Vladimir Kramnik: A Brilliant Russian Chess Grandmaster

Born at the town of Tuapse in Russia, Vladimir Kramnik is without a doubt one of the top chess grandmasters in the world today. He was a world champion starting from 2000 up to 2007. Within this long time frame, he showed the exuberance and brilliance that helped him gain the highest rank possible for any chess player.

Kramnik showed the whole world that he is indeed a dominant force to reckon with when he defeated fellow Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov in October 2000. Despite his lack of experience, Kramnik was able to outlast Kasparov in a grueling sixteen game match that took place in London, England. This highly celebrated victory earned him a Classical world chess championship.

The championship run proved to be no fluke as Kramnik accepted a very tough challenge from a world class chess player in the form of Peter Leko at the latter parts of 2004. This encounter took place at the municipality of Brissago in Switzerland. With his title at stake, Kramnik displayed class and determination to upend the challenge posed by Leko in 14 tough games.

In October 2006, Kramnik notched another notable victory when he placed the Classical World Championship title on the line against Veselin Topalov, who was then FIDE World Champion himself. This unification bout ended in a classic fashion as Kramnik bagged the FIDE World chess championship in that particular year. This triumph made Kramnik a holder of the two most prestigious titles in chess, namely the Classical and FIDE championships.

The following year, Kramnik suffered a serious setback when Viswanathan Anand defeated him in the 2007 edition of the fide world chess Championship. This humbling loss did not affect the reputation of Kramnik as one of the most dominant players in the world of chess. Pragmatic and tenacious are the two words that best describe his playing style. His impressive chess record includes a winning streak of 80 games en route to his World Championship run against Kasparov in 2000.

Kramnik's record was really impressive right from the very start. The 1990 Russian Championship in Kuibyshev, 1991 World Championship 18-Under in Guarapuav, and 1993 Interzonal Tournament in Biel were among his earliest victories. He also won some impressive world championship qualifiers. His quarterfinals finishes at FIDE and PCA events in 1994 are worthy of considerable praise and attention. His strongest victories came at the Classical World Chess Championships in 2000 and 2004. The FIDE World Chess Championship run in 2006 will never be forgotten as well.