Babakuli Annakov is an esteemed Turkmen chess player who earned the title of Grandmaster (GM), acknowledged as the highest title a chess player can earn from the World Chess Federation, in 2007. He was born on 5th May 1964. Before his success as a GM, Annakov dominated the Turkmenistan Chess Championship, earning first place in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2006.
Internationally, Annakov represented his home nation in number of team chess championships. He played on the first board of the Turkmenistan national team in three Chess Olympiads from 1998 to 2002. He also represented Turkmenistan in three Asian Team Chess Championships in both classical and rapid chess playing modes between 1999 and 2005.
Annakov was also successful at the Asian Chess Championship in 2005, where he finished ninth. He is known for his strong performance at the Aeroflot Open in Moscow, 2005. After attaining the International Master title, he was awarded the GM title in 2007.
Annakov has greatly influenced chess in Turkmenistan by developing the next generation of players. In his distinctive style of playing, he uses a variety of popular openings.