Chess Grandmaster Igor Khenkin was born in 1968 in Russia. He began playing chess at a young age and eventually qualified to represent his country internationally. Over the years, he won several prestigious tournaments, becoming a National Master by the age of 15 and an International Master by 1992. He rose to prominence in the chess world after winning the Championship of Russia, one of the strongest chess competitions in the world, in 1997.
He has represented both Russia and Germany on international levels. In 1998, he moved to Germany and started playing for the German national team in 2000. He participated in four Chess Olympiads for Germany.
In 2002, he became a German citizen. Khenkin played in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004 and reached the second round. In 2012, Khenkin won the German Chess Championship.
He is well known for his amazing skills and strategic play, especially his opening theories. He has contributed significantly to theoretical developments in several major chess openings. Khenkin has also shared his love and knowledge of chess by writing several books about the game.