Sergey Karjakin: Biography, Achievements & Lasting Legacy

Karjakin won the 2012 World Rapid Chess Championship and the Norway Chess tournament in 2013 and 2014. He competed at the Candidates Tournament 2014, placing second. He won the Chess World Cup 2015, thus qualifying for the Candidates Tournament 2016. He won the Candidates and earned the right to challenge for the World Chess Championship. In November 2016, he lost the championship match to Magnus Carlsen in the rapid tiebreaks after drawing 6–6 in the classical games. He won the 2016 World Blitz Chess Championship. He participated in the Candidates Tournament 2018, placing third, and qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2022 by finishing second in the Chess World Cup 2021.

Karjakin's public approval of the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted the Grand Chess Tour to ban him in future events. He was also banned from playing FIDE-rated events for six months, including the Candidates Tournament 2022. Following the expiration of his ban, Karjakin has refused to participate in events where he is barred from playing under the Russian flag; this, in conjunction with FIDE's ban on Belarusian and Russian flags, meant that Karjakin has been inactive, dropping out of FIDE's rating lists in June 2024.