Russia

Born 12 January 1990, FIDE rating 2783 (April 2017)

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin is a Ukrainian-born Russian chess grandmaster. He is a former chess prodigy and holds the record for the world's youngest Grandmaster ever, having qualified for this title at the age of 12 years and 7 months.

On March 28, 2016, Sergey Karjakin earned the right to compete as the challenger to Magnus Carlsen in the World Chess Championship 2016 after winning the Candidates Tournament 2016 in Moscow.

Karjakin won the 2012 World Rapid Chess Championship, the 2016 World Blits Chess Championship  and the Chess World Cup 2015. He also won the Norway Chess Tournament twice (2013, 2014) and the Corus Chess Tournament in 2009.