Pavel Ponkratov is a Russian chess Grandmaster (GM). He was born on May 15, 1988, in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Ponkratov achieved the Grandmaster title in 2009 and the Candidate Master title in 2003, awarded by FIDE (International Chess Federation).
Ponkratov has accumulated numerous competition wins and distinctions throughout his professional chess career, including winning the Chigorin Memorial in 2015, Russian Higher League Chess Championship in 2012, and the 2020 CCCSA GM/IM Norm Invitational Online Blitz Tournament with a score of 8/9.
He also won the 2015 National Chess Open in Las Vegas with a score of 9.5/10 and shared second place in the European Blitz Chess Championship in 2012 and 2015. He added another remarkable achievement to his list by winning the 2013 Fajr Sabalan Cup held in Iran.
Ponkratov participated in the Chess World Cup 2015 and was eliminated in the first round by Anton Korobov.