April Babies: A Chess Zodiac
April Fools! This post is just so I can get a badge🤪.
Oh, wait. That's the people on the "All Blogs" page who just learned that if they post ten times, they'll earn a weightless and coinless merit badge.🤣 Plus, I post at the end of the month to build suspense going into the next month, so this is 29 days late for foolishness...no surprise given that I have yet to manage to gather the data for a full month prior to the beginning of that month.
For the nonce, let's put all that aside for our chess corner. We're chess aficionados and it's time to get serious about Masters of the 64 Squares who had a birthday in April (o maestros del ajedrez nacidos en abril, from what I remember, or dismember, from high school Spanish). [My language skills are dismal all these years later. From fluent in Japanese to barely able to count to ten. Sigh.]
So, here's the big question:
What do the biographies of the chess personalities born on a given day say about the chess potential of those born that same day in April?
What might Wikipedia and other sources be saying about you and chess in the future? Will someone credit you for starting them on the path to World CC?
Like any good zodiac, it often admits to multiple interpretations. What? Did you expect more than pseudo-science? And for now, you'll have to draw your own inferences from the information provided. The lucre, and stunning lack thereof, received to date from these blogs hardly pays for me to walk over to the faucet and fill up my glass of water. Let alone to provide my keen insights into how people are influenced by those with whom they share a random day of birth.
Below you'll find images of photos, stamps, YouTube videos, paintings, book covers, or sketches of various chess luminaries, along with bios that range from short and pithy to chess-boy extremes. In some cases, you'll also find links to websites they maintain and their handle on various social media, including your fave, chess.com.
Scroll through the entire list or just click on a specific day, World CC, particularly famous player, or chess couple. And after looking at the biography of the birthday personality or personalities on a given day you should find a link that returns you here so you can select another day of the month. If you want. Enjoy!
Links to April Birth Dates
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Links to April Classical World CCs (not blitz, rapid, Fischer Random, etc.)
Kasimdzhanov, Kasparov, Susan Polgar, Stefanova, Kosteniuk
Links to Other April GM Notables
Staunton, Portisch, Yermolinsky, Mamedyarov, Bogoljubov, Najdorf, Cramling
Links to April Chess Couples
l'Ami, Yermolinsky and Baginskaite, KevinSmithIdiot's Wife, Susan Polgar, Stefanova, Marin, Kosteniuk, Cramling, Baginskaite and Yermolinsky, Mamedov
Looking for birthdays in other months?
October Chess Babies Zodiac
February Babies: A Chess Zodiac
Sources for this information included chess.com, wikipedia.com, ChessBase, FIDE, individuals' websites, YouTube.com, news articles, books, and other sources including A-Z Quotes | Quotes for All Occasions. Plus, my faulty memories. I mixed, matched, cut, and pasted so much that separation is implausible. Particularly with quotes which are found in a thousand repositories, not to mention book covers, t-shirts, and the rantings of chess coaches of whom I've had more than a few thanks to Chess University and @AttilaTurzo (my primary instructor).
#24 chess.com Hall of Fame: Howard Staunton
Howard Staunton (April 1810 – 22 June 1874) was considered one of the strongest players in the world at his peak, #1 globally for 76 consecutive months starting in May 1843 by ChessMetric’s measurements, with a peak rating of 2706 in November 1846.
Poor health and the demands of dual writing careers (chess and Shakespeare) led him to abandon professional chess in 1851. That same year he was the principal organizer of the first-ever international chess tournament (London 1851 chess tournament - Wikipedia), establishing Adolf Anderssen as the world’s leading player.
Staunton was also a leading chess commentator. He wrote a column for the New Court Gazette and was chess editor of the magazine British Miscellany, besides producing over 1,400 chess articles for The Illustrated London News. His New Court Gazette column eventually evolved into a full-length magazine of its own, the Chess Player’s Chronicle. Like many writers of the time, he rarely took prisoners, often posting poison-pen articles. Staunton wrote six or seven books, and The Chess-Player’s Handbook is still in print.
Today most chess players recognize his name solely because the FIDE-standard chess pieces are based on the Staunton pattern. He is less likely to gain the same recognition for two openings named after him because of his advocacy, the English Opening and the Staunton Gambit.
Iván Faragó (1 April 1946 – 12 December 2022) was a Hungarian GM and one-time Hungarian CC who played for over fifty years. He also earned a silver medal in the 1980 Olympiad. His peak rating of 2540 was reached in July 1993 while his peak rank was over twelve years earlier when he topped out at #44 in January 1981. Not that ratings have inflated over the decades 🙄. ChessMetrics suggests his peak rating was 2627 in August 1986 but only places him as high as #69 in October 1981. Different models, different interpretations.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov (born 2 April 1983) is a Uzbek GM, former FIDE World CC, one-time Asian CC, and placed second in the 1999 World Junior CC. He earned an individual bronze on board one in the 2000 Olympiad. His peak rating was 2715 in May 2015 but his peak world rank of #11 was almost fourteen years earlier, in 2001. He still sports a spot in the Top 100 with a 2675 rating in March 2025.
Rustam has spent years serving the interests of other players. He was a second to Anand in three World CC matches and served as a trainer for World CC candidates Karjakin and Caruana, and has also worked recently with Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Although he has a presence on chess.com as @sloingen2020 no games appear to have been played since June 2020.
Vladimir Afromeev, 2 April 1954, is a Russian FM, businessman, and strongly suspected cheater. This FIDE Master exploded on the chess scene at age 52. His rating was 2405 in 2001 but he suddenly experienced huge rating surges, peaking at 2666 in October 2007.
It was determined that he was organizing tournaments where he would beat much weaker players, harvesting them for rating points, or winning unusually quickly against stronger opposition. Then he stopped playing for a decade. When he resumed playing, he lost a handful of rating points and then ceased FIDE-rated play for another six years. Although Afromeev lost some rating points on both occasions, he still sports a 2603 rating.
Nidjat Mammadov (Azerbaijani: Nicat Məmmədov; born 2 April 1985) is an Azerbaijani GM and one-time Azerbaijani CC with a peak rating of 2624 in January 2015. That has declined slightly and rests at 2575 after losing seven rating points in February 2025. He plays occasionally on chess.com as @NidjatMemedov and offers coaching services.
Alexei Barsov (born 3 April 1966) is an Uzbek GM with a peak rating of 2550 in April 2002. He was a member of four Uzbekistani Olympiad teams but spent years coaching former FIDE World CC Rustam Kasimdzhanov (see 2 April).
Barsov plays on chess.com as @Barsov1966 but I found no games since October 2024.
Tomi Nybäck, 3 April 1985, is a Finnish GM, one-time Finnish CC, and poker player. With a peak rating of 2656 in January 2011, he peaked at #73 globally in April 2009. He played for the Finnish team in seven Olympiads. He still sports a 2591 rating as of March 2025 after gaining a couple rating points in February.
Strikingly, he has a positive lifetime score against Magnificent Magnus! Maybe that’s why Ben Finegold produced a video about him.
Although several sources indicate he plays professional poker, I found nothing on the matter. Probably just lazy research on my part.
Margarita Voyska [Voiska] (Bulgarian: Маргарита Войска; born April 3, 1963) is a BulgarianWGM. She won the Women's Bulgarian CC eleven times and has competed in the Women's Chess Olympiad a women’s record 19 times between 1980-2016, including one team effort that earned silver. Her peak rating was 2390 in January 1995.
She maintains an active presence on chess.com as @MVoiska and played a sizable number of bullet games on 16 March 2025, the day prior to my gathering this information.
chess.com Hall of Fame #48: Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch, 4 April 1937, is a Hungarian GM nicknamed “the Hungarian Botvinnik.” Portisch won or shared the title of Hungarian CC nine times, competed in eight Candidates cycles, and holds the record for the most Olympiad appearances with twenty, one more than WGM Voiska born 3 April. He also served as Karpov’s second in the 1990 K-K World CC match.
FIDE lists his peak rating at 2655 in January 1980 and a year later placed him at #2 globally. I found no FIDE-rated games for him after June 2014, leaving him with a final rating of 2467. ChessMetrics suggests that his peak rating was 2757 in December 1980, significantly higher than the ELO system.
Portisch wrote several books and his book on the Ruy Lopez that clearly elucidated his thinking and offered theoretical novelties for the consideration of those who purchased his book. More importantly, he explained the key ideas behind the lines. This masterpiece on the Ruy Lopez included games by Carlsen and Anand, and offered anecdotes about Fischer, Karpov, Tal, Larsen, Spassky, and Timman.
Throughout his career he had a passion for analysis, so it is no surprise to see that he contributed to two books that were, at the time, novelties for the sheer number of top-flight GMs who contributed. Both How to Open a Chess Game and Second Piatigorsky Cup were well-received and offered keen insights of the players themselves. Finally, Portisch found time to collaborate on a first-rate endings book of actual practical value.
I can fully appreciate one sentiment he expressed very succinctly!
Your only task in the opening is to reach a playable middlegame. Quotes about Chess Middlegames
In 2004 Portisch received Hungary’s Sportsman of the Nation title, that nation’s highest national sports achievement award.
Like Smyslov, Portisch was a fine singer whose main hobby was singing operatic arias.
Rubén Felgaer (born 4 April 1981) is an Argentine GM and five-time Argentine CC. He has participated in two FIDE World CC knockouts but was eliminated in Round One in 2002 and Round Two in 2004. His peak rating was 2624 in October 2005, good enough for #86 globally. As of October 2024 his rating had slipped to 2555.
He plays relatively regularly on chess.com as @rfelgaer and offers coaching services.
Murray Graham Chandler (born 4 April 1960) is a New Zealand-English GM who has represented both nations in Olympiads. He is a two-time Commonwealth CC, three-time New Zealand CC, and tied for first in one British CC but lost in the playoff match. His peak rating of 2605 in July 1988 is aligned with his #14 global ranking in January 1987. ChessMetrics offers him a substantial rating boost, placing him at 2690 in July 1988.
Chandler has a lifetime record of 2W-0D-0L against Kasparov, but the victories came in the World U16 CC and the other in a simultaneous exhibition by Kasparov.
Chandler also merits recognition as a chess writer, publishing executive, and organizer. His books included The Complete c3 Sicilian, How To Beat Your Dad At Chess (a rather amusing book that I hoped would hook my kids because of the title but they didn't take the bait), Chess Tactics For Kids, and Chess For Children (with Helen Milligan). He was the editor of British Chess Magazine for around nine years and also established Gambit Publications, a publisher whose books I have long admired and procured as the need struck me. Finally, he has produced video materials for Bad Bishop Ltd.
He established a school for chess coaches after purchasing and converting St. Paul’s church in Auckland. In 2017 Chandler was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to chess.
April 5
Erwin l’Ami (born 5 April 1985) is a Dutch GM and one-time Dutch CC with a peak rating of 2651 in May 2014 and a peak rank of #90 almost a decade later in May 2023. He lost a few rating points in February 2025 to enter March rated 2616. He has represented the Netherlands in seven Olympiads.
Erwin served as a second for Topalov in the 2009 Challengers Match versus Kamsky.
Though he was on chess.com two days before I gathered this information, I found no games for @erwinlami since September 2024.
He is also a prolific author on chessable.com and I found his opening material quite useful in my own chess journey.
He is married to IM/WGM Alina l’Ami who has a peak rating of 2446. Together this chess power couple’s peak ratings cross the 5000 ELO threshold, topping out at 5097.
Jan Smeets, 5 April 1985, is a Dutch GM and two-time Dutch CC. His peak rating was 2669 in July 2010 when he reached #66 globally. He is rated 2559 in March 2025 after losing two rating points in February.
He plays occasionally on chess.com as @JanSmeets. The most recent games I found were from December 2024, including five blitz games against fellow Dutch GM Loek van Wely (@KingLoek).
Vugar Rasulov, born 5 April 1991, is an Azerbaijani GM with a peak rating of 2560 in October 2023. His rating is 2505 entering March as he gained one rating point in February 2025. He frequently plays bullet and blitz on chess.com as @vugarrasulov.
Zhao Xue (Chinese: 赵雪; pinyin: Zhào Xuě; born 6 April 1985) is a Chinese GM with a peak rating of 2579 in September 2013. She has competed in eight Women’s World CC cycles, reaching the semifinals in 2010. As a member of the Chinese Women’s team she has accumulated three Olympiad gold medals and three World Team CC gold medals.
I found no FIDE-rated games for here after January 2024 when her rating had dropped to 2442.
Jude Frazier Acers, April 6, 1944, is an American Senior Master. Acers is best known for his New Orleans street chess, played in a gazebo in the French Quarter in downtown New Orleans. He has a FIDE peak rating of 2241 but was well past his prime playing years when he played the games that provided his first ELO rating.
Acers also travels the country giving simuls and twice held the world record, peaking at 179 opponents in 1976. He has written or contributed to several chess books, including The Italian Gambit and A Guiding Repertoire for White – e4!
You can find him at JudeAcersChess on Facebook or by visiting his picture walls at JUDE ACERS ♟😎 CHESS MASTER (@judeacers) • Instagram photos and videos. The red beret you see in multiple photos is part and parcel of his chess persona. You can read an April 2024 article about Jude in Chess Life by Michael Tisserand at Being Jude Acers: A Day in the Life of a Legend | US Chess.org.
Florin Gheorghiu (6 April 1944) is a Romanian GM, nine-time Romanain CC, and former World Junior CC. FIDE lists his peak ELO at 2605 in January 1980, placing him #10 globally. ChessMetrics suggests his normalized peak rating at 2688 but never places him higher than 20th in the world. He played on his national team in fourteen Olympiads and multiple other team events, almost always on board one.
He was renowned for his success as White against the Nimzo-Indian and his Gheorgiu variation has been employed by tacticians such as Shirov. Above you can watch the only tournament game Fischer ever lost to a player younger than himself.
Baron Ignatz von Kolisch (6 April 1837 – 30 April 1889) was a Hungarian master, journalist, and merchant. He played quite actively from 1857 until 1872. A very strong player he barely lost a match to Anderssen in 1861 by the score of 5-4 and drew a match with Louis Paulsen that same year. He also won the 1867 Paris tournament, beating Steinitz along the way. Apparently, he was well known for his lively attacking style.
By the 1870s he had made a fortune in banking and became a sponsor of tournaments throughout the 1870s and 1880s.
You can read more about Kolisch at IM Jeremy Silman’s 2014 blog Kolisch: Unknown Tactical Monster - Chess.com or @batgirl’s 2015 blog The Kolisch Supplement - Chess.com and another post from @batgirl providing the obituary written by Willaim Steinitz, The Death of Baron Ignatz Kolisch - Chess.com. More recently GM @2bf41-0 posted his analyses of multiple brilliant Kolisch gems Chess Romanticism Part IV (Kolisch) - Chess.com.
Isa Kasimi (born Igor Kondylev and known as Igors Rausis until 2020) [April 7, 1961 – March 28.2024] was a retired Latvian chess player who was stripped of GM title in 2020, though he retained the IM title. A one-time Latvian CC he played for the national team in three Olympiads. Thanks to his cheating (the all-too-common use of a phone in the toilet) he achieved a peak rating of 2686 in July 2019, resulting in a peak global rank of #46 in April 2020, though he had already “retired” from chess.
An active FIDE Trainer, he coached various Latvian, Bangladeshi, Algerian, and Jersey teams at Olypiads.
His new surname was taken from his second wife, Ajgul Kasimova. @PeterDoggers wrote an article after Kasimi’s death from cancer, Isa Kasimi (Igors Rausis) 1961-2024 that includes a particularly moving epitaph from Alexi Shirov.
Irene Kharisma Sukandar (born 7 April 1992) is an Indonesian IM, WGM, four-time Indonesian Women’s CC, and two-time Asian Women’s CC. She has represented Indonesia in five Olympiads and won a silver medal in 2004. She has achieved two GM norms and has a peak rating of 2432, but that has slipped to 2330 and I found no FIDE-rated standard games since August 2024.
She was indirectly involved in a chess scandal after playing a three-game OTB match and crushing an Indonesian player who had his account closed by chess.com after defeating Levy Rozman online. The suspected cheater performed far below his online performance ratings but unfortunately won a sizable pot of cash for participating in the event. So, good for Sukandar, Rozman, and chess.com. But vastly unfortunate that a highly probable cheater profited from his scam.
She plays Titled Tuesday events regularly on chess.com @ikhasu.
Arthur William Dake (April 8, 1910 – April 28, 2000) was an American IM and (honorary) GM who earned three team gold medals to go with an individual silver and bronze in three Olympiads. FIDE lists his peak rating at 2365 in January 1977, but as of 1975 he had played little serious competitive chess for 37 years following the 1938 U.S. CC. ChessMetrics offers a more insightful estimate of his playing strength, citing his peak strength at 2655 in January 1936 and placing him #11 globally from September through October 1936.
According to a NYT obituary (May 11, 2000), Dake was quite the blitz player. In a 1935 U.S. tournament among America’s best players he posted 12W-0L-0D.
Martin Severin Janus From (8 April 1828 – 6 May 1895) was a Danish chess master known for creating From's Gambit and is generally given credit for the Danish Gambit as well (the opening moves can be seen below). You can read more about him in a post by @batgirl The Northern Gambit - Chess.com.
Jānis Klovāns (April 9, 1935 – October 5, 2010) was a Latvian GM, ICCF GM, nine-time Latvian CC, three-time Senior World CC (for which he received his GM title at age 62!), and career Soviet Army officer. FIDE lists his peak rating at 2530 in July 1996, but his army career hampered his ability to attend international events, indirectly restricting his rating and his ability to obtain the GM title. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2630 in November 1975 and placed him as high as #40 globally in December 1962 at age 27.
In November 2009 the Latvian government awarded him the Cross of Recognition for “his lifetime contribution to the development of chess in Latvia and the upbringing of young chess players.” (We invite you to the Jānis Klovans Memorial Cup - Riga Chess School—2023)
He was married to seven-time Latvian Women’s CC and four-time Latvian Women’s blitz CC Astra Klovāne with a peak rating 2265. Together, using ChessMetrics for Jānis, this chess couple had a peak power rating of 4895.
Awonder Liang (born April 9, 2003) is an American GM with a peak rating of 2690 and world rank of #40 in February 2025. He is rated 2684 entering Marh 2025 after losing six rating points in February. A former World Youth U8 CC and U10 CC, for a time he held the record as the youngest ever to defeat a GM at a standard time control, a record since broken by Shah Hetul.
Liang partnered with Jeffery Xiong to win the Bughouse World CC in 2021 and 2022 and Liang (@rednova1729). Liang was #1 worldwide in Bughouse on chess.com in January 2025 with a rating of 2928, though that sits at 2875 as of 21 March 2025. His blitz rating also hovers a bit over the 3000 barrier, while his bullet rating dropped below 3000 on 19 December 2024.
Robert Graham Wade, OBE (10 April 1921 – 29 November 2008), known as Bob Wade, was a New Zealand and English IM, IA, writer, coach, and promoter. He was a three-time New Zealand CC, two-time British CC, and played in seven Olympiads. With a 1971 published FIDE rating that peaked at 2365 (well past his prime years and only a year after FIDE instituted their ELO system) we check in on ChessMetrics and find a peak rating of 2499 in August 1972 and a peak ranking of #189 in September 1946.
Wade was a chess editor with Batsford Publishing and later managed the Batsford Chess Library. As an author he wrote books on several World CC matches and collaborated with folks such as Gligoric, Kotov, Korchnoi, and Kasparov on multiple titles.
For his services to chess, he was named an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Anna M. Sargsyan (Armenian: Աննա Մ. Սարգսյան; born 10 April 2001) is an Armenian and now American IM. Well before moving to St Louis, Missouri and changing Federations she won a European Women's Team CC individual gold medal. Her peak rating of 2405 was achieved in March 2020. Her rating is 2358 as of March 2025, having dropped a single point in January of the year.
She plays regularly on chess.com as @annasargsyan_m. I found a large number of blitz games on 18 March 2025 where she sported a 2609 rating at the end of the day.
Erik Andersen Sr. (10 April 1904, Gentofte – 27 February 1938, Copenhagen) was a Danish chess master and twelve-times Danish CC who won his first championship at age 19 and the last at age 32, two years before his death. ChessMetrics placing his peak rating at 2555 in October 1935 and deemed him the #51 player globally in June and July of 1930. He played for Denmark in six official Olympiads and the unofficial 1936 Olympiad, earning a team silver in his first Olympiad in 1927.
Here is what Golombek said about him in the April 1938 issue of the British Chess Magazine, “An attacking player of great combinative talent, he was always dangerous to the very best, as Alekhine found out at Warsaw, 1935. Personally he was a most likeable man, being the possessor of a quiet, unobtrusive humour which distinguished him from the more boisterous nature of some of his compatriots.” [I looked at the game. Andersen gave Alekhine a scare, but Alekhine won in 85 moves.]
Alex (“the Yerminator”, aka “Yermo”) Yermolinsky (Russian: Алексей Ермолинский, romanized: Alexey Yermolinskiy; born April 11, 1958) is a Russian-born, American GM, two-time US CC, and inductee into the US Chess Hall of Fame His peak rating was 2660 in January 1998, placing him #21 in the world. Like others born around the late 1950s to mid-1970s, his ChessMetrics numbers are somewhat similar in the rating peaks. ChessMetrics lists his peak rating at 2672 in May 1998, while only placing him as high as #29 in the global ranks in April 1997.
He does not appear to have played on chess.com since April 2021, but was online as recently as 25 March 2025. He can be found as @AlexYermo. There is a huge collection of Yermo videos at Chess Video Library - Chess.com. Search for AlexYermo if the link fails to take you there. Note that the most recent videos I saw were from 2018 and covered the Carlsen – Caruana match game by game.
Yermo has written two books that I am aware of, Road to Chess Improvement and Chess Explained: The Classical Sicilian, both from Gambit Publications. He has also served as a coach, including for Chess University where I was privileged to enjoy multiple online training sessions with him as part of a small class of other online students.
Yermo gave memorable interviews, was epically humorous as a coach (based on my interactions), and had a lot to say about things. So much so that he kept an online diary that was accessible to the public for decades. Now it has to be accessed through online archives as he no longer maintains his site. Below you'll find some things he had to say online and in various interviews.
A critical approach to one's games in essential. Once you become happy with your chess, you're finished. Some people think it's tough to analyse the games you lost. For me it felt even worse to have played what seemed like a great game only to discover some huge mistakes in the analysis! In my book, I think in the Benko Chapter, I quote my own notes to the game I won against Jeroen Piket in the last round of Wijk, 1997. "Here goes my beautiful victory down the garbage chute!”— email interview with Chess Horizons in September 2001.
Regarding his playing style: Grab space and push your opponent to self-destruction - a typical GM-hack style. Seriously, style is the most overrated thing. One has to be a good all-around player to succeed in today's chess. Basically, you do what your opponent allows you to do. Ibid.
Generally speaking, most chessplayers are boring, self-centered, money-oriented, poorly educated, adolescents I couldn't care less about. With some exceptions that includes the Linares crowd and all of the world's top twenty. Ibid.
Here are a few things IM John Watson, himself a brilliant chess writer and well-respected reviewer, had to say about how Yermo’s online diary (archived at Diary.htm) did not prepare him for the excellence found in the Yerminator's Road to Chess Improvement. These quotes are all taken from John's review titled An Exceptional Chess Book, 17 Sep 1994, The Week in Chess.
[about Yermo's online diary] …his style has been extreme, comic, and controversial, which can be either delightful or off-putting; and I have sometimes been disappointed with what seem to me superficial annotations of games he does write notes for.
…not only opened his chess notebooks to one and all but has given us fresh and insightful ideas about nearly every aspect of practical play. He is refreshingly frank and doesn't shy away from presenting his own failings and frustrations.
… what wonderful annotations he gives us: full of self-criticism, penetrating remarks about what happens both practically and psychologically at critical points of each game, and practical advice about how to approach a tremendous variety of positions.
In my years of reviewing, I have never been tempted to make a dramatic 'book of the year' pronouncement, but I can't imagine anyone else topping this effort in the near future.
Yermo is married to WGM Camilla Baginskaite, b. 24 April 1967, with a peak ELO of 2365 in April 2002. Together this chess couple has a maximum peak rating of 5037, making them a chess power couple to be reckoned with!
Tatiana Anatolyevna Kosintseva (Russian: Татьяна Анатольевна Косинцева; born 11 April 1986) is a Russian GM, two-time European Women’s CC, and three-time Russian Women’s CC. She also placed second in the Girls World Youth CC U10 and U12. She also latched onto five gold medals as part of Russia’s Women’s team at two Olympiads and three European Team CCs.
Her sister Nadezha is also a GM, born 14 January 1985. Tatiana has not played a FIDE-rated classical, rapid, or blitz game since April 2015 (Wikipedia incorrectly states March) leaving her with a final rating of 2475.
Carl Ferdinand von Jaenisch (Russian: Карл Андреевич Яниш, romanized: Karl Andreyevich Yanish; April 11, 1813 – March 7, 1872) was a Finnish and Russian chess master and theorist, as well as a mathematician. ChessMetrics suggest his peak rating was 2456 in June 1851, good enough for #10 globally.
Jaenisch played some spectacular games (it was the Romantic era of chess, after all) but is best known for his work analyzing and developing Petrov’s Defense and for the Schliemann-Jaenisch Gambit of the Ruy Lopez (seen in the diagram above).
Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mammadyarov (Azerbaijani: Şəhriyar Həmid oğlu Məmmədyarov; born 12 April 1985) is an Azerbaijani GM, two-time World Junior CC (the only person ever to achieve that distinction), and one-time World Rapid CC. His peak rating of 2820 in September 2018 elevated him to the sixth highest rating all-time by an individual. It is no surprise that he reached #2 in the world, behind the usual obstacle at the top, Magnificent Carlsen. He was rated 2820 entering March 2025, placing him at #11 globally.
Here he provides a six-minute explanation that looks at all the key reasons a quiet move was the only way to win a very dynamic position against Anand. Great stuff!
He plays regularly on chess.com as @Azerichess and also offers coaching services…at $200/hour, a bit out of my price range. Additionally, he has a number of excellent “Mamedyarov Teaches” videos on chess.com, but none since 5 April 2022.
He has two sisters who are WGMs. Probably they also received training from their father.
Joël Lautier, 12 April 1973, is a French GM, two-time French CC, World U14 CC, and won World Junior CC (ahead of Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Serper, and Susan Polgar) at age 15. With a peak rating of 2687 in January 2002 his highest world ranking was seven years earlier when he reached #13 in January 1995.
As a second to Kramnik in 2002 he prepared the Berlin Wall that so frustrated Kasparov.
In 2006 he gave up professional chess to pursue investment banking. Although he has a profile on chess.com, @JoelLautier, I found no games since February 2021.
Kamil Mitoń, 12 April 1984, is a Polish GM and World U12 CC. His peak rating was 2655 in January 2007, placing him #50 globally. I found no FIDE-rated games for him since February 2022 when his rating was 2568.
Time to take care of a VIP and wish a Happy Birthday to my wife! Who tolerates all the time I dedicate to chess!!
chess.com Hall of Fame#1: Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born Garik Kimovich Weinstein on 13 April 1963) is a Russian GM, FIDE and PCA World CC, the youngest ever undisputed World CC at age 22 until Gukesh Dommaraju won the title at age 18 in 2024, and held the record for the world’s peak ELO at 2851 until Magnus Carlsen passed that mark in 2013. The #1 ranked player for 255 months, he still retains records for winning fifteen consecutive tournaments and for receiving eleven consecutive Chess Oscars as the world’s best player. Oh, and he won the World Junior CC, and shared in the USSR CC as a teen.
He won 19 medals in Olympiads, including eight team golds that were earned every time he competed. His individual medals included three board golds, one board silver, two board bronzes, three performance golds, and one performance silver. Additionally, he reanimated the Scotch Game and an offshoot of the Szén Variation in the Sicilian is called the Kasparov Gambit.
He still plays chess occasionally, but not at classic time controls. The 2017 St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament attracted worldwide attention as Kasparov played his first serious games since his retirement.
Kasparov has coached several players, including Carlsen and Nakamura, and assisted Anand in his preparations for his 2010 World CC match versus Topalov.
There is a significant history of Kasparov and computer chess, but that information did not strike me as adding significantly to this biography that was intended to be brief! Some people do too much, and it is too easy to fill the pages.
Since retiring from chess Garry has focused on writing and politics. In politics that included formation of the United Civil Front and membership in The Other Russia. In 2008 he made an aborted run for President of Russia, but ended the campaign for logistical reasons he blamed on the Putin administration. After fleeing Russia in 2013 he has served as chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, and founded the Renew Democracy Initiative. Additionally, he ran for FIDE President in 2013-14 but that effort was thwarted.
To give an idea of how involved Kasparov has become involved in politics one need only consider his 2015 titled Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped. Reminds me of a phrase straight out of the novels for Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin).
As an author, Garry has made an indelible mark with His My Great Predecessor series. He also co-authored several books on opening theory (Batsford Chess Openings, Classical Variation of the Caro–Kann Defence, Scheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defence) and contributed extensively to the five-volume Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO), including columns Garry wrote for the series.
Another effort worth mentioning is Revolution in the 70s, a book dealing with the development of opening theory in that decade such as the Hedgehog. Curiously enough, some of that revolution was precipitated by a 1970 exhibition victory by Bobby Fischer against Ulf Andersson. Andersson took many lessons from that loss and became a huge proponent of Hedgehog and coiled-spring strategies in the 1970s, exerting a strong influence on GM Suba, a fabulous writer. You can read about some of the coiled-spring precepts in this blog Analyze with KIMPLODES! E = Energy.
Garry has had a lot to say, much of it about chess! Some of Kasparov’s most famous quotes were:
Chess is mental torture. Chess Quotes - Chess
Losing can persuade you to change what doesn't need to be changed, and winning can convince you everything is fine even if you are on the brink of disaster. Chess Quotes On Losing
Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential if you're going to improve and become a good, even great, competitor. The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in key battles. Chess Quotes On Losing
With this mistake I deprived myself of the possibility to make a contribution to the treasury of chess art. (annotating his move 18. ...g4? versus Kortchnoi at Debrecen, Hungary in 1992) Chess Mistakes
My love of dynamic complications often led me to avoid simplicity when perhaps it was the wisest choice. Chess Mistakes
The technical phase can be boring because there is little opportunity for creavivity, for art. Boredom leads to complacency and mistakes. Chess Mistakes
I've seen - both in myself and my competitors - how satisfaction can lead to a lack of vigilance, then to mistakes and missed opportunities. Chess Mistakes
Attackers may sometimes regret bad moves, but it is much worse to forever regret an opportunity you allowed to pass you by. Chess Mistakes
Chess is a unique cognitive nexus, a place where art and science come together in the human mind and are refined and improved by experience. Chess Quotes - Chess
Garry on politics!
In chess the rules are fixed and the outcome is unpredictable, whereas in Putin's Russia the rules are unpredictable, and the outcome is fixed. Chess Quotes - Politics
It's true that in chess as in politics, fund-raising and glad-handing matter. Chess Quotes - Politics
What others said about Garry:
Unlike my esteemed colleague Garry Kasparov, I don't restrict the strength of opposition to Elo <2000, as fly-swatting makes poor spectator sport. (on simultaneous exhibitions) - Nigel Short Humourous Chess Quotes
I played like a child. (13 year old Magnus after a loss in the second game of a rapid chess match with Kasparov - after having drawn the first game) - Magnus Carlsen Humourous Chess Quotes
Look at Garry Kasparov. After he loses, invariably he wins the next game. He just kills the guy. That's something that we have to learn to be able to do. Chess Quotes On Losing
Part of my preparation for the World Champion match against Kasparov was to be ready for his off-board tactics. I did not to react to them at all. Once you start thinking about these things during the game, even analysing them, you’re caught. - Vladimir Kramnik Chess Quotes - Psychology
Finally, (yes, this is the final entry) Garry served as a consultant for the Netflix miniseries The Queen’s Gambit.
chess.com Hall of Fame #31: Efim Bogoljubov
Efim Bogoljubow (14 April 1889 – 18 June 1952) was a Russian-born German GM. He had a late start in chess, only learning how to play at age 15 and not developing a sincere interest until age 18.
The winner of numerous tournaments (Berlin 1919, Stockholm 1919, Kiel 1921, Berlin 1926, Kissingen 1928, etc.), he won the Soviet CC in 1924 and 1925 and the German CC in 1925 and 1933. Bogo played for the World CC twice against Alekhine, losing by large margins in both 1929 and 1934. ChessMetrics estimates his peak playing strength at 2768 in January 1927 with a peak rank of #1 in January and February 1927. He played for the German team in the 1931 Olympiad, earning a silver medal on first board.
The Bogo-Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+) is named after him.
Bogo's most famous quote is the first seen below, but I can thoroughly relate to the second!
When I am White, I win because I am White. When I am Black, I win because I am Bogoljubow. (Tijdschrift van den Nederlandschen Schaakbond, August-September 1933, page 222)
To have a knight planted in your game at e6 is worse than a rusty nail in your knee. Chess Quotes About Knights
chess.com Hall of Fame #42: Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf (/naɪdɔːrf/ NY-dorf; born Mojsze Mendel Najdorf; 15 April 1910 – 4 July 1997) was a Polish-Argentine GM, opening theorist, and chess columnist who relocated to Argentina in mid-Olympiad when WW-II began in 1939. Najdorf represented Poland in four Olympiads prior to the war. After the war he played in eleven Olympiads for the Argentine team. Over the course of his Olympiad career he earned eleven medals, including four silver and three bronze team medals, as well as three individual gold and one individual silver medal. He won two Argentine CCs in matches and seven more once the Argentine Federation switched to a tournament to determine the champion.
Because the FIDE ELO rating system was not in place until 1970, FIDE grossly underreports his true strength, providing a peak rating of 2540 and global rank of #42 in July 1972 when he was 62 years old. ChessMetrics offers all of us a better set of metrics for understanding the relative strength of players in older generations. Their statistical models provide a peak rating of 2797 in February 1948 and place him at #2 for 33 months in the years 1946 – 1949. Who knows how far Najdorf might have gone had he not spent most of his prime chess years earning a living selling life insurance.
One of Najdorf’s most influential coaches was Savielly Tartakower and his witticisms reminded many of his chief mentor, also renowned for his japes. Here’s a sampling of Najdorf's takes on chess:
When [then-World Champion Boris] Spassky offers you a piece, you might as well resign then and there. But when Tal offers you a piece, you would do well to keep playing, because then he might offer you another, and then another, and then ... who knows? [during the 1970 USSR vs. Rest of the World match]
When I play chess, I hardly ever calculate the play in detail. I rely very much on an intuitive sense which tells me what are the right moves to look for. [Chess Life, November 1962, page 256]
In the early days it was hard for me. My mother even burnt chessboards, books and pieces. Everything. She said that I was possessed, that chess was taking up all my time. She wanted me to become a doctor. I didn’t become one, but now I have two daughters who are doctors. It’s a way of indulging her, isn’t it? [Miguel Najdorf: a love story (I) | ChessBase March 5, 2021, Chess News]
Fischer prefers to enter chess history alone. TOP 5 QUOTES BY MIGUEL NAJDORF | A-Z Quotes
Bobby just drops the pieces and they fall on the right squares. TOP 5 QUOTES BY MIGUEL NAJDORF | A-Z Quotes
Nowadays tournaments are for nurseries. Look at those kiddies. Humourous Chess Quotes
But you see when I play a game of Bobby, there is no style. Bobby played perfectly. And perfection has no style. Humourous Chess Quotes
Now let's hear from his mentor, Tartakower:
As for me, I am unfortunate enough not to possess a happy temperament like Najdorf who views every happening in a rosy light and avoids every possibility of self-criticism. [Chess Review, June 1951, page 170]
One of the largely forgotten aspects of Najdorf’s chess powers was his ability to play simultaneous blindfold games. In 1947 he set a world record of 45, a number that stood until 2011. He also set records for simultaneous play, playing 222 games on 19 April 1941. [La Nación, 3 May 1941, page 13]
Of course, what I remember him best for is the Sicilian Najdorf opening which I loved to play from both sides in my wastrel youth days. Of course, he also contributed significantly to advances in the KID, another of my favorite openings in my ill-spent chess youth. In particular, Mar del Plata was forever emblazoned in my chess brain as a place where great games were played and historic victories achieved by Miguel Najdorf.
Below you’ll find a video of “The Polish Immortal”, a game played by Najdorf and narrated by GM Varuzhan Akobian of the St. Louis Chess Club. As Akobian puts it, “this is a game you should know by heart!” Set in a classroom environment, Akobian interacts with his students throughout, so you get a free lesson in the Stonewall! (Plus, the middle game of course.)
If you want to read more about this world-class player, I'd suggest a start with @1cbb’s The Mirthful Miguel Najdorf.
Herman Steiner (April 15, 1905 – November 25, 1955) was born in Austria-Hungary (modern-day Slovakia) who came to NYC at a young age and stayed. He became an American IM, one-time U.S. CC, tournament organizer, and chess columnist. He played in four Olympiads for the U.S. team. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2588 in January 1946 and placed him as high as #38 in September 1933.
In California he formed a chess club that later became known as the Hollywood Chess Group which was regularly visited by stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Charles Boyer, and José Ferrer.
Steiner wrote chess columns for the L.A. Times starting in 1932 until his untimely, early death at age 53 from a coronary occlusion while participating in a California State CC. He was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2010.
Dorsa Derakhshani (Persian: درسا درخشانی; born 15 April 1998) is an Iranian-American IM, WGM, FIDE Trainer, and accredited FIDE journalist. Her peak rating was 2405 in July 2016. She left Iran after being banned in 2017 from playing for the Iranian team because of her refusal to wear the hijab in international tournaments.
She has not actively played on chess.com since 2020 but maintains a presence as @DorsaDD. She is working on her medical degree.
Her brother is an FM. He also was banned from playing for the Iranian team because he played an Israeli in a tournament.
Sergei Shipov (born 17 April 1966) is a Russian GM, trainer, journalist, and writer. His peak rating was 2662 in January 1999, #24 globally. I found no standard time control rated games for him after November 2010 when he lost a few rating points to slip to 2541.
He has worked as a trainer for a variety of top players including Nepo, Dubov, Episenko, Oparin, and Alexandra Kosteniuk.
He also wrote two books about the Taimanov Sicilian, The Complete Hedgehog, Volumes I & II. I’m fascinated by all chess things “Hedgehog” because of Mihai Suba and his works on the coiled spring in which pawns are placed on the third rank until the time comes to unleash the potential energy of the pieces lurking behind the pawns awaiting a well-timed pawn break. You can read some initial thoughts about that at my post Analyze with KIMPLODES! E = Energy - Chess.com.
FIDE referred him to a disciplinary commission for his support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but he was acquitted. He later reported that chess.com had blocked his account @GM_Crest but that isn’t obvious from his home page. However, he has not played a game since February 2023 which aligns with his report.
Jörg Hickl (born 16 April 1965) is a German GM, one-time German CC, and author. He competed in four Olympiads. His peak rating was 2605 in October 2002, and he reached #67 globally in July 1996. I found no FIDE-rated games for him after December 2019 when his rating was 2545.
Yochanan Afek (Hebrew: יוחנן אפק; born Yohanan Kopelovich, 16 April 1952) is an Israeli IM, IGM of chess composition, International Judge for chess compositions, FM in problem solving, IA, and author. How's that for a boatload of titles!! His peak rating was 2430 in July 1993.
Peter Kenneth Wells (17 April 1965) is an English GM, three-time British Rapid CC, and author. His peak rating was 2545 in July 1995. Because I’m slowly figuring out the sweet spot where ChessMetrics and ELO ratings overlap, let me just note that the site lists his peak rating at 2563 in March 1988 (#235 globally). So, the peak ratings match, but with a seven-year gap.
He has written at least nine chess books, ranging from openings to general advice, as you might gather from the titles seen above. He also wrote The Scotch Game, Winning With the Trompowsky, and Dangerous Weapons: Anti-Sicilians, that last book being co-authored with John Emms and Richard Palliser.
Below you’ll find a few quotes from his book Piece Power, which might best be thought of as analogous to Kmoch’s Pawn Power in Chess.
This is a book about the chess pieces – their strengths and weaknesses, and how to deploy them to the very best effect. Foreword.
In this book, the strengths and weaknesses of the pawns, in themselves, are not discussed, but there will be scarcely a page where attention is not drawn to the very profound impact which pawn structure has on piece activity. Ibid.
I shall be hammering away at certain themes time and again: the need for knights to occupy outposts, the importance of attacking to exploit the potential of the queen; the use of exchanging to take the sting out of the bishop pair; the frequent need to transform the nature of an advantage to realize it; and many more. Ibid.
Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (Russian: Екатерина Ковалевская; born 17 April 1974) is a Russian IM and WGM, two-time Russian Women’s CC, and runner-up in the 2004 Women’s World CC. Her peak rating was 2507 in July 2001, which means she only needed three norms to achieve the GM title. She played for the Russian Women’s team in six Olympiads, two World Team CCs, and two European Team CCs. She was still playing actively as recently as 2024 though her September results saw her continued downward drift left her at 2265 ELO.
Daniil Dmitrievich Dubov (Russian: Даниил Дмитриевич Дубов; born 18 April 1996) is a Russian GM, one-time Russian CC, and former World Rapid CC. With a peak rating of 2720 in December 2021, #24 globally, he gained stature as a member of the elite “Super-GM” club for those who cross the 2700 threshold. He lost eight rating points in March 2025 to fall out of the club for April and is currently rated 2693.
He served as one of Carlsen’s seconds in the 2018 and 2021 World CCs. There was some controversy in 2021 with other members of the Russian Federation asserting that Dubov should not have helped Carlsen in preparations against Nepomniachtchi.
Dubov plays bullet and blitz frequently on chess.com as @Duhless, and was rated over 3000 in each as of 6 April 2025.
Jonathan Rowson, 18 April 1977, is a Scottish GM, two-time Scottish CC, three-time British CC, one-time Canadian CC, blogger, author, and co-founder and CEO of Perspectiva. His peak rating of 2599 was achieved in July 2005 placing him at #139 globally. The last FIDE-rated games I found for him were in May 2024 when he lost two ELO to slip to 2525.
Below you can see his books.
Albin Planinc (also spelled Planinec) (18 April 1944 – 20 December 2008) was a Slovenian-Yugoslavian GM and two-time Slovenian CC. FIDE lists him with a peak rating and rating of 2545 and #36 in May 1974. ChessMetrics normalized ratings place him at 2641 in July 1974 but only as high as #39 in September 1973.
He earned a silver team medal in the 1974 Olympiad but became a trainer as tournament chess was negatively affecting his mental health. His clinical depression led to his being committed for the last years of his life.
In The Penguin Encyclopedia of Chess, Grandmaster Raymond Keene said of Planinc, "He specializes in apparently outdated openings into which his imaginative play infuses new life." [Source: Wikipedia]. NM Sam Copeland blogged about Planinc The Slovenian Fischer/Tal? - Minic vs. Planinc, 1975.
Below you will find a lecture on chess.com by IM Toth about Planinc.
Matthias Blübaum is a German GM born 18 April 1997. He is a one-time German CC and two-time European CC. His peak ELO was 2674 in August 2021, establishing him at #61 in the world. His FIDE blitz and rapid ratings also exceed 2600.
He still maintains residency in the top 100 players at #71 with a rating of 2674 in November 2024. He has competed for the German team in several Olympiads. He plays regularly in Titled Tuesday and Bullet Brawl events as @Msb2 with both ratings over 3000 as of 6 April 2025.
As of 2021 he was studying for a Masters in Math and unsure if the life of a chess professional was for him.
Susan Polgar, 19 April 1969, born as Polgár Zsuzsanna and is often known as Zsuzsa Polgár, is a Hungarian-American GM, and the third woman to ever achieve the title. She was the first woman to achieve the title by achieving norms, the previous two having earned the title by winning the Women’s World CC. A World U16 Girls CC, she later held the Women’s World CC title for four years, only losing her title by forfeit when FIDE would not make accommodations to the schedule or location that did not account for the recent birth of her child.
Susan is also a former Women’s World Blitz CC and Rapid CC, and she won the U.S. Open Blitz CC three times. She has played 56 games in Women’s Olympiads, recording zero losses while earning eleven medals, including four gold and four silver. With a peak rating of 2577 in January 2005, she has not played FIDE-rated games since then.
A chess trainer, writer, and promoter, she is also head of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) at Webster University. Further, she served for a decade as chair or co-chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and served as chair of the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) for four years.
Interestingly, Susan and her husband, FM Paul Truong, had their memberships revoked by USCF in 2010 over allegations of financial malfeasance. That led to court and an eventual settlement in which Polgar and Truong severed all their USCF affiliations. They could still play in events if they chose to do so, but as non-members. This limited sanction did not hinder her ability to coach chess teams from two different colleges (Texas Tech for two years, followed by Webster University) to seven consecutive victories in the college playoffs, hoisting the President's Cup every year.
Susan was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2019. No hard feelings, eh?
Susan Polgar has a multi-media presence. You can find her on X at Susan Polgar where she regularly posts about chess. She also posts frequently on Instagram Susan Polgar (@susanpolgarchess) • Instagram photos and videos. She has published columns in Chess Life, Chess Life for Kids, ChessCafe, Chess Horizons, Georgia Chess, Chessville, Empire Chess, School Mates, Europe Echecs, etc. She also publishes a blog titled Chess Daily News. Additionally, Susan has released instructional chess videos and written or co-authored eleven books, including a series of five books, Learn Chess the Right Way.
Here’s what actress Gal Gadot, aka Wonder Woman, had to say about Polgar’s book Rebel Queen
The origin story of a real-life superhero.
Here's what others had to say about Polgar's book Chess Tactics by Champions:
Its practical approach focuses on helping players recognize and apply different tactical motifs in their games. It includes a variety of exercises to solve, with each chapter dedicated to specific tactical themes. 40 Best Chess Books [Your Ultimate Guide to Chess Mastery]
A unique aspect of this book is its coverage of tactics for gaining an advantage and saving games through combinations, perpetual checks, and stalemates. This aspect of tactics is often neglected in other books, making this a more comprehensive resource. [Ibid]
The book’s content is well-written and easy to understand, appealing to readers of all ages. [Ibid]
Exercises in the book start very easily and gradually become more challenging but are not too difficult. [Ibid]
It mainly targets beginners to intermediate players and may not offer enough challenges for advanced players. [Ibid]
It lacks mixed problem types, making tactical anticipation easier and possibly less useful for real-game unpredictability. [Ibid]
Married to Paul Truong, a Cambodian-American FM with a peak rating of 2395, this chess power couple falls just shy of the 5000 barrier, peeking at that barrier with a view from 4972.
Of course, we cannot discuss Susan without briefly mentioning her sisters, IM Sofia Polgar and GM Judit Polgar. 😊
Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgarian: Антоанета Стефанова; born 19 April 1979) is a Bulgarian GM, former Women’s World CC, Women’s Rapid World CC, U10 Girls World CC, U14 Girls European CC, and a Member of the Hungarian Parliament since 2021. She played for the Bulgarian open team in the 2000 Olympiad and has otherwise been a member of the Bulgarian Women’s team in the Olympiad since 1992. Her peak rating was 2560 in January 2003, and she still sports a 2431 ELO as of April 2025 after gaining five rating points in March.
When I checked her @GMStefanova profile on chess.com it indicated she had been online on 7 April 2025, but I found no games played since January 2023.
Her partner, Ivan Cheparinov, is also a GM with a peak rating of 2718. Together, this chess power couple clocks in at 5278 ELO!
Esteban Canal (April 19, 1896 – February 14, 1981) was a Peruvian IM, honorary GM, and author. ChessMetrics lists his peak rating at 2675 in March 1934 and as high as #8 globally for seven months in the December 1933 – August 1934 rating list.
Here I offer for your consideration what some have deemed "the Peruvian Immortal", played by Canal during a simul. Usually, a game involving a horrible blunder by the opponent doesn't earn the "Immortal" moniker. However, this is a special case as White sacrifices both rooks and the queen before delivering mate on move fourteen!! Enjoy!
Robert Eugene Byrne (April 20, 1928 – April 12, 2013) was an American GM, one-time US CC, chess columnist, and US Chess Federation officer. FIDE lists his peak rating at 2605 in July 1973, #12 globally. Given FIDE only implemented a rating system in 1970 you should not be surprised that ChessMetrics offers a more balanced view of his strength with a all-time high, normalized rating of 2720 in January 1974 that would have placed him #11 in the world. He represented the US in nine Olympiads, earning seven medals including an individual silver and bronze to go with one team gold, two silvers, and two bronzes.
Making original contributions to several opening systems, there are variations named for him in the Najdorf Sicilian and KID Saemisch. Like Larsen, he was not afraid to deploy the Dutch Defense on occasion.
Robert tapered his playing time after becoming a columnist for the NYT, a position he held until 2006, though he still played several events yearly. He also wrote columns for Chess Life and published at least four books, though I could not find a cover picture for Beginning Mistakes.
His brother Donald was an IM.
Ioannis Papaioannou (Greek: Ιωάννης Παπαϊωάννου; born 20 April 1976) is a Greek GM and four-time Greek CC. His peak rating of 2652 in August 2017 came more than a decade after his peak placement on the charts at #85 globally in 2002. Do ratings ever deflate over time? Anyway, his rating is currently 2626 as of October 2024. He clearly goes six to twelve months at a time between FIDE-rated events.
He has not played a game as @ioannispapaioanno on chess.com since 2022 and has not visited the site since August 2023.
Viorel Iordăchescu, 20 April 1977, is a Modovan GM, one-time Moldovan CC, Senior Trainer, commentator, President of the National Chess Academy of Moldova, and politician. With a peak rating of 2651 in January 2012, he nearly broke into the top fifty back in January 2004, cresting at #51. He played in twelve Olympiads for his country.
He frequently visits chess.com as @Violord but I found no games for him since July 2023.
Mihail Marin, 21 April 1965, is a Romanian GM, writer, and one of my favorite chess analysts. A three-time Romanian CC, he played for his country in ten Olympiads, winning an individual bronze in 1988. His peak rating of 2616 in September 2009 came eight years after his peak ranking of #86 in January 2001. He still plays regularly and was rated 2426 as of April 2025.
He occasionally pops into chess.com as @MihailMarin but I saw no games for him since June 2020.
The former editor of the magazine Chess Extrapress, he was written some very well received books. His Learn from the Legends: Chess Champions at Their Best was the 2005 ChessCafe Book of the Year and nominated for the British Chess Federation Book of the Year in 2004. Another book, Secrets of Chess Defence, was a nominee for the 2005 ChessCafe Book of the Year. IM Silman described Marin as "one of the world's finest chess writers" and wrote of Learn from the Legends, "I can't recall having seen a better book in the last two decades."
I know Marin best from his annotations which litter my tailored databases in multiple openings. He offers both depth and GM insights that differ from the perfunctory analyses of many titled players offering their “thoughts” on games. Here’s what he has to say about analyzing games:
Writing books or annotating games is a time-consuming process. I have to be certain that I understand things in all their depth. I know I do when I can explain them to myself. Only if this works, only if I am certain to understand the material myself, I start to write. And I try to write in a way that the reader gets the most of the work I have invested. ChessBase magazine, 12/24/2019
Everybody who writes about chess, myself included, works with computers. We look at games and then explain the ideas behind the variations and evaluations given by the machine. However, this does not lead to a fundamental understanding. Therefore, I often consciously use another approach, in particular when I write a book. I play through a game or analyse on my board, focusing on my thoughts and ideas. ChessBase magazine, 12/24/2019
(quote?)
Other pithy Marin-isms:
I always play the Leningrad when I need to win…or if I need to make a draw. [Leningrad Dutch, Preface]
His wife, Maria Yugina, is a WFM and professional artist. With her peak rating of 2183 in December 2018, this chess couple touts a peak combined rating of 4624!
Li Chao (Chinese: 李超; pinyin: Lǐ Chāo; born 21 April 1989) is a Chinese GM, former World Junior CC, and one-time Asian CC. His peak rating of 2758 in June 2016 placed him in truly elite chess circles and he was ranked #14 globally in August 2015. His rating fell below the super-GM line (2700) in January 2019 and he hasn’t crossed that barrier since, gradually slipping to 2624 in January 2025.
He has not played on chess.com as @chessawp since October 2024 but had visited the site on 8 April when I was writing this two days later.
Juraj Nikolac (born 22 April 1932) is a Croatian, formerly Yugoslav GM with a FIDE peak rating of 2500 in January 1988 and a peak ranking of #105 exactly a decade earlier. He does not appear to have played a FIDE-rated game since March 2017 when he lost two rating points to slide to 2434. The more meaningful ChessMetrics measurement of his playing strength places him at 2651 in February 1976, good enough for #43 globally.
Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk (Russian: Александра Константиновна Костенюк; born 23 April 1984) is a Russian and Swiss GM, former Women’s World CC, Women’s World Rapid CC, two-time World Chess 960 Women’s CC, two-time Russian Women’s CC, one-time European Women’s CC, one-time Swiss CC (two years after Korchnoi claimed the crown) and three-time Swiss Women’s CC, World U12 Girls CC. Oh, and she’s a model, mom, marathon runner, and did a turn as an actress in the Russian film Bless the Woman, playing the daughter of one of the lead characters.
While still playing for the Russian Women’s team she earned three team Olympiad golds, a World Team CC gold, five European Team CC golds, and a Women’s Chess World Cup gold. With a peak rating of 2561 in January 2018, she lost two rating points in March 2025 to slip to 2482 ELO.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she switched to the Swiss Federation. She was among the 43 players who signed an open letter of protest to Vladimir Putin regarding the invasion.
On 25 March 2025, @ChessQueen won her third straight women’s prize in Titled Tuesday (Nakamura Nearly Wins Tuesday Despite Missing Round). She maintains a presence on X as @chessqueen with 219K followers, Instagram with 35K followers, Twitch with 36K followers, 26K subscribers on YouTube, and 43K followers on Facebook. She has not blogged on chess.com since 2013.
Married to GM Pavel Tregubov (a Russian player now representing France), with a peak rating of 2658, this chess power checks in at a combined peak ELO of 5219.
Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was the first Englishman to earn the GM title. He took silver in 1973 World Junior CC only to win the event the following year. A one-time British CC, his performance on board one helped the English team win silver medals in two Olympiads.
With a peak rating of 2635 in January 1996, the highest he reached in the world rankings was #9, a full decade prior to his peak ELO. ChessMetrics never places him higher than #18, achieved in January 1984 with a rating of 2699 in their model.
The Miles Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Bf4) in the QID is named after him.
Eventually Miles suffered from intermittent mental health issues that plagued him for the remainder of his days. He died alone, with the autopsy attributing long-term diabetes as a contributing factor.
Tony Miles could be quite acerbic or just insightful. To avoid running this bio too long, we'll glance briefly at some things Tony had to say...and then spend significant time looking at the thoughts of others!
I thought I was playing the world champion, not a monster with a thousand eyes who sees everything. [Tony Miles after losing a match 5 ½ - ½ to Kasparov in 1986. Tony Miles - Wikipedia]
Utter crap. [His review of Eric Schiller’s Unorthodox Chess Openings in Kingpin The Satirical Chess Magazine, Autumn 1998]
On the other hand, Tony Miles sparked animosity and admiration. We’ll start with the former and finish with the latter.
Much nonsense has been written along the lines of how grateful we all are for Tony’s marvelous achievements in the past, what a noble team player and self-sacrificing human being he is etc. This misses the point. Miles is an egoist who cannot face playing on board three, which is now the highest board to which he can legitimately aspire. Miles is playing in Zagreb, the third and last of the Interzonals. If he qualifies for the Candidates’ tournament, as Short and Speelman already have, it will be a source of private pleasure to him, but sadly no longer a matter for national rejoicing. Indeed, he may as well defect entirely to Andorra, where he will, I am sure, hold down top board as long as he wishes. [Raymond Keene, The Spectator, 8 August 1987, page 44…later, Keene wrote quite a book celebrating Tony Miles after his death in 2001.]
Tony was insanely jealous of my success, and his inability to accept that he was no longer the UK's number one was an indication of, if not a trigger for, his descent into madness. [Nigel Short, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday chess column, 30 November 2003]
As a writer he was usually witty, irreverent and often educational. He was impossible to ignore, whether one was on the sharp end of his tongue (as in my case) or not. Ibid
Tony was a giant figure in British chess and his death, at the age of 46, was a terrible loss. Ibid
His contribution to British chess was immense. He spearheaded the explosion of talent in this country that took us from rank mediocrity to second strongest chess nation, behind the USSR, during the 1980s. Ibid
His loss is a sad blow to British chess. He was our most significant player since Joseph Blackburne in the nineteenth century. He was a pioneer who paved the way for others to follow. For this we owe him a debt of gratitude. Ibid
He feared no one and his will to win was legendary. [Raymond Keene, Tony Miles - England's Chess Gladiator]
…a master of the laconic barb, the sarcastic remark, and he was never at a loss for words. [Genna Sosonko]Tony possessed incredible fighting spirit, he always played for a win, and he was one of the most creative players ever to move the pieces. He possessed a wicked sense of humour and his writings on chess were always entertaining. His style was original, and he usually avoided main lines of opening theory and relied on his natural ability to outplay opponents. [IM Malcolm Pein, The Week in Chess, 12 November 2011]
I shall miss not only his writing but also his phone calls which, like many of his articles, were hilarious commentaries on the latest absurdity in the chess world. He once called me from his bath (!) to report that he had been reading Kingpin and had laughed so much that he had just dropped it in the water. I don’t think that the magazine has ever been paid a finer compliment. [A tribute by Kingpin’s Editor, Jonathan Manley, after Miles’ death]
You can read more about Tony Miles at chess historian Edward Winter’s Tony Miles (1955-2001) by Edward Winter.
Pia Ann Rosa-Della Cramling (23 April 1963) is a Swedish GM and two-time European Women’s CC…I found an entry for the Swedish Women’s CC in only one year so that wasn’t very helpful in terms of national titles. FIDE lists her peak rating at 2550 in October 2008 but given her birth year and the institution of a FIDE rating system in 1970 we can look to ChessMetrics for her peak rating. That new baseline finds her peak at 2605 in May 1990, good enough for #152 globally. In March 2025, she gained two rating points to push her rating back over 2400.
She has won three gold performance medals (the best performance rating of all players on a given board) on board one in Women’s Olympiads. She has played in the Open section of the Olympiad four times, nine Women’s Olympiads, and two COVID mixed-team Olympiads.
She maintains a presence on chess.com @Piacramling but I found no games after February 2022. Here you can watch a video hosted by her daughter in a match of the ages with Pia playing @GothamChess (IM Levy Rozman) in a classical, rapid, and blitz match.
Pia and her husband Juan Manuel Bellón López became the first married couple who both held the GM title. With his peak ChessMetrics rating of 2546 and Pia’s peak rating, they combine for a 5151 peak ELO, well above the chess power couple mark arbitrarily established at 5000. Their daughter, Anna Cramling Bellón, is a WFM and well-known chess personality. Pia’s older brother, Dan, is an IM.
Lela Javakhishvili (Georgian: ლელა ჯავახიშვილი; born 23 April 1984) is a Georgian IM and WGM. A two-time Georgian Women’s CC, her peak rating of 2500 was reached in March 2010, good enough for the GM title if she achieved three norms. She continues to play actively but her rating has declined to 2426 as of April 2025. She plays regularly on chess.com as @lelajavakhishvili.
Govhar Beydullayeva (Azerbaijani: Gövhər Bəydullayeva; born 23 April 2003) is an Azerbaijani WGM and has been both the World Girls U20 CC and U18 CC as well as the World Junior Rapid CC. Her peak rating was 2417 in June 2024 and still is at the 2400 mark entering April 2025. Were I a betting man, I would place money on her achieving the requisite IM norms relatively soon.
Elisabeta Polihroniade (Romanian pronunciation: [elisaˈbeta polihroniˈade]; née Ionescu; 24 April 1935 – 23 January 2016) was a Romanian WGM and IA, journalist, broadcaster, editor, and author. This seven-time Romanian Women's CC competed in ten Women’s Olympiads. FIDE lists her peak rating at 2391 in February 1992.
Polihroniade had her own daily radio show and was the editor and director of the Romanian magazine Gambit. She also served as VP of the Romanian Chess Federation for six years, and filled presidential roles for various chess foundations and schools. In her “spare” time she also wrote books, though I was only able to obtain images of two covers.
Karen Asrian (Armenian: Կարեն Ասրյան; 24 April 1980 – 9 June 2008) was an Armenian GM who died of a heart attack while driving, age 28. A three-time Armenian CC and member of gold-medal winning Olympiad team in 2006, his peak rating was 2646 in January 2006. He reached #61 globally in October 2005.
Camilla Baginskaite (Lithuanian: Kamile Baginskaite; born 24 April 1967) is a Lithuanian and American WGM, two-time Lithuanian Women’s CC, former World Junior Girls CC, and won the US Women’s CC in 2000 to qualify for the Women’s World CC in 2001 where she fought her way to the Sweet 16 before being eliminated. Her peak rating of 2365 was achieved in April 2002.
She played infrequently on chess.com as @CamillaB but I found a couple blitz games in March 2025.
Camilla is married to GM Alex Yermolinsky, who has a peak rating of 2672 by ChessMetrics measurements. Together this chess couple has a maximum peak rating of 5037, making them a chess power couple to be reckoned with.
Dmitry Sergeevich Gordievsky (Russian: Дмитрий Сергеевич Гордиевский; born 24 April 1996) is a Russian GM who peaked at #100 globally in May 2018 with ELO 2653. He plays FIDE-rated events irregularly and was rated 2524 entering April 2025.
He offers coaching services in Russian or English on chess.com and plays irregularly as @Gordima. He has a sly sense of humor as indicated by a statement on one of his platforms, “…from Russia (where people are born with a chess gene).” I had to smile at that…and it’s probably true!
Gaioz Nigalidze (Georgian: გაიოზ ნიგალიძე; born 24 April 1989) is a Georgian IM who was a GM for a year. Nigalidze lost his GM title and was banned from FIDE events for three years after cheating at the 2015 Dubai Open. This was another “phone-in-the-bathroom incident,” seemingly a favorite tactic of cheaters. When the phone was found and examined it was logged into one of his online accounts with the current position in the display. Oopsie! Here is @PeterDoggers 2016 report Nigalidze Verdict: 3-Year Ban, GM Title Stripped. His report includes a picture of the phone next to the scoresheet for the game.
John Denis Martin Nunn, b. 25 April 1955, is an English GM, two-time Senior World CC, three-time problem solving World CC, one-time British CC, writer, publisher, and mathematician (he earned his PhD at age 23). He has also won two individual Olympiad gold medals.
With a peak rating of 2630 in January 1995 and a peak global ranking of #9 a decade earlier he spent considerable time placed among the world’s elite. ChessMetrics estimated his peak rating at 2715 in September 1985, #10 by their methodology. Nunn’s timing wasn’t the best in terms of the British chess hierarchy. There were two players ranked ahead of him, #3 Nigel Short and #5 Jonathan Speelman. Nunn still plays actively and his rating stood at 2528 entering March 2025, having lost five rating points in February.
Nunn has been a prolific and well-received author. His Secrets of Grandmaster Chess and John Nunn’s Best Games both won prestigious British Chess Federation Book of the Year Awards. He is also the Director of Gambit Publications. Nunn has also written extensively about computer chess in magazines as well as three books (Secrets Of Rook Endings, Secrets of Minor-Piece Endings, and Secrets Of Pawnless Endings) that relied heavily on table-bases to develop usable endgame strategies for we mere carbon-based units. In essence, he became a data miner before the phrase entered meme-world.
GM Bryan Smith heartily praised Secrets of Grandmaster Play as one of the most influential books early in his chess career, particularly given that Nunn did not rely only on reams of analysis but also explained the reasoning behind the moves and plans. "Secrets of Grandmaster Play" by John Nunn and Peter Griffiths - Chess.com.
Some of Nunn’s most famous quotes were:
While it is a cause for regret that Fischer did not continue to produce scintillating games, he perhaps had a greater impact on chess than any other twentieth century player. QUOTES BY JOHN NUNN | A-Z Quotes
The main line of the Yugoslav Attack has become just too vast for most players to study in depth, and anyone intending to venture into such tricky waters needs to have an intimate knowledge of all the hidden reefs. QUOTES BY JOHN NUNN | A-Z Quotes
At lower levels the quickest way for most players to achieve better results is to improve their tactical ability. Quotes 2 | 3Cs Chess Club
The attacker must always be on the lookout for ways in which the defender can surrender some material to “buy off” the attack, in order to avoid them. Quotes 2 | 3Cs Chess Club
If it is possible to decide on your move on purely positional grounds, then you should do so; it is quicker and more reliable. There are, of course, many positions in which concrete analysis is essential, but even in those cases you should not analyse specific variations more than necessary. Quotes 2 | 3Cs Chess Club
When you see a chance to simplify into a position you can be certain of winning, go for it. Quotes 2 | 3Cs Chess Club
If your position is objectively lost, the most important rule is 'keep the game going'. This doesn't mean that you should play on for a long time in a resignable position; it means 'do not allow your opponent a simple forced win'. The longer you can force your opponent to work, the greater the chance that he will eventually go wrong. Quotes 2 | 3Cs Chess Club
So, what did others have to say about GM John Nunn?
A polymath, Nunn has written authoritative monographs on openings, endings and compositions, as well as annotated games collections and autobiographical volumes. As an annotator, he is equally at home presenting lucid prose descriptions for the relative novice and analysis of extreme depth for the expert. Chess Notes #4218 by Edward Winter
Of course it is important for a chess player to be able to concentrate well, but being too intelligent can also be a burden. It can get in your way. I am convinced that the reason the Englishman John Nunn never became world champion is that he is too clever for that. Magnus Carlsen on his chess career | ChessBase
At the age of 15, Nunn started studying mathematics in Oxford; he was the youngest student in the last 500 years, and at 23 he did a PhD in algebraic topology. He has so incredibly much in his head. Simply too much. His enormous powers of understanding and his constant thirst for knowledge distracted him from chess. Magnus Carlsen on his chess career | ChessBase
Hoang Thanh Trang, b. 25 April 1980, is a Vietnamese-Hungarian GM (dual citizen), one-time Asian Women’s CC, and one-time European Women’s CC. She has competed in nine Women’s World CC events and ten Women’s Olympiads, five each for Hungary and Vietnam.
Though she has a chess.com profile @HoangPeony she has not visited the site since November 2024 and has not played a game since September 2021.
Raymond Weinstein (April 25, 1941) is an American IM who has been detained in a psychiatric hospital since committing murder in 1964. He won the US Junior CC in 1958 and won an individual gold medal on the gold-medal winning US team in the 1960 World Student Team CC. Needless to say, it’s difficult to obtain a FIDE rating when you’ve spent most of your life locked up. ChessMetrics to the rescue. The site lists his peak rating at 2575 in March 1961, good enough for #69 globally.
Weinstein attended the same high school as Bobby Fischer but was two grades ahead of him.
Jan-Krzysztof Duda, 26 April 1998, is a Polish GM, one-time Polish CC, world U10 CC, tied for first in the World Junior CC but took silver on tiebreaks, and winner of the Chess World Cup in 2021. With a peak rating of 2760 in December 2021 and peak world rank of #12 two years earlier, he is still listed among the super-GMs at 2739 in April 2025.
@Colin_McGourty, chess.com staff, recently posted an article about Duda’s struggles after winning the 2021 World Cup, Duda On “Crisis Of Faith” And Thoughts Of Quitting Chess. A sharp contrast to his interview with chess.com’s FM Dawid Czerw on 13 June 2022, Duda: 'Since I Was Six Or Seven, I Have Been Convinced That I Would Become World Champion'. Given the originality Duda displays over the board, let’s hope his chess career takes him to a happier personal place so that we can all continue to benefit from his creativity on the 64 squares.
Duda is a regular participant in titled player events on chess.com as @Polish_fighter3000 where his blitz rating was 3125 and his bullet rating was 3094 at the beginning of the day on 14 April 2025.
Rauf Mamedov (Azerbaijani: Rauf Məmmədov; born 26 April 1988) is an Azerbaijani GM, four-time Azerbaijani CC, European U14 CC, and four-time competitor in the FIDE World Cup. With a peak rating of 2709 in December 2017, his peak global ranking followed several months later when he reached #33 in May 2018. He was rated 2657 entering April 2025.
He plays frequently on chess.com as @Baku_Boulevard where his bullet and blitz ratings were 3104 and 3028 respectively on the morning of 14 April 2025. At one point, circa 2017, Mamedov was a hyper-accelerated Sicilian Dragon (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6!?) aficionado. I didn’t check his latest opening preferences but would suspect that still shows up in faster time controls for him. If you want to read a bit about that opening, I’ll refer you to GM @Kevin_Goh’s post Book Review: The Hyper Accelerated Dragon by Raja Panjwani.
He is married to Ukrainian IM Nataliya Buska. With her peak rating of 2437, this chess power couple clocks in at 5146 combined ELO.
Heikki Markku Julius Westerinen (born 27 April 1944) is a Finnish GM, four-time Finnish CC, and 19-time Olympiad participant. FIDE lists his ELO peak at 2485 in January 1976 while ChessMetrics suggests that he actually reached a 2597 rating in July 1976, placing him #83 globally. Here is a spritely video clip of one of his games with some sweet tactics.
Below is a spritely (just over 3m) video clip of one of his games with some sweet tactics in the Sicilian.
Pavel Smirnov (Russian: Павел Смирнов; 27 April 1982) is a Russian GM with a peak ELO of 2645 in January 2005, placing him at #51 on the Top 100 list. He dipped below 2500 in April 2024 and had fallen to 2476 as of January 2025.
You can find him on chess.com @Smirnov_Pavel.
Lawrence Trent, 28 April 1986, is an English IM, commentator, and former manager for Caruana. He has two of the three required GM norms, the second achieved in 2014, but lacks the minimum ELO requirement of 2500 with a peak rating of 2487 in January 2009. He has slipped a bit and been at 2409 since September 2024.
Trent’s commentator career started with an early-era podcast in 2009 that led to him being invited to provide commentary for the London Chess Classic. Those experiences led to him co-commentating the 2013 FIDE World CC Tournament and the World Cup. In the latter even he co-hosted with Susan Polgar. The two of them focused on the general viewer rather than the more sophisticated chess audience and largely eschewed machine interpretations of positions. Their approach was so well received that they then broadcast online and televised the World CC, reaching a daily audience of hundreds of millions though only the TV audience could be accurately measured [Between 100 and 200 million have followed the match Anand – Carlsen on TV every day – Chessdom, 21 November 2013].
But can he play chess? Let's look at a few games, just for fun.
FM Jonathon Rodgers’ final comment:
A novel situation, as far as I know. Has anyone before seen a serious game where one side has two queens, both en prise and unprotected even, to the same enemy piece, with each queen being able to deliver mate in one upon the capture of the other?” [Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (14) | ChessBase]
Below you'll find Trent's Immortal Game (different than the above) with commentary by none other than Peter Svidler! There's a Wikipedia article that Peter reads up front to introduce Lawrence to people who don't know him. Sorry about that.
Time to switch gears! Trent has also published a few books on "offbeat" openings that will avoid the preparation of those who have put all their efforts into studying the most-played openings.
You can find his books on chessable.com, 1...b6 Against Everything and The Dynamic 1.Nc3 - a Unique Repertoire. There are two free, accompanying Short and Sweet books, that offer teasers regarding the full-length efforts. His humorous attitude has shone through in these efforts. For instance, 1. Nc3 f5 "A move that will be played by Dutch fanatics, but one that simply doesn't cut the mustard and is close to refutable." 2. e4! "White plays a la Staunton and immediately looks to exploit the kingside weaknesses." Now that's fun. As are most of the lines.
Trent also participated in a Chessboxing event against Aman “Chessbrah” Hambleton. You can read all about that, and view the videos, at FM @JackRodgers’ post Hambleton Scores TKO Over Trent, Belenkaya Checkmates Botez In Record-Breaking Chessboxing Event - Chess.com.
You can find Trent on chess.com as @LawrenceTrentIM where he plays intermittently. He also streams on Twitch.
Weaver Warren Adams (April 28, 1901 – January 6, 1963) was an American master, author, and opening theoretician…a controversial one! ChessMetrics suggests that Weaver’s peak rating was 2460 in December 1945, placing him #50 globally. But there is a seeming disconnect because they list his best individual performance at 2516 in 1941. However, the site explains this quite lucidly, noting that because an individual event has relatively few games, the rating calculations are conservative. Given a sufficiently large number of games the peak rating can indeed be higher than a peak performance because it is based on a much more robust set of data, statistically speaking.
Adams asserted throughout his life that 1.e4 confers a winning advantage. Wowsers!! Why did I ever switch to 1.d4? That said, Bobby Fischer did successfully play the Adams Attack against the Najdorf Sicilian. You can read more about this line at GM @BryanSmith’s blog Playing Against The Najdorf: The Adams Attack.
Though routinely disparaged, Adams wrote a number of books, two of which are shown above, lashed together under one cover. Most of his books cannot be found anymore, not even images of the covers and the above was a reprint that included two separate efforts. I won't speculate as to why other images cannot be found. I confess…I never owned any of his works as his reputation preceded him.
Adams dispensed his secret sauce even before using it himself in tournament conditions. Grandmaster Larry Evans wrote in Chess Review that Adams' chess:
...tournament results were damaged by his dogmatism. Playing under the self-inflicted handicap of arming his opponents with advance knowledge of his 'best' lines, he felt honor-bound to steer straight into them even though his adversary invariably had a cook up his sleeve. By the time Weaver found a refutation and published it, another player found a different cook and so on ad infinitum.
Yury Markavich Shulman, born April 29, 1975. is a Belarusian-American GM, one-time Belarus C, and one-time US CC who tied for first in a different year but lost the rapid tie-break against Kamsky. He reached a high of 2648 in July 2009, #85 globally. I found no FIDE-rated games for him after August 2014 when his rating stood at 2559.
Shulman co-founded a chess school named after himself. The school’s mission is to use chess as a medium for philanthropic causes such as book drives. Some of the funds to support that mission were generated by providing private lessons to students. The school also helped stand up after-hours chess clubs in local schools. Yury also co-founded Chess Without Borders. The latter foundation has provided internships to students in the US as well as India and established a computer center in Delhi, India, to develop computer literacy among children living in slums.
I found no games on chess.com for @YuryShulman after May 2023.
Nikolaus Stanec (born 29 April 1968, Vienna) is an Austrian GM. He won the Austrian Chess Championship ten times and represented his nation in two Olympiads. With a peak rating of 2568 in October 2005, there has been relatively little decline in his strength as he plays regularly and was rated 2477 as of April 2025.
Jorden van Foreest, 30 April 1999, is a Dutch GM and one-time Dutch CC who just missed out another year, losing on tiebreaks to his younger brother Lucas. His peak rating was 2715 in May 2022 but that subsided a bit recently and he sits at 2681 in April 2025. This former #26 remains in the Top 50 at #44. After winning Tata Steel Masters tournament in an armageddon game against Anish Giri, Jorden acted as a second for Carlsen in the 2021 World CC.
He plays regularly as @joppie2 on chess.com where his bullet and blitz ratings were both over 3000 as of 17 April 2025.
Anna Yolanda Cramling Bellón (born 30 April 2002) is a Swedish-Spanish WFM, Twitch live streamer, and YouTuber. A two-time Women’s Olympiad participant, her peak ELO was 2175 in March 2018, but since 2020, she has focused on her streaming career and signed with Panda esports as their first chess streamer. Humorously, Anna debuted “The Cow” opening, playable as White or Black. If the players were to mirror moves, the line through move six would be 1.e3 e6 2.d3 d6 3.Ne2 Ne7 4.Nd2 Nd7 5.Ng3 Ng6 6.Nb3 Nb6. GM Galperin actually played this against Anna in a classical tournament in 2024…he won.
Below is an amusing game she played against England’s youngest chess master in 2024. Towards the end the pieces are literally flying off the board.
Her parents are grandmasters Pia Ann Rosa-Della Cramling and Juan Manuel Bellón López, the first-ever GM married couple.
Here's what Anna had to say about her chess style in an interview (ChessBase Chess News, A strong duo: An interview with Pia and Anna Cramling, 1/31/2022):
I think that I play very aggressively, especially when I play online. It’s just more fun! (laughs) I’d say I got that from my father, as he’s definitely a very aggressive and tactical chess player. In that sense I play a lot like him, and in terms of openings, I play a lot that are similar to my mother’s openings, because she used to teach me a lot of them. So I guess, I’d say I play my mum’s openings with my dad’s style!
Gyula Breyer (30 April 1893 Budapest – 9 November 1921) was a one-time Hungarian CC, finished ahead of Bogoljubov, Tartakower, Réti, Maróczy, and Tarrasch. He edited a magazine dedicated to chess puzzles and had a promising chess career cut short by heart disease that led to his death at age 28.
Aficionados of the Ruy Lopez may well recognize the Breyer Variation, but not realize this young man is responsible for the flexible repositioning of the knight from c6, back to b8, and then on to d7. I grew very familiar with his opening ideas at a time when half my games seemed to find the Breyer Variation appearing on the board. There are also Breyer Variations in the Vienna Gambit, King’s Gambit, and a Slav line where White plays the knight to d2 instead of c3.
You can read more about Breyer in @kahns post A Century of Chess: Gyula Breyer from 1910-19 or @Bid’s post Players Who Left Us Too Early - Chess.com.
Ellen E. Gilbert (nee Strong), April 30, 1837 – February 12, 1900, was a strong correspondence player. A true chess calculating machine, during a correspondence match against George Gossip in 1873 – 74, she announced checkmate in 21 moves in one game and 35 moves in the other game. This led to her being coined “The Queen of Chess.”
You can read more about her and see 24 of her games in @batgirl’s post The Queen of Chess.
Hrant Slavayi Melkumyan (Armenian: Հրանտ Սլավայի Մելքումյան; born April 30, 1989) is an Armenian GM who won the ICC’s international Internet CC, and placed second in the World Youth CC in 2006. A one-time Armenian Chess960 CC he has had numerous first places in major tournaments, including a European Individual CC (an 8-way tie for first). His peak rating of 2678 in September 2014 placed Melkumyan 61st globally and he still sits in the Top 100 with a 2636 rating entering April 2025.
He occasionally plays on chess.com as @Hrant_ChessMood, as evidenced by the fact he played two games in January 2025 and a handful of games in October 2024.
Let's Wrap it Up!
I hope you enjoyed this blog. It continued to scratch my interest in historical and contemporary chess figures. To the extent time and my lack of diligence allowed, there are links to personal websites, chess.com usernames, and individual home pages. There are even (rare) references to some of their feeds on X or YouTube. Along this journey, I also found some interesting games. Given all the material, I was only able to include a smattering of games, book images, and YouTube clips. Perhaps you found some of interest.
If there were any errors, please advise me and I'll correct those. And if there is some other information you would like included in every future chess player bio, I'll do what I can to oblige...within limits. Please note that at this point I do not intend to list up front every player who had a birthday in a given month, though I do list some of the more notable folks. At least, they are notable to the extent I choose to label them as such.
If you did enjoy this post, please let me know as there is a bit of labor involved in putting this together and "me" as an audience of one would be either a testimony to rampant narcissism or perhaps to a masochistic bent. If there is no enthusiasm for this type of blog, tough. Those are stale cookies and this twelve-month project is over halfway to completion.
