Vladimir Kramnik (Fourteenth World Chess Champion) Bio
Vladimir Kramnik
Fourteenth World Chess Champion
Vladimir Kramnik was the fourteenth World Chess Champion. He was born June 25th 1975 in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007. Vladimir Kramnik has won three team gold medals and three individual medals at Chess Olympiads. In October 2000, he defeated Garry Kasparov in a match played in London, and became the Classical World Chess Champion. In late 2004, Kramnik successfully defended his title against challenger Péter Lékó in a drawn match played in Brissago, Switzerland. In October 2006, Vladimir Kramnik, the Classical World Champion, defeated reigning FIDEWorld ChampionVeselin Topalov in a unification match, the World Chess Championship 2006. As a result he became the first undisputed World Champion, holding both the FIDE and Classical titles, since Kasparov split from FIDE in 1993. 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.
Garry Kasparov described Kramnik style as pragmatic and tenacious, in the latter similar to Anatoly Karpov. He is one of the toughest opponents to defeat, losing only one game in over one hundred games leading up to his match with Kasparov, including eighty consecutive games without loss. Kasparov did not defeat Kramnik during their 2000 World Championship match, partly due to Vladimir Kramnik use of the Berlin Defense of the Ruy Lopez. Kramnik is renowned for his endgame skills.
Garry Kasparov versus Vladimir Kramnik
“Clash of Titans”
1996
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