The 35-year-old super-grandmaster from St Petersburg is one of the best known and best liked players on the circuit.

Peter is the current Russian Champion and winner of the 2009 Gibraltar Masters. He has won the Russian title six-times (1994, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2011).

He came second (with Vishy Anand) in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 with 8½/14, finishing 1½ points behind the winner, Veselin Topalov.  

Peter has a perfect command of written and spoken English, is a fan of cricket and extremely knowledgeable about the game. His handle on the Internet Chess Club is rather appropriately, 'Tendulkar'.

In Sept 2011 at the FIDE World Cup in Khanty Mansiysk Peter won the title after defeating Alexander Grischuk 2½-1½ in the final.