Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster who was the 14th world chess champion. He is known for his positional, solid, intuitive, and calm playing styles. Kramnik won the Professional Chess Association world championship in 2000, defeating Garry Kasparov. He won two games, drew thirteen, and lost none during the match, which took place in London from October 8 to November 2, 2000. In 1991 and 1992, Kramnik claimed the World Under 18 Championship and the World Junior Championship. He was Mikhail Botvinnik's student and the headmaster of the renowned Soviet Chess School. He is the son of an artist and a music teacher, and no one in his family played chess. In 2006, he agreed to a unification match with Bulgarian grandmaster Veselin Topalov, FIDE's challenger. In 2008, India's Viswanathan Anand successfully defended his title against Kramnik. The match came to a close on October 29, 2008, when the players drew the 11th round, giving Anand the victory.