Ruslan Irzhanov was born on July 17, 1977, in Astrakhan, Russia, and his name is alternatively spelled as Ruslan Kinzhitayevich Irzhanov.
Notable for his performances in various chess championships, Irzhanov won the championship of Moscow in 2005. Additionally, he camesecond in the Russian championship of correspondence chess in 2007. In 2001, he competed in the Chess World Cup but did not progress past the first round.
He graduated from the Russian State Social University and he also holds a degree in psychology.