Vladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik (born June 25, 1975, Tuapse, Russia, U.S.S.R.) is a Russian international chess grandmaster who defeated his countryman Garry Kasparov to win the Professional Chess Association world championship. The match was held in London from October 8 to November 2, 2000, with Kramnik winning 2 games, drawing 13, and losing none.

(Read Garry Kasparov’s Britannica essay on chess & Deep Blue.)

Kramnik’s father was an artist and his mother a music teacher. Although no one in his home played serious chess, Kramnik learned to play when he was four years old from his father. Kramnik was fascinated by the game and began taking instruction at the local Pioneers (a Soviet youth organization) at the age of five, becoming champion of Tuapse at seven. At the age of 11 he left the ranks of first category players and became a “candidate” master. More important, he came to the attention of the famous Soviet Chess School and its headmaster, former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. Only the most talented pupils in the Soviet Union were invited to study chess there, and Kramnik made rapid progress.

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The great players whose games most influenced Kramnik were the former world champions José Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, and Garry Kasparov. Kasparov lectured at the school on occasion, and Kramnik was struck by the fact that Karpov and Kasparov played chess completely differently yet were both champions. He came to the conclusion that it was necessary to study a broad range of chess positions in order to become a well-rounded player.

Kramnik had good success in junior tournaments during his early years, winning the World Under 18 Championship in 1991. However, the first big break of his chess career came in 1992, and the man who gave it to him was Kasparov. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia looked to have a real contest for the first time in decades at the upcoming Chess Olympiad. Kasparov led the team, but he shocked the Russian chess establishment by insisting that the 16-year-old Kramnik be allowed to play. (The Men’s Olympiad traditionally consists of a series of national matches between four of each nation’s six available players. At the time, Kramnik had not even earned the grandmaster title, and Russia had dozens of grandmasters.) Nevertheless, the weight of the world champion’s opinion was such that Kramnik was included on the team. Kramnik justified his inclusion by scoring a stunning eight wins and one draw out of nine games. The Russian team swept to victory once again, and Kramnik won an individual gold medal for best score, which was awarded to him on his 17th birthday.

The years from 1992 to 2000 saw Kramnik move into the world’s elite by winning outright or tying for first or second place at numerous international chess tournaments. Many chess aficionados, including Kasparov, considered Kramnik the most likely heir to the chess throne. Nevertheless, Kramnik’s defeat of Kasparov was made more stunning because he had previously shown little aptitude for match play, although he had served as Kasparov’s training partner in the past. The difference in London seems to have been meticulous “opening” preparation and development of the right attitude. After winning the championship match, Kramnik said of Kasparov, “Most of the players tend to be afraid of him when they shouldn’t. I can see it in their eyes when they come to play him. They just want to make some moves and stop the clock. I tell you, this isn’t the way to play against Garry!”

Following negotiations with the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE; the international chess federation), which recognized Kramnik as the “classical” world chess champion, he agreed to a unification match in 2006 with FIDE’s challenger, the Bulgarian grandmaster Veselin Topalov, who had won the 2005 FIDE World Championship Tournament. Kramnik earned the match victory with five wins, seven draws, and four losses, with one of the losses by way of a forfeit during an acrimonious dispute, known as “toilet gate,” over unsubstantiated accusations that he was somehow cheating during his very frequent visits to one of the player’s restrooms. As part of the unification contract, the winner agreed to risk the consolidated title in FIDE’s 2007 World Championship Tournament. Topalov and several other top grandmasters who had not previously qualified for this tournament were excluded from participating, which caused considerable animosity in the chess community. In addition, some individuals were incensed that Kramnik was guaranteed a title rematch should he not win the tournament. Viswanathan Anand of India, a former FIDE champion and perennial challenger for the top chess rating, won the tournament and defended the title against Kramnik in a 12-game match scheduled from October 14 to November 2, 2008, in Bonn, Germany. The match ended October 29, 2008, as the players drew the 11th game to give Anand the victory with a score of 3 wins, 7 draws, and 1 loss.

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Kramnik’s autobiography, Kramnik: My Life and Games, was published in 2000.