LaviChess

Vladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik took the world title from Garry Kasparov in 2000 without losing a single game, and he was world champion until 2007. In 2006 he won the match that gave chess a single world champion again. He played solid chess and was very hard to beat.

  • BornJune 25, 1975, Tuapse, Soviet Union (today Russia)
  • CountryRussia
  • World champion2000–2007
    The classical title until 2006
  • In the line of championsNo. 14 of 18
  • Highest rating2817 (October 2016)
    FIDE's official lists (from July 1971)

The road to the title

As a young player Kramnik went to Mikhail Botvinnik's chess school. In 2000 he challenged Garry Kasparov in London and beat him with two wins and thirteen draws.

The title matches

Kramnik's points come first, then wins (+), losses (−) and draws (=) in the classical games. A rapid tiebreak is given separately.
YearAgainstResultWhere
2000Garry Kasparov8½–6½ (+2 −0 =13)
Won the title · the classical title		London
2004Péter Lékó7–7 (+2 −2 =10)
Kept the title · the classical title		Brissago, Switzerland
2006Veselin Topalov6–6 (+3 −3 =6), tiebreak 2½–1½
Kept the title · the titles reunited		Elista
2007Tournament of eight players8 of 14
Lost the title · title tournament		Mexico City
2008Viswanathan Anand4½–6½ (+1 −3 =7)
Lost		Bonn

The defense Kasparov couldn't break

With Black, Kramnik chose the Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez, and Kasparov never found a way through. Kramnik drew all his games with Black and decided the match with two wins with White.

One world champion again

Until 2006 there were two world champions. Kramnik kept his title against Péter Lékó in 2004 by winning the last game to level at 7–7. In 2006 he met FIDE's world champion Veselin Topalov in Elista. After the classical games it stood 6–6, and Kramnik won the rapid tiebreak 2½–1½. Since then there has been a single world champion.

How he played

Kramnik played solid, positional chess and seldom lost. His wins were often long: he exploited small weaknesses and slowly tightened his grip on the position.

Afterward

In 2007 Kramnik lost the title at a championship tournament in Mexico City won by Viswanathan Anand, and in 2008 he lost a match to Anand in Bonn. He topped FIDE's list in January 1996 and in January 2008, and he reached his highest rating, 2817, in October 2016. In January 2019 he retired from competitive chess.

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Vladimir Kramnik
  • Store norske leksikon: Vladimir Kramnik
  • FIDE: Kramnik's rating history
  • OlimpBase: FIDE's list of January 1996
  • PGN Mentor: the title matches' games 2000–2008

The facts on this page come from the sources above, checked against each other. Where the sources disagree, only what they agree on is given. The match results are also checked against the games themselves.

Updated November 8, 2026