Gata Kamsky is an American chess Grandmaster, who was born in Siberia, Russia on June 2, 1974. He began playing chess at a very early age and won numerous riding championships. Because of his immense talent, he was trained by one of the best chess coaches in Russia, Gennadi Sosonko. Kamsky became an International Chess Grandmaster in 1990, becoming the second youngest to attain this title at that time.
Kamsky won the World Chess Championship Interzonal tournament in 1990, and during the following years he played many games against some of the world's greatest players and former World Champions. He played in the PCA World Championship against Viswanathan Anand in 1995 but unfortunately lost.
Due to the constant travel and pressure, Kamsky decided to quit chess temporarily in 1997 to pursue studies in law. After taking a break for several years, he came back in 2004 and regained his high rating, ranking among the world's top players.
In the later part of his career, Kamsky represented the United States at the Olympiads and in 2010, he won the U.S. chess championship titles. His most recent notable performance was at the 2016 U.S. Championship where he tied for fourth with one other player.
Gata also participated in FIDE World Cup 2007, where he finished second. Furthermore, he competed in the Candidates Tournament in 2013 and 2014, reaching the semifinals in the latter competition.