Topalov is a very strong Grandmaster from Bulgaria. He has been the highest rated player in the world. In 2006 he played a match for the world championship against Kramnik, but lost. He became very unpopular when he came close to accusing Kramnik of cheating during (and after) the match. In 2010 he played another match for the world championship, this time against Anand, and lost again. He is a very aggressive player who always seems to seek complications, often appearing to disregard positional considerations. He makes good use of psychological factors during play; for example sometimes playing his opponenets' pet lines against them. Topalov is quite difficult to understand as a player; his decisions at the board can be slightly erratic and tend to somewhat randomize his results.

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