Mikheil Kekelidze is a professional chess player and a FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) Grandmaster. Born on May 12, 1990, in Tbilisi, Georgia, he gained his grandmaster title in 2015 after his outstanding performance in multiple tournaments. His career has witnessed an upward trajectory since he started competing in junior competitions at an international level.
Kekelidze has won various national and international chess competitions, including the Georgian Youth Championship under 18, the European Youth Championship under 18, and the Lipetsk Open in Russia. He was the runner-up at the World Youth Championship under 16. In 2019, he won the Baku Open in Azerbaijan.
While playing in the United States, Kekelidze was the outright winner of the New York International Open in 2015. Later in 2016, he tied for first in the same tournament and also won the Philadelphia International tournament. He also took the bronze medal in the Chicago Open and the Washington International tournaments in 2016.