Education
At the age of 9, he finished 2nd in the national championship under-10 category.
At the age of 9, he finished 2nd in the national championship under-10 category.
He learned to play chess at the age of 7. In 1995 he moved to Israel, becoming an IM in 1999 at the age of 16, and a General Motors in 2003. At the Gibraltar Masters in 2007, he shared 5th place in a very strong field, behind GMs Vladimir Akopian, Alexander Areshchenko, Hikaru Nakamura, and Emil Sutovsky.
In the same year he tied for 1st–6th with Vitali Golod, Mateusz Bartel, Yuri Yakovich, Zahar Efimenko and Mikhail Kobalia in the 16th Monarch Assurance Isle of Manitoba International tournament.
In 2005, he qualified for the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk 2005, but lost to Alexander Motylev ½–1½.
His best tournament achievements since have been: 1–3 in Ashdod op 2004. 1–6 in Zürich op 2004. 2–4 with Mikhail Gurevich and Vitali Golod with 7/9 at the Saint Vincent op 2004. 3-5 with 8/10 at the Benasque op 2005. 1–2 with Suat Atalık at the Gorenje Valjevo Tournament 2007. 2–3 with Radosław Wojtaszek at Lublin op 2009. He has won several blitz and rapid tournaments, such as Biel 2006.
He was a member of the Israeli national team in Plovdiv 2003, (team silver medal). Calvià 2004 (the 36th Chess Olympiad), and Beer-Sheva World Team Chess Championship 2005.
