Kramnik, Vladimir

Vladimir Kramnik became the fourteenth World Champion in 2000 by defeating Garry Kasparov without losing a single game, deploying the Berlin Defense to neutralize Kasparov's mighty 1.e4. He held the title through 2007 and reunified the world championship by defeating Veselin Topalov in 2006. Kramnik's deep strategic style and extraordinary opening preparation made him one of the most formidable positional players of the modern era.