Below are some of the questions I was asked in my January 2007 ChessCafe Column:

Q: Who are some of the brightest young players of the world today?

I am sure the first name on everyone’s list is Magnus Carlsen. He is the real deal. The other easy pick is Sergey Karjakin. Meanwhile, Teimour Radjabov has definitely come into his own, while one youngster making a name for himself of late is Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia. His rating will soon be above 2700. I first met Jakovenko in Montreal a few years ago and I was very impressed by him.

Q: Who are some of the brightest female stars of the world today?

A: First on my list has to be Humpy Koneru from India. She has the work ethic and determination to be a future Women’s World Champion. China has a number of very good young female players such as Yifan Hou, Xue Zhao and Yang Shen. Russia has the two Kosintseva sisters. Of course, I must also mention Kateryna Lahno from the Ukraine. Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia is now approaching 2500 and Marie Sebag from France has also become a little more consistent of late. These are some of the brightest stars of today and tomorrow.

Here is my full January 2007 column on chesscafe.com. Do you agree with the names I gave? Do you have additional names of young talents?
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