GMVolodar Murzin

Volodar Murzin was born in Nizhny Tagil in 2006 and learned chess from his maternal grandfather. At seven he began attending a chess club, where Sergei Sulimov became his first coach. He initially combined chess with football but chose chess when their training schedules conflicted. A perfect score in a 2014 Russian children's cup event in his hometown marked an early breakthrough. His family moved to Khimki in 2017, and his later development included sustained work with grandmaster Mikhail Kobalia. He became an international master in 2019 and a grandmaster in 2022.

Murzin helped Russia win the 2021 Online Olympiad and began appearing in the Russian Championship Superfinal. In 2024 he shared first place at the Sharjah Masters, finishing second on tiebreak. His greatest breakthrough came that December when he won the World Rapid Championship in New York at eighteen. He remained undefeated and beat Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa during the event. He has credited his mother and extended family with supporting his tournament career. Away from competition he enjoys playing football, listening to Russian rock and caring for the family's pets.