Vladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik pulled off one of the biggest upsets in chess history in 2000 when he defeated Garry Kasparov 8 ½ – 6 ½ to become the 14th world champion. Kramnik went on to successfully defend his title two times. A top-ten-rated player from his late teens until his retirement from the game at the age of 43, Kramnik won every accolade a chess player can, but his theoretical contributions to the game are arguably even greater. This is particularly true of his development of the Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez which he successfully rehabilitated in his match with Kasparov.