Editing Alexander Shabalov (section)

==Chess career==
Shabalov was born in [[Riga]], [[Latvia]], and was known during much of his career for courting complications even at the cost of objective soundness, much like his fellow Latvians [[Mikhail Tal]] and [[Alexei Shirov]]. He has transitioned to a more conservative and positional playing style as of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guggenheimer |first=Paul |date=2019-07-10 |title=Squirrel Hill chess grandmaster stays sharp before U.S. Senior Championship |url=https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/squirrel-hill-chess-grandmaster-stays-sharp-on-eve-of-first-ever-u-s-senior-championship/ |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=TribLIVE.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1997 and 2000, Shabalov tied for first place at the [[U.S. Masters Chess Championship]].
In 2002, he tied for first place at the [[Aeroflot Open]] in [[Moscow]] with [[Gregory Kaidanov]], [[Alexander Grischuk]], [[Aleksej Aleksandrov]], and [[Vadim Milov]].
In 2009, Shabalov shared first place with [[Fidel Corrales Jimenez]] in the [[American Continental Chess Championship]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Continental Absolute Chess Championship Americas 2009|url=http://reports.chessdom.com/news-2009/americas-continental-chess-championship|publisher=Chessdom|accessdate=4 January 2016|date=2009-08-04|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055655/http://reports.chessdom.com/news-2009/americas-continental-chess-championship|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Shabalov regularly lectured chess players of all ages at the House of Chess, a store he ran at [[Ross Park Mall]] in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], until it closed in mid-2007.

In 2015 he was inducted into the [[World Chess Hall of Fame#U.S. Chess Hall of Fame inductees|U.S. Chess Hall of Fame]].

In 2019, Shabalov won the 23rd annual Eastern Chess Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|title=23rd Annual Eastern Chess Congress November 2019 United States of America FIDE Chess Tournament report|url=https://ratings.fide.com/tournament_report.phtml?event16=221143|access-date=2020-06-16|website=ratings.fide.com}}</ref>

In 2020, Shabalov won the 52nd annual Liberty Bell Open.<ref>{{Cite web|title=52nd Annual Liberty Bell Open February 2020 United States of America FIDE Chess Tournament report|url=https://ratings.fide.com/tournament_report.phtml?event16=227620|access-date=2020-06-16|website=ratings.fide.com}}</ref>

Shabalov won the 2022 U.S. Senior Championship, defeating Grandmaster [[Larry Christiansen]] in the final round of the tournament to claim victory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winners crowned at 2022 U.S. Championships |url=https://www.fide.com/news/1868 |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=www.fide.com |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Grandmaster Alexander Shabalov, Contemplating.jpg|thumb|Oil Portrait of Alexander Shabalov, Contemplating 2007]]
[[File:Grandmaster Alexander Shabalov, Smiling.jpg|thumb|Oil Portrait of Alexander Shabalov, Smiling 2007]]
In 2024, Shabalov won the over-50 category of the [[World Senior Chess Championship]].<ref name="chesscom24">{{cite news |last1=Doggers |first1=Peter |title=Shabalov, Knaak, Klinova, Burchardt Winners At World Senior Championships |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/shabalov-knaak-klinova-burchardt-win-2024-world-senior-championships |access-date=29 November 2024 |work=chess.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=32th World Senior Chess Championship 2024 Open 50+|url=https://chess-results.com/tnr948565.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=11&flag=30|website=chess-results.com}}</ref>