Evgeny Sveshnikov
Born on February 11, 1950 in Latvia, Russia is the pioneer behind The Sveshnikov system in the Sicilian defense a favorite black defensive weapon among the top players including former world chess champ Garry Kasparov.
"Previously known as the Lasker-Pelikan variation of the Sicilian Defence, Sveshnikov's system was considered of dubious merit until he transformed it into an exciting and fully playable opening. The balance between winning and losing is often on a knife edge, making it an attractive proposition for black players seeking the full point. Mark Taimanov, in an interview, described it as chess opening theory's "last great discovery". That it is now regularly played by the world's leading Grandmasters, supports this view. Vladimir Kramnik and Valery Salov are regarded as expert practitioners of the Sicilian Sveshnikov".
