Vladimir Kramnik, born 25 June 1975, is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007.
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 Peter Leko in a drawn match played in Brissago, Switzerland.
In October 2006, Kramnik, the Classical World Champion, defeated reigning FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov in a unification match. As a result, Kramnik became the first undisputed World Champion, since Garry Kasparov split from FIDE in 1993.
In 2007, Kramnik lost the title to Viswanathan Anand, who won the World Chess Championship tournament (not a classical match between the two players) ahead of Kramnik. He played Anand at the World Chess Championship match 2008, but lost.