Tornike Sanikidze is a Georgian chess player who achieved Grandmaster status in 2002. Born on April 10, 1989, in Tbilisi, Georgia, he began playing chess at a young age. His chess career took off when he won the European U14 championship in 2003. After earning the FIDE International Master title in 2003, he obtained the Grandmaster (GM) title the following year.
Sanikidze has participated in many chess tournaments and events, often representing Georgia. He played for the Georgian national team in the European Team Chess Championships in 2007. He also played in the FIDE World Cup in 2005 and 2007.
In the FIDE World Cup 2005, he was eliminated in the first round by Ukrainian Grandmaster Pavel Eljanov. In the 2007 edition, he faced Chinese Grandmaster Bu Xiangzhi in the first round and got eliminated.
Throughout his career, Sanikidze has played games against many notable players, such as Teimour Radjabov, a leading Azerbaijani chess player. He also played against Gabriel Sargissian, an Armenian Grandmaster, in the European Individual Chess Championship 2008. Diana Arutyunova and Ana Kuchava are two of the strong female players he has competed against.
Throughout his career, he has displayed a solid and creative style of play, using a wide range of openings and defences, demonstrating deep understanding of different types of positions, and showing great technical skill in endgames.
Beyond his playing career, Sanikidze has served as a coach for other upcoming players, further contributing to the chess scene in Georgia.