GMVladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik was born in Tuapse on the Black Sea in 1975. His mother taught music and his father was a painter and sculptor. As a child he studied at the chess school associated with Mikhail Botvinnik. Selected for Russia’s 1992 Olympiad team with Garry Kasparov’s support, he scored eight wins and one draw on the reserve board. He received the Grandmaster title that year. His first victory at Dortmund came in 1995.

In London in 2000, Kramnik defeated Kasparov by eight and a half points to six and a half without losing a game. His use of the Berlin Defence against Kasparov’s king-pawn opening helped establish it in elite tournament practice. He retained the classical world title against Peter Leko in 2004 by winning the final game to draw the match. In 2006 he defeated FIDE champion Veselin Topalov in rapid tiebreaks, reuniting the world championship. Viswanathan Anand took the title in the 2007 championship tournament and defeated Kramnik in their 2008 match.

Kramnik won the World Cup in 2013 and continued competing in Candidates events before announcing his retirement from professional classical chess in January 2019. He subsequently worked on chess education and training projects. In July 2026, FIDE’s Ethics and Disciplinary Commission sanctioned him over public accusations against other players, imposing a two-year competition ban with the second year suspended subject to probation.