmed. The chess functionaries in many if not all countries are separated from the chess players. In Ukraine, this situation was particularly felt. Professional players did not have a voice.

At this moment I realized that despite the fact that life was not bad in Ukraine, I did not have any opportunities. In 2000 I became the Ukrainian absolute champion. I wanted to study, work, and play and win, and not to wonder whether I would be invited to a tournament or overruled by an official bureaucrat. I wanted to come to a place where hard work is valued and paid.

This country is clearly the US. When I first heard of the immigration lottery, I decided to take my chance.