Vladimir Kramnik is a Russian Grandmaster and the 14th World Chess Champion.
As a child, Kramnik attended the famous chess school of Mikhail Botvinnik, the sixth World Champion. He rose to international fame in 1991 by scoring an undefeated 9/11 victory in the Under-18 World Championship.
For that performance, then World Champion Garry Kasparov supported his selection as the first reserve board for the Russian Team at the 1992 Chess Olympiad in Manila. Having a 17-year-old FIDE Master representing the world's strongest chess nation was unheard of, but Kramnik's 8.5/9 score helped his team win the event and brought him the individual gold medal too.
Throughout the 90s, he proved he could routinely defeat the world's top players with his versatility in the opening and deeply positional playing style. In 1996 he topped the FIDE chess rankings for the first time, then the youngest person to achieve that feat.
In 2000, GM Kramnik unseated the great Garry Kasparov to become World Chess Champion. He would hold the title for eight years, including successful defenses against GM Peter Leko in 2004 and GM Veselin Topalov in 2006.
He continued setting the highest marks in that period, like becoming the second player ever to cross the 2800 elo barrier or owning the Dortmund Super Tournament (winning ten titles from 1995 to 2011). In 2008 he regained the world's #1 spot for the last time, although he remained a serious contender for the number one spot right up until his retirement in 2019.
Over the board, Kramnik was an era-defining player. His influence has shaped the world championship match psychology and preparation. He changed the evaluation of almost all openings he played, fundamentally bringing the Sveshnikov Sicilian, the Berlin Ruy Lopez, and the Catalan opening to the limelight of top chess. Equally, he challenged the stereotype of chess styles, going from a refined positional player to playing very dynamical chess later in his career.
These days, GM Kramnik dedicates his time to sharing his vast knowledge with a new generation of chess players. His courses on Chessable are a must for advanced players looking to hone their strategic thinking skills.
Whether it's positional decision-making or opening strategy and understanding, Kramnik is the highest-quality instruction on-site.
