Veselin Topalov
A Bulgarian grandmaster and former FIDE world champion. Topalov won the FIDE title in 2005, lost the reunification match to Vladimir Kramnik in 2006, and challenged Viswanathan Anand in 2010, losing 6½–5½.
He was world No. 1 twice, for most of 2006 and again from 2008 to 2010, and has won many of the game’s biggest events, including Linares, Corus, Dortmund and Stavanger. He has played nine Olympiads on board one for Bulgaria, winning individual gold in 2014.
Still in the world top 40 at 51, he beat Garry Kasparov 16–8 in a Chess960 legends match in 2026.
Career highlights
- FIDE World Champion 2005–2006
- World No. 1 in 2006–07 and 2008–10
- 2010 World Championship challenger
- Olympiad board-one gold in 2014
- Peak rating 2816 (July 2015)
Titles
- Norway Chess: 2015
- Tata Steel Chess Tournament: 2006, 2007
- World Chess Championship: 2005
From the winners lists on our event pages.
Veselin Topalov in The Chess Herald
FIDE profile · Wikipedia
Profile last reviewed September 29, 2026. Ratings update monthly from FIDE.