On Chebyshev polynomials in the complex plane

The estimates of the uniform norm of the Chebyshev polynomials associated with a compact set $K$ in the complex plane are established. These estimates are exact (up to a constant factor) in the case where $K$ consists of a finite number of quasiconformal curves or arcs. The case where $K$ is a uniformly perfect subset of the real line is also studied.