Some chess players are made for podiums and laurel wreaths, while others find more excitement in the struggle itself than in the final outcome. Andreikin is one of these creators... In terms of talent, he was on par with his contemporaries like Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi, Karjakin, or Vachier-Lagrave, his achievements scaling only slightly lesser heights than theirs. Dmitry has never complained, believing that a happy family life was just as valuable as a career!
Andreikin was born on February 5, 1990, in Ryazan, near Moscow. He learned to play chess at school and achieved his first success in 1999 by winning the Russian championship in the under-10 category. On the European and world stage, however, his successes were more modest: although Dmitry held a positive score against many champions, the competition was fierce. He was a FIDE master by age 11, at 13 he was an International Master, his rating having already surpassed 2400. In 2004, Andreikin came close to qualifying for the Russian championship superfinal – he remained unbeaten in a very strong field. His game stood out for its solidity, strong positional foundation, and originality from a young age, despite working independently without a coach or collaborative support from other players. Dmitry became a grandmaster at 17 and three years later in 2010, at age 20, he won the World Junior Championship with 10/13.
Two years later, in 2012, Andreikin placed second at the European Championship, finishing with 8/11, just half a point behind winner Jakovenko, without a single loss. That year was a true breakthrough for him! In June, he won the Higher League (7.5/11), and by August, he secured the Russian championship super-final with 5/9. Andreikin shared 1st-6th places and winning first in rapid tiebreaks, in which he was known as a specialist. This success opened doors to super tournaments where he held his ground among elite players.
Soon after, he reached the Candidates Tournament, having qualified by advancing to the final of the 2013 World Cup. On his way to the final, Andreikin defeated the entire Russian team: Karjakin, Svidler, and Tomashevsky, before facing Kramnik. He lost to the former world champion 1.5-2.5, but he arrived in Khanty-Mansiysk with high hopes. With Anand securing the spot to face Carlsen, Andreikin tied for 3rd-5th places with Mamedyarov and Kramnik. Subsequently, he struggled in the 2014/15 FIDE Grand Prix series: winning in Tashkent (7/11), but faltering in the other two events. He won through to the quarterfinals in the next four World Cups but this was insufficient to qualify again for the Candidates.
A new peak came in 2016 when Andreikin had a string of excellent results in strong open tournaments: Reykjavik (8/10), Stockholm (7.5/9), and Abu Dhabi (7.5/9). He reached his career-high rating of 2743 and entered the top-20. After setbacks at super-tournaments in Wijk aan Zee and Dortmund in 2017, he faced fewer significant challenges. His swan song was arguably his second Russian Championship victory in 2018 (7/11), again winning in tiebreaks. As the Russian champion, he played a match against China's champion and future world champion Ding Liren, defeating him 2.5-1.5. That same year, in 2019, Andreikin defeated Carlsen at the World Blitz Championship but missed the podium (his major blitz title was the 2016 European Championship win).
In recent years, Andreikin has played less frequently, though he continues to achieve solid results, maintaining his place on the Russian national team and in the "2700 club." Meanwhile, Dmitry remains a formidable presence online, consistently winning and proving himself among the world's best in rapid, blitz, and bullet.
