Volodar Murzin
GM
Player Details
Volodar Murzin is a young grandmaster playing under the FIDE flag and one of the most notable breakthrough players of the mid-2020s. Born in Nizhny Tagil in 2006, he became a grandmaster in 2022 and rapidly turned from a high-level junior into a top-100 professional. His defining achievement came at the end of 2024, when he won the FIDE World Rapid Championship undefeated and became the second-youngest player ever to take that title. By August 2025 he had already reached a peak classical rating of 2678 and a peak world ranking of No. 46, and he remained in the world top 100 on the April 2026 list. Murzin’s rise has not been based on one event alone: he has continued to score in strong international opens and elite mixed-format events, confirming that his progress is not limited to fast chess.
Playing Style
Murzin’s style is practical, resourceful, and highly effective in faster time controls, but it would be too narrow to call him only a speed-chess specialist. His best games show good strategic balance, strong nerves, and the ability to keep finding active resources in unclear positions. One reason his 2024–2025 rise carried so much weight is that it came against elite opposition rather than only junior fields. He already looks like a player who is comfortable under pressure and difficult to outcalculate cleanly.
Best Games
- 2024vs Hikaru NakamuraFIDE World Rapid ChampionshipMurzin’s title run was built on elite scalps, and Nakamura was one of the biggest. Beating one of the strongest rapid players in the world helped define the credibility of his championship performance.
- 2024vs Fabiano CaruanaFIDE World Rapid ChampionshipCaruana was another world-class opponent Murzin defeated during his undefeated march to the world rapid crown. Wins of that level transformed the result from a surprise into a genuine breakout.
- 2024vs Jan-Krzysztof DudaFIDE World Rapid ChampionshipDuda was also among the elite players Murzin beat during the event. Against a player with an outstanding fast-chess résumé, that was one of the most convincing markers of Murzin’s readiness for the world stage.
- 2025vs Lu ShangleiSemana Santa OpenMurzin won the main event in San Vicente del Raspeig ahead of Lu and Ivanchuk. That result mattered because it showed he could follow a huge rapid success with a serious open-tournament performance against seasoned opposition.
Opening Repertoire
Murzin’s repertoire is flexible and modern. Public game collections point to a strong queen’s-pawn base with White, while his overall practice suggests a willingness to keep positions strategically rich rather than committing to a single narrow opening identity too early in his career.
- Queen’s Pawn Game1.d4
- Réti / English transpositions1.Nf3 or 1.c4
- Sicilian Defence1.e4 c5
- Queen’s Gambit Declined structures1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6
Career Highlights
- Grandmaster title2022.
- FIDE World Rapid Champion2024.
- Second-youngest player ever to win the World Rapid title.
- Semana Santa Open winner2025.
- Peak world rankingNo. 46.
- Peak FIDE classical rating2678.
Career Highlights
- Grandmaster title2022.
- FIDE World Rapid Champion2024.
- Second-youngest player ever to win the World Rapid title.
- Semana Santa Open winner2025.
- Peak world rankingNo. 46.
- Peak FIDE classical rating2678.