Krishnan Sasikiran is a chess player from India who has achieved the title of Grandmaster. He is ranked 2nd (after Viswanathan Anand) in India, ranked 6th in Asia and 56th in the world in FIDE rating as on September 2011. Sasikiran is often referred to as Sasi and he has achieved the title of Grandmaster at the 2000 Commonwealth Championship. The eminent chess player won the esteemed Hastings International Chess tournament in the year 2001. Krishnan Sasikiran also won the Politiken Cup in Copenhagen and the 4th Asian Individual Championship during the year 2003. In the Sigeman Tournament held in Denmark in the year 2005, he tied against Jan Timman for first place. Later in 2009, Krishnan Sasikiran tied with Etienne Bacrot for 2nd- 3rd, in Antwerp.

Early Life of Krishnan Sasikiran
Krishnan Sasikiran was born on 7th January in the year 1981, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in south-eastern India. At the age of 9, Sasikiran started playing chess and earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 19. His father Krishnan, who himself is a strong player, is his coach.

Career of Krishnan Sasikiran
In the year 2000, Krishnan Sasikiran became an International Chess Grandmaster at the Commonwealth Championship. He won the esteemed Hastings International Chess tournament in the year 2001. He won both the 4th Asian Individual Championship as well as the Politiken Cup in Copenhagen in the year 2003. In the 2005 Sigeman Tournament held at Copenhagen, Denmark, Sasikiran tied with Jan Timman for first place. Sasikiran was ranked number 21 in the world with an Elo rating of 2700 FIDE rating list as on the January 2007. After reaching the ELO rating of 2700, he became only the second chess player from India to cross that mark. In the Asian Games of the year 2006, he won Gold medal in team event. A cheque of Rs 20 Lakhs was presented by the Tamil Nadu Government as an appreciation of his success.

Krishnan Sasikiran has also won the Hastings International Chess Congress, England, in 2001 and 2002. He has also won the Pentamedia Category XI GM tournament, Chennai in 2000. By acquiring a host of honored tournaments, Sasikiran has made rapid paces. His current FIDE rating is 2681 and 2700 was the highest rating throughout his chess career. In the open section of the 15th Corsican Circuit, he won clear first in October 2011. Moreover, in the Corsica Masters Knockout rapid tournament, Sasikiran rose to the semi-final level but lost to the winner Viswanathan Anand.

Achievements of Krishnan Sasikiran
Some of the notable games played by Sasikiran are- Sasikiran vs Krasenkow in the year 2004 won by 1-0, Nakamura vs Sasikiran in the year 2005 won by 0-1, Kamsky vs Sasikiran in the year 2007 won by 0-1, Mamedyarov vs Sasikiran in the year 2007 and won by 0-1, Navara vs Sasikiran in the year 2007 won by 0-1, Sasikiran vs Harikrishna in the year 2002 won by 1-0, Sasikiran vs Anand in the year 2002 and won by 1-0. Sasikiran often takes part in practice games with experienced players, like GM Dibyendu Barua. He has accompanied various training camps coordinated for Indian Grandmasters by Vishwanathan Anand.

In the year 2006, he won the La Roche Sur Yon tournament. Afterward he led India at the Asian Games, held in Doha, to the team gold in the first ever chess competition. His growing repute in international Chess contributes immensely to India`s reputation as a noted chess playing nation.