GMIan Nepomniachtchi

Ian Nepomniachtchi grew up in Bryansk and learned chess at four. His early coaches included his uncle Igor and Valentin Evdokimenko. He won three European youth titles between 2000 and 2002. In 2002 he became world under-12 champion, finishing ahead of Magnus Carlsen on tiebreak. He earned the grandmaster title in 2007. Victory at the 2008 Aeroflot Open brought an invitation to Dortmund, where he shared second place. He won both the European individual championship and Russian championship in 2010.

His later tournament victories included the 2016 Tal Memorial and 2018 Dortmund tournament. He won another Russian championship in 2020. Winning the Candidates in 2021 earned him a match against Carlsen. He lost that match but returned to win the 2022 Candidates without losing a game. His second world-title challenge, against Ding Liren in 2023, ended in defeat after rapid tiebreaks. Nepomniachtchi also helped Russia win world team titles in 2013 and 2019. His speed-chess achievements include several World Rapid medals. In 2024 he shared the World Blitz Championship with Carlsen.