Oleg M. Romanishin is a Ukrainian chess Grandmaster, fondly known as the "Odessa Tiger". He was born in Lviv, Ukraine, on January 10, 1952. Romanishin has placed among the top contenders in several chess competitions across the globe and has a reputation for his innovative play.
He exhibited a strong predilection for chess early on and was soon recognized as a formidable chess prodigy. He participated in the World Junior Chess Championship in 1970, ranking sixth, and in 1971, won the championship outright. He became an International Master in 1972 and claimed his title as Grandmaster through his Standard tournament win in 1973.
His biggest victory may be seen in the USSR Chess Championship in 1973 where he placed joint first with Boris Gulko and Mikhail Tal. However, a three-way playoff resulted in his taking third place but the achievement still bolstered his reputation as a top-tier chess player.
Romanishin's other achievements include wins at the Vilnius tournament in 1978 and the Lviv tournament in 1979. He also scored victories at the Hastings tournament in 1980-1981 and the Sochi tournament in 1981, with the latter two being consecutive victories. Notably, he managed to secure a win against the renowned Anatoly Karpov in the Linares tournament in 1981.
Romanishin has highly aggressive and individualistic playing style, often going against established opening theory. He has provided a significant contribution to chess theory, making innovative plays in several line variations including the Nimzo-Indian Defence, King's Indian Defence, and Sicilian Defence.
While still partaking in tournaments, he is also a respected chess coach. Notably, he was one of the coaches of the Women's World Chess Champion, Zhu Chen. He has also worked as an arbiter, and in 2010, was chosen as the chief arbiter for the Women's World Chess Championship. He continues to contribute to chess while upholding his status as a formidable figure in the chess world.