Ka cika wannan jumlar: An haifi Vladimir Kramnik a garin Tuapse, a gaɓar Bahar Maliya. Sunan haihuwar mahaifinsa shine Boris Sokolov, amma ya ɗauki sunan mahaifinsa lokacin da mahaifiyarsa (kakar Vladimir) ta sake yin aure. Mahaifiyarsa Irina Fedorovna 'yar Ukraine ce kuma malamin kiɗa ce; mahaifinsa mai zane ne kuma mai zane. Lokacin da yake yaro, Vladimir Kramnik ya yi karatu a makarantar wasan chess da Mikhail Botvinnik ya kafa. Sakamakonsa na farko a cikin babban gasa shi ne lambar zinare a matsayin farkon ajiya ga ƙungiyar Rasha a gasar zakarun Turai.
1992 Chess Olympiad a cikin Manila. Zaɓin sa ga ƙungiyar ya haifar da wasu rikice-rikice a Rasha a lokacin, saboda ya kasance FIDE Master ne kawai. Koyaya, Garry Kasparov ya goyi bayan zaɓinsa. Ya zira kwallaye takwas, wasa daya, kuma babu asara, wasan kwaikwayo na 2958, wanda ya lashe lambar zinare don mafi kyawun wasan kwaikwayo.