Grandmaster Alexander Onischuk: Grandmaster Onischuk is one of the top Grandmasters in the United States. Born in 1975 in Sevastopol, Ukraine, he earned his Grandmaster title in 1994. In 1995, he tied for 1st at the World Youth Championship. In 2000, he won the Ukrainian Championship. He won the 2001, 2002, and 2003 World Open; and in 2001 and 2002 he was the National Open Co-Champion. In 2004, he won the U.S. Open Championship. In 2006, he captured the prestigious U.S. Champion title. In 2007, he tied for 1st at the Biel International. He was formally the top-rated player in this country. Other major accomplishments include the Silver Olympiad medal in 1996, and Bronze Olympiad medals in 1998 and 2006.
Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian: Born in Yerevan, Armenia in1983, Grandmaster Akobian learned to play chess at the age of 5. He is one of the leading Grandmasters in the United States today. He has won a number of prestigious titles in his career. In 2002, he tied for 1st at the World Open. In 2004, he won the World Open outright. He earned his Grandmaster title in 2004. 2006, also, was a great year for Grandmaster Akobian with a victory at the San Marino Open and a Bronze medal at the 2006 Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy. His biggest tournament win has been the 2007 Continental Championship where he qualified for the World Cup and he captured a Chicago Open title earlier this year.
Olympiad teammates. Go USA!