The people behind the game
Vladimir Kramnik
Beat Kasparov in 2000 with the Berlin Defence, then won the 2006 reunification match against Topalov.
- Born
- 1975
- Country connections
- Russia
At the board
The games. The ideas.
Explore classic encounters and championship battles. Play every move, or jump straight to the moments that tell the story.
2000 · World championship · Game 10
A breakthrough in London
Kramnik’s game 10 victory in London adds a second win to his 2000 title match against Kasparov.
Read the position
Every move sets the scene.
Use the controls to explore the full game, or select an annotated moment below. Each explanation describes the position immediately after its highlighted move.
Complete move list 25 moves
The journey
A remarkable path.
Kramnik beat Kasparov in 2000, defended his classical title against Peter Leko in 2004 and won the reunification match against Topalov in 2006. Anand’s victory in the 2007 championship tournament ended Kramnik’s reign. [1]
Explore the championship record →The championship record
Time with the crown.
- 2000–2006Classical world championship · split era
- 2006–2007Undisputed world championship
Reigns are periods of title ownership, not a count of championship victories. Open-ended reigns reflect the record checked on 18 October 2026.
Sources & credits
Biographical details and title records checked . Country connections describe the player’s career and background, rather than a live federation listing.
Portrait: Vladimir Barskij · CC BY-SA 3.0. Displayed in monochrome and cropped.
