A pupil of the Botvinnik chess school, Vladimir Kramnik (b. 1975) showed great potential early and debuted on the Russian team at the Olympiad in Manila (1992) at the age of 17. He built an awe-inspiring tournament record in the following years and became #1 on the FIDE rating list in January 1996.
Future chess world champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik (Circa. 1993) by FIDE archiveInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
In 2000, Kasparov organized a title match against Kramnik in London. Kramnik dethroned Kasparov in a memorable battle, 8½–6½, without losing a single game. Four years later, he defended his title, drawing the match against Peter Leko in Brissago (2004).
In April 2006, FIDE announced a reunification match between Kramnik and Topalov, the FIDE World Chess Championship 2006. The competition took place in Elista, Kalmykia. Vladimir Kramnik beat Veselin Topalov on a tiebreaker and became the undisputed World Champion.
In 2007, Vladimir Kramnik lost the title to Viswanathan Anand, who won the World Chess Championship 2007 tournament ahead of Kramnik. He challenged Anand at the World Chess Championship 2008 to regain his title but lost.
Kramnik played in the 2013 Candidates Tournament in London and finished with 8½ points, sharing first place with Magnus Carlsen, but lost in the tiebreak. Vladimir Kramnik publicly announced his retirement from classical chess in January 2019. He still sometimes takes part in rapid and blitz competitions.
Autograph of Vladimir Kramnik by Vladimir KramnikInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
Kramnik's autograph
Kramnik's signature chess combination
Kramnik – Kasparov. London 2000
24.Nd8+ Kh8 25. Qe7!, and Black resigned because the position is lost. For example, if 25… Re8, then 26. Qxe8+ Nxe8 27. Rxe8 leads to mate. If 25… Rg8, then 26. Nf7 is mate. And if 25… Rxd8, then White has a significant material advantage after 27. Qxd8+ Ng8.
The chess world speaks: opinions on Kramnik
"He was a good pupil of Botvinnik and Garry Kasparov. He designed a great strategy to drag me from the areas where I felt most comfortable. He was very smart and knew exactly where I could make mistakes. The match was a disaster for me. I was outprepared." - Garry Kasparov
"One of the most influential chess players of our times. His rivalry was a constant inspiration." - Viswanathan Anand
Timeless chess wisdom from Kramnik
Chess is like body-building. If you train every day, you stay in top shape. It's the same with your brain—chess is a matter of daily training.
In chess, one cannot control everything. Sometimes a game takes an unexpected turn, revealing beauty.
At the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, Vladimir Kramnik took on the role of team captain for the first time. The defending champions, a young Uzbekistan squad, secured bronze medals.
Dive deeper: explore Kramnik's legacy through these videos
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