July Babies: A Chess Zodiac
Cancer (the Crab, but not "crabs") and Leo (the Lion, but not the cowardly one from Oz), do they form the nature of chess players born in July?
The crab is intuitive, harnessing soft power inside a hardened shell that can thwart the meaningless attacks of would-be predators, while exploiting the weaknesses in their opponent's defensive stance and then taking advantage of the cracks in their armor.
The lion is creative, throwing about bursts of magic that glint and flare like a wind-blown, golden mane sparkling in the savanna dawn.
Certainly, you'll find those features in abundance in players such as Judit Polgar, Nepo, Moro, Adolph Anderssen, Shirov, and others born this month. But does that fully capture the essence of chess players born in July?
Meh, who cares. Let's set aside all these perplexing questions for the moment. Instead, jump into your chess easy rest chair, grab a drink and some snacks, and settle in for a long, long blog. After all, we're chess nuts, almost stalkers, intensely interested in the life stories of the Masters of the 64 Squares (or 205 squares if you're a math geek, I think)!
As far as the Chess Zodiac question...you can decide for yourself if you, or someone you know, shares chess traits with the luminaries we will visit this month.
Still, it doesn't hurt to reprise the big question we ask ourselves every month during the publication of this blog series:
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 July?
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, 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. Or, if you want, you can spin the scroller and see where you land, hopefully on your feet! Enjoy!!
Links to July 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, 31
Links to July Classical World CCs (not blitz, rapid, Fischer Random, etc.)
Links to Other July Notables
Shirov, Nepomniachtchi, Löwenthal, Morozevich, Polgar, Kmoch, Romanovsky, Caruana
Links to July Chess Couples
Efimenko, Kosashvili, Shirov, Zatonskih, Qiang, Jha, Gajewski, Arakhamia-Grant, Jaracz, Pashikian
Links to Special Guests
NM Dan Heisman, SPK1729 (blogger), AaravRoy_25 (blogger), Marcel Duchamp (artist)
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, Chess Quotes - Wisdom and Interest, and Chess Notes by Edward Winter. 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).
Evgeny “the Professor” Yuryevich Tomashevsky (Russian: Евгений Юрьевич Томашевский; born 1 July 1987) is a Russian GM, two-time Russian CC, one-time European CC, Russian U10 and U18 CC, and runner-up in the World U18 CC. His peak was when he reached 2758 Elo in September 2015, good enough for #13 globally. I only found games for one month since October 2022. Those games were in September 2023. He lost thirteen rating points and slipped to 2681 Elo.
He has played for Russia in multiple Olympiads, earning a team gold and bronze. He served as a second for Gelfand in the 2012 World CC.
Although he exists on chess.com @EvgenyT he has not played since September 2023 and has not been online since November 2024 (as of 23 June 2025). His blitz rating was 2988 and he has won a single Titled Tuesday event, Tomashevsky, Oparin Win November Titled Tuesday. A tie result was allowed, presumably because the supposed winner on points, @danyuffa, had their account closed after their 10-0 score was disqualified. Somewhat paradoxically, Tomashevsky is part of an elite group of fifteen players who have won a Titled Tuesday event but never placed second or third. That group includes such well-known names as Dreev and Vallejo Pons.
Grigoriy Alekseyevich Oparin (Russian: Григо́рий Алексе́евич Опа́рин; born 1 July 1997) is a Russian-born American GM, and Russian Junior CC. He switched Federations to the US following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His peak rating was 2687 in June 2023. A full year before that he reached #49 globally. As of June 2025, he hovers in the same range, at 2660 Elo and #64.
He plays blitz and bullet regularly on chess.com @OparinGrigory. His blitz rating is 3004, and his bullet rating is 3026, as of 22 June 2025. He has two Titled Tuesday victories, five second-place finishes, and six third-place finishes.
John Michael Burke, 1 July 2001, is an American GM and at age 14 was then the youngest-player-ever to reach 2600, a record since broken. He won the US Masters CC and the US Junior CC. His rating stalled at 2604 in September 2023 and stands at 2569 Elo in June 2025 after losing five rating points in May.
He can rarely be found on chess.com @JMB2010 but has an interesting profile picture. I found no games since one daily game that ended in January 2025.
Time now for a "real world" comment: For those who talk about super-prodigies breaking records for ratings and titles being sure-fire, future World CC contenders, please take the case of John Michal Burke as your grain of salt.
Nikita Petrov, 1 Jul 1996, is a Russian GM representing Montenegro, and one-time Montenegro CC. His peak rating was 2610 in April 2019, and as of June 2025 he is rated 2576. He was one of the 43 Russian top players to sign an open letter to Vladimir Putin protesting the invasion of Ukraine.
He can be found on chess.com @zvonokchess1996. He has not played since November 2024 but boasts bullet and blitz ratings over 3000.
A GM of mystery! The only image I could find was this pfp on chess.com. // GM and two-time Cypriot CC
Andreas Kelires (Greek: Αντρέας Κελίρης; born 1 July 1999) is a Greek-Cypriot GM and two-time Cypriot CC. His peak rating was 2543 in December 2021. I found no FIDE-rated games after September 2024. At that point he was at 2531 Elo. He occasionally plays on chess.com @Tagmatarxis.
Ingrid Larsen, 1 July 1909 – 25 February 1990, was a Danish WIM and a seventeen-time Dutch Women’s CC.
Another player who evaded images. In some cultures, a photo steals your soul. // GM, UAE's first GM, two-time Emirati CC
Taleb Moussa, 1 July 1978, is an Emirati GM, UAE’s first GM, and a two-time Emirati CC. His peak rating was 2517 in October 2004. He has not played a FIDE-rated classical game since 2012 when his rating stood at 2406.
Leopold Adamovich Mitrofanov (July 2, 1932 – November 26, 1992) was a Russian chess composer, an International Judge of Chess Composition, and an IM of Chess Composition Deysi Cori. He earned three gold medals for composition in FIDE competitions. He published over 300 endgame studies.
His most celebrated composition was so good that, as one of the judges explained, “Immediately after the first preview, Mitrofanov's masterpiece created a tremendous impression by the intensity and novelty of the idea. The ranking of the other studies was designated by us, beginning with the second place.” Above, you can see a quick take on this legendary puzzle. Humorously, the version entered in the competition had a "cook." The version show above was among his drafts and is not cooked. There’s a lot more history surrounding this puzzle, but this didn’t seem like the best place to delve into that!
Deysi Estela Cori Tello (born 2 July 1993) is a Peruvian IM and WGM, three-time American Continental CC, Pan-American Girl’s U10/U12/U14/U16/U18/U20 CC, World School Girl’s U15 CC, 2011 World U20 Girls CC and took silver in the 2009 World U20 Girls CC (tied for first but placed second on tiebreaks), 2009 World U16 Girl’s CC…uhm, this will not all fit as a caption underneath her photo. Her peak rating was 2444 in February 2015. She gained ten rating points in February 2025, and her rating stands at 2354 as of June 2025.
She plays in bursts on chess.com @dey2580, with plenty of standard and 960 blitz games.
I invite you to read @PokeGirl93's post My Favorite Not-So-Famous Players that explains why Deysi is one of her favorite players!
Her brother Jorge, born 30 July 1995, is a GM.
Erik Ruben Lundin (2 July 1904 – 5 December 1988) was a Swedish IM, honorary GM, one-time Nordic CC, and eleven-time Swedish CC. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2661 in October 1946 and ranks him #18 globally in two months. He participated in ten Olympiads, earning a team gold and bronze and individual gold and bronze over the course of those events.
Ján Markoš, July 2, 1985, is a Slovak GM, three-time Slovak CC, Slovak U12/U14/U16 CC, European U16 CC, coach, writer, and author. His peak rating was 2602 in July 2014. I found no FIDE-rated games after May 2022, when he lost a couple of points to slip to 2555.
His book The Secret Ingredient won FIDE’s 2021 Book of the Year 2021, and his other book, Under the Surface, earned the English Chess Federation’s 2018 Book of the Year recognition. All of which goes to show that even highly touted books don't necessarily cross the event horizon for even serious chess players. There are just too many chess books published daily!
Markoš has contributed to Moderný šach magazine, the Novoborský šachový server, and to ChessFriends.com News.
Maritza Arribas Robaina, 2 July 1971, is a WGM and eleven-time Cuban Women’s CC, who played for the Cuban team in twelve Women’s Olympiads. Her peak rating was 2366 in July 2003. In May 2025 she lost five rating points and slid to 2175.
Viktor Davidovich Kupreichik (Russian: Ви́ктор Давыдо́вич Купре́йчик, Belarusian: Віктар Давыдавіч Купрэйчык, Viktar Davydavič Kuprejčyk; 3 July 1949 – 22 May 2017) was a Belarusian GM, two-time Belarusian CC, and individual gold medal winner at the 1968 World Student Team CC. His peak rating was 2580 in July 1981. In January of that year, his rank peaked at #22 globally. ChessMetrics rated him 2685 in January 1982 and also lists his peak ranking at #22.
Zahar Oleksandrovych Efimenko (Ukrainian: Захар Олександрович Єфименко; born 3 July 1985) is a Ukrainian GM, U14 World CC and one-time Ukrainian CC. His peak rating was 2708 in March 2011 while his peak global rank was #34 in January 2006. He is rated 2565 after losing five rating points in April 2025.
He has not played on chess.com @Saxar85 since January 2025 when I checked on 25 June, but he had been online on 24 June.
His wife, Maria Efimenko (Ukrainian: Марья Ефименко, also transliterated Marja; born 13 February 1996), née Tantsiura (Ukrainian: Танцюра) is a Ukrainian WIM with a peak rating of 2352 in October 2014. Together this chess power couple has a combined peak rating of 5060.
Evgeny Postny (Hebrew: אבגני פוסטני; born 3 July 1981) is an Israeli GM, Russian U14 CC, Israeli Junior CC, Israeli CC, and US Masters CC (jointly with seven others). His peak rating was 2674 in October 2008 when he reached #48 globally. He still plays regularly, and his rating was 2525 entering June 2025. He was part of the Israeli silver-medalist team at the 2008 Olympiad.
In the picture shown above, he was playing in the 2018 Andorra Open. Top Blogger @emateu26, member of BlogChamps and The Blogger Awards v2.0, blogs about Andorran events regularly. Here’s a recent post at the time I was writing this Andorra Chess – Course conclusion: From School Desks to Open Boards.
Dejan Bojkov (Bulgarian: Деян Божков; born 3 July 1977) is a Bulgarian GM, Canadian Open CC, trainer, author, and content producer. His peak rating was 2556 in March 2012. From all indications, he has only played two FIDE-rated events since March 2018, one in 2019 and one in 2022. The upshot of those two events was a single grain of rice as his rating ended at 2479.
He can be found on chessable.com @dbojkov but plays very rarely. It had been over a year since his last online game, as I wrote this in June 2025.
He has written at least four books, three of them on chessable.com (one of the e-books has a version in English and a version in German, accounting for two of the three books). He has also produced significant amounts of content on chess.com, such as a video series on zugzwang (e.g., How To Win With Zugzwang), and a video of what he considers his best game (My Best Game: GM Dejan Bojkov - Chess.com).
Yona Kosashvili (Hebrew: יונה קוסאשווילי; July 3, 1970) is an Israeli GM and orthopedic doctor. His peak rating was 2580 in July 1995. He has not played since 2012. His final rating was 2531. He has headed orthopedic departments at a Medical Center and at a hospital, and has published around 100 research papers in orthopedics.
He is married to IM/WGM Sofia Polgar. With her peak rating of 2505 this chess power couple has a combined peak rating of 5085.
Alexei Shirov (Russian: Алексе́й Дми́триевич Ши́ров, romanized: Alexey Dmitrievich Shirov, Latvian: Aleksejs Širovs; born 4 July 1972) is a Latvian and Spanish GM, World U16 CC, runner-up in World Junior CC, and author. With a peak rating of 2755 in January 2008, his ranking zenith was #2 globally in January 1994. That occurred when Kasparov had been excluded from FIDE’s list after Kasparov formed the PCA. Shirov still plays frequently, but lost a shocking 30 Elo in April 2025 to descend to 2620, his lowest rating in decades.
Shirov beat Kramnik in a 1998 match and was supposed to play Kasparov for the PCA World CC. Funding fell through, and instead Kasparov lost the title in a match against Kramnik, a match Shirov denounced as invalid from the get-go. Then, in 2000, Shirov lost the FIDE World CC Final to Anand. Those were his last, best chances to hold the world title as he fell short of the championship round in subsequent efforts.
He plays regularly on chess.com @AlexeiShirov with a blitz rating of 2955 as of 28 May 2025.
If you want to read more about Shirov I’ll point you towards:
- Daniel Naroditsky’s 2014 article about Alexei’s endgame prowess, Brilliant Endgames, Shirov Style.
- GM @BryanSmith discusses How To Play The Shabalov-Shirov Gambit. The gambit is a radical attempt conceived by Shirov and Shabalov, a fellow Latvian-born player, to disrupt Black’s standard play in the Semi-Slav.
- GM @GMNeiksans has a chess.com video about Alexei and his attacking style in The Latvian School Of Chess: Alexei Shirov. It’s part of a series about Latvians in the mold of Tal.
Shirov has written two books, one of which is also available on chessable.com. The books constitute a compendium of his best games until 2007. It’s certain he has produced some other incredible brilliant tactical gems since then, but there’s no third book out…yet.
GM Shirov and WIM Olga Dolgova
Shirov has been married three times. His second wife, Viktorija Čmilytė, was also a GM. His third wife is WIM Olga Dolgova, born 7 August 1987. Her peak rating was 2262 in October 2010. Together, this chess power couple has a combined peak rating of 5017.
Benjámin Gledura, 4 July 1999, is a Hungarian GM with a peak rating of 2668 in June 2025, earning him a spot in the Top 100 at #54. He plays off and on on chess.com @promen1999.
Svetlana Vladislavovna Matveeva (Russian: Светлана Владиславовна Матвеева; born 4 July 1969) is a Russian IM and WGM, two-time Soviet Women’s CC (once was a tie for first), and European Junior Girls CC. Her peak rating was 2502 in January 2004, placing her in the GM-strength category, but unfortunately, she did not fulfill the other requirements. Her rating was still 2375 in 2020 when she played in the Seniors Team World CC.
Silvino García Martínez, 4 July 1944, is a Cuban GM, four-time Cuban CC, one-time Pan American CC, and FIDE Senior Trainer. He won an individual bronze in the 1978 Olympiad. FIDE lists his peak rating at 2470. ChessMetrics lists him at 2611 in June 1979 and #78 in May of that year.
Ryszard Skrobek, 4 July 1951, is a Polish IM, ICCF GM, one-time Polish CC, and bronze medalist in the 13th Correspondence Olympiad. FIDE lists his peak rating at 2560 in January 1978. ChessMetrics lists him at 2567 in October 1977, placing him #144 globally.
Horatio Caro (5 July 1862 – 15 December 1920) was a British master, opening theoretician. ChessMetrics estimates his peak strength at 2676 in October 1893, and he spent six months at #7 globally, so he was no weakie. He played a six-game match against Szymon Winawer in 1892 and only lost by the score 2W-1D-3L. Lest ye forgot, Winawer is Chess.com’s Hall of Fame #43: Winawer (The French King).
He was famous for the Caro-Kann opening, which he analyzed with Marcus (Markus) Kann, and they published their work in Bruederschaft in 1886. Or did they? If you visit The Caro-Kann Defence by Edward Winter you will learn that no mention of Kann was made in the games and analysis presented in that magazine. Still, it is known that Kann played the opening.
Julen Luis Arizmendi Martínez, 5 July 1976, is a Spanish GM, one-time Spanish CC, one-time runner-up. His peak rating was 2580 in June 2013. He gained two rating points in May 2025 to claw his way closer to the 2500 watermark, and stood at 2497 entering June.
Although @juarinovich is listed as having joined chess.com in 2014 and was online in January 2024, I found no games or friends listed. It was akin to wandering into an uninhabited wasteland.
Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (6 July 1818 – 13 March 1879) was a German chess master, problemist (composer), and writer, who earned his living as a Professor of Mathematics. ChessMetrics offers a peak rating of 2744 in August 1870 and placed him #1 globally in seven different months from December 1861 through August 1870, and ranked him among the top ten in the world for almost thirty years.
He was considered the world's leading chess player from 1851 to 1858, when he lost a match to Paul Morphy, and the leading active player from 1862 – 1866. He won over half the tournaments he entered, but was never listed as a World CC as the title did not yet exist.
Anderssen published several books of his chess problems and was later the editor of Schachzeitung der Berliner Schachgesellschaft (Chess newspaper of the Berlin Chess Society). Apparently, he was one of the leading practitioners leading the transfiguration of chess problems to favor more complex, modern compositions rather than what I presume were more primitive, i.e., simplistic, puzzles. I'm not a puzzle-meister, so I'm accepting the judgment of whoever included that factoid in Anderssen's article on Wikipedia.
[SIDENOTE: In a moment of modernity, I happened across the above puzzle while scurrying around, currying favor with others, and looking for material about Anderssen. It hit the right spot for me on a hot, humid, harried last day of June. So, it was out with any notion of using a puzzle composed by the hero of the day, and in with something that tickled my funny bone.]
Known best for phenomenal sacrifices, his play is forever engraved in the pantheon of chess brilliancies, beginning with his scintillating play in the 1851 Immortal Game and the 1852 Evergreen Game. These were offhand games, so freewheeling creativity was certainly to be expected! Even more so when you consider these following quotes by Anderssen:
It is...impossible to keep one's excellence in a little glass casket, like a jewel, to take it out whenever wanted. On the contrary, it can only be conserved by continuous and good practice. Chess Quotes - Practice & Study
Attack! Always Attack! Chess Quotes - Strategy
Here's what Steinitz had to say about Anderssen,
We all may learn from Morphy and Anderssen how to conduct a king's-side attack, and perhaps I myself may not have learnt enough. (International Chess Magazine, November 1886, p.335)
Idiosyncratically, he is also known for the opening named after him, 1.a3, an opening he tried three times in his match against Paul Morphy. The result was 1W-1D-1L. Not bad for a garbage opening.
Blogs on chess.com and links a few other select sources:
- @AstroTheoretical_Physics Famous Chess Games : Best of Adolf Anderssen. Astro covers both of Anderssen’s famous games!!!
- chess.com Immortal Game - Anderssen vs Kieseritzky (1851)
- @raync910 Commemorating The Immortal Game Of Adolf Anderssen
- NM @SamCopeland The Immortal Chess Game - Every Move Explained - Anderssen vs. Kieseritzky, 1851
- @colorfulcake Adolf Anderssen's Immortal Game | The Evergreen Game Another blog that covers both games and sees us transition to posts about the Evergreen game.
- chess.com Evergreen Game - Anderssen vs Dufresne (1852)
- @ppandachess The Evergreen Game: A Masterpiece of Sacrifice and Attack
- NM @SamCopeland Anderssen's Evergreen Game: Every Move Explained For Chess Beginners
- Evergreen Game - Wikipedia
- Articles about Adolf Anderssen by Edward Winter, this link provides subsequent links to several other Edward Winter articles about Anderssen.
- Great Players of the Past: Adolf Anderssen, with GM Ben Finegold - YouTube
Let's close with a final picture. I'm guessing someone on chess.com deserves credit for this, but I couldn't find a source for the image (just kidding. It was @AstroTheoretical_Physics).
Johannes (Jan) Hendrik (Hein) Donner (July 6, 1927 – November 27, 1988) was a Dutch GM, three-time Dutch CC, and writer. FIDE lists his peak Elo at 2500 in July 1971 (#77 globally), a typical underpromotion for someone whose best playing years took place before FIDE had a rating system. ChessMetrics places him more tellingly at 2622 in August 1966 and cites three months where he reached #45 in the world.
Donner played for the Netherlands in eleven Olympiads.
Donner could be quite the scathing journalist, writing of fellow Dutch GM Prins that he “cannot tell a knight from a bishop.” (De Tijd, 15 December 1965). He was quite quotable, even if I’d disagree with some of his underlying premises.
Chess is and will always be a game of chance. (Elseviers Weekblad, 20 November 1967)
I love all positions. Give me a difficult positional game, I'll play it. Give me a bad position, I'll defend it. Openings, endgames, complicated positions, and dull, drawn positions, I love them all and will give my best efforts. But totally winning positions, I cannot stand. (Club Magazine DD, July/September 1950).
This sacrifice of a pawn nowadays is only played for drawing purposes. Especially against the very strongest masters, it has proved to be quite useful to this end.
After I resigned this game with perfect self-control and solemnly shook hands with my opponent in the best of Anglo-Saxon traditions, I rushed home, where I threw myself onto my bed, howling and screaming, and pulled the blankets over my face. (The King: Chess Pieces, New in Chess, p.126)
Donner's remark about winning from a dead-lost position: "I couldn't resist saying something that I had never said before after winning a game of chess. I may have thought it, but I had never said it. I said, 'Sorry.' (Schaakbulletin 52/53, April 1972)
...it doesn't take much insight into human nature to predict that Fischer will not be world champion for long. His quirks, moods, and whims will turn against him at the moment when he has reached the top. He'll hit out hard, but at nothing but thin air. (De Tijd, 31 July 1972)
Reflecting his sense of humor, after a stroke he opined that it happened “just in time, because when you are 56 you do not play chess as well as you did when you were 26.” (The King: Chess Pieces, New in Chess, p.5)
Melikset Khachiyan (Armenian: Մելիքսեթ Խաչիյան; born 6 July 1970) is an Armenian-American GM, Baku Junior CC (two years after he learned the game), and coach. He previously served as a second coach for super-GM Levon Aronian, and is currently coaching Sam Sevian and the American Women’s National Team. His peak rating was 2546 in April 2009.
He plays regularly on chess.com @GMMelik. Through 1921 he used to produce chess.com video content such as the following, How Levon Aronian Became America's Newest Super Grandmaster: Against Navara - Chess.com. You can find more on his home page.
Alexander Rustemov (Russian: Александр Рустемов; born July 6, 1973) is a Russian GM and trainer. His peak rating was 2625 in April 2001, good enough to place #61 globally. I found no FIDE-rated games at a standard time control since April 2014. In that month he lost five rating points to finish at 2525. [Every time I see that number, I am reminded of the Zager and Evans song, In the Year 2525. The theme of the song is that humans become increasingly sedentary as automation subsumes not just physical tasks, but the actual process of thinking. So, my wandering discourse aside, I ask myself this question, “Is AI (aka Stockfish and Lc0) Cheez Whiz™ for the brain?”]
Alex offers coaching services. You can find him on chess.com @alexrustemov. His blitz rating was 2917 at the end of the day on 30 June, but when I checked on 1 July, he had managed to evaporate 62 points and was at 2855. Bound to happen when you’re playing a bunch of 2600-rated FMs who exact a toll even with a draw.
Fidel Corrales Jimenez, July 7, 1987, is a Cuban-American GM. His peak Elo was 2617 in December 2012. His rating stood at 2535 entering July 2025.
He currently lives in San Francisco, California, and offers coaching services. You can learn more on chess.com @gmcorrales. He plays blitz and bullet, with 2961 and 2830 ratings respectively, as of 21 May 2025.
Kevin Goh Wei Ming (Chinese: 吴伟铭; pinyin: Wú Wěimíng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gô͘ Úi-bêng, born 7 July 1983) is a Singaporean GM, seven-time national CC, ASEAN U18 CC, and author. He was awarded the GM title in 2020 when his rating finally exceeded 2500, two years after securing his third GM norm. He was 36 years old at the time…there IS hope for adult learners.
You can find him on chess.com @Kevin_Goh where his blitz rating stood at 2902 after beating GM Nigel Short on 27 June 2025.
He has written one book, on the Sicilian. Until 2019, he wrote blogs on chess.com such as My Favorite Reads This Quarter: Tons Of Openings. Those posts included book reviews, tournament overviews, and tributes to other players. Primarily, book reviews, and what he had been reading lately.
Vadim Moiseenko (Russian: Вадим Константинович Моисеенко; born 7 July 1994) is a Russian GM and youth chess coach. His peak rating was 2567 in August 2017. His current standard rating is 2529 and has not changed at all since September 2022, though he shows frequent fluctuations in his FIDE rapid and blitz ratings.
He has a page on chess.com @TaykaGM, but has not played a game since 2020 and has not visited the site since July 2021.
Oswaldo Ronald Zambrana Enríquez (born 7 July 1981) is a Bolivian GM, five-time Bolivian CC, and the only Bolivian GM! His peak rating was 2515 in July 2010. He represented his nation in six Olympiads, earning an individual silver on board three in 2000.
@Alina-Bakhtina_24 wrote about him in her blog Chess Map of the World: Five Countries – Five Stories.
Irina Berezina (also known as Irina Feldman and Irina Berezina-Feldman; born 7 July 1965) is an Australian IM, trainer, five-time Oceania Women’s CC, and FIDE Trainer. She played board one for the Australian team in seven Women’s Olympiads.
Wen Yang, 7 July 1988, is a Chinese GM His peak rating was 2631 in January 2013. That has slipped a bit and stands at 2574 as of June 2025. He was a member of the gold-medalist Chinese team at the 2017 World Team CC.
I’m doing something different starting this month. I’m going to pick one, or possibly two, extended deep dives into stalwarts of the chess community who didn’t climb the ladder to FM or above, but still merit an extended review of how they have helped grow chess. For this first go-round, I selected someone I know of, but don’t actually know. Instead, I’m relying on the web and anything I can extract from fellow chess fans in the blogging clubs I participate in on chess.com. For July 2025, Dan Heisman is the unsuspecting recipient of my intentions, though I’ll probably contact him at some point just to let him know.
NM/Coach Dan Heisman–Happy 75th!!
Dan Heisman (July 8, 1950) is a US NM, instructor, engineer, coach, and author. His peak rating was 2285 in July 1990, but he earned his chess fame as a chess coach and author. Several of his books are shown below. I found one book on chessable.com, Can I Take It?, with co-author WFM/NM Laura Smith (no relation to me…that I’m aware of 😉...I say the same about GM @BryanSmith).
Dan blogs regularly on chess.com. Here is his blog home page danheisman's Blog. You can also visit his website. At Dan Heismann Chess Lessons and Author - Home you will find information about, and links to, his articles, blogs, videos, books, how to receive coaching lessons, and more.For instance, he has over 380 instructional videos at www.youtube.com/c/danheismanchess. Well, according to his chess.com home page @danheisman. It’s possible he’s produced more videos since the last update to his home page.
He also hosts the Dan Heisman Learning Center club on chess.com, where tournaments at 30m/30s are played.
Special thanks to:
- @nova-stone for pointing me towards Perpetual Chess Podcast episodes 138 and 377 on Spotify with Dan as a special guest.
- @VOB96. She suggested I do something similar in a different blog series, but the idea migrated to this series via osmosis, and I think it’s a perfect incarnation of her concept.
- @NMChesstoImpress happened to know Dan’s co-author, WFM Laura Smith. He collected the below birthday wish from her to Dan.
Here are WFM/NM Laura Smith's birthday wishes to Dan Heisman:
Dan and I have collaborated on a few fun projects these last years though we haven’t met in person, he has guided me on creating chess content and being very clear for all beginner topics. It has been so educational and fun learning from Dan. He taught me that he coined so many phrases I have heard since I started chess at age 6- “Hope Chess,” “Reinfeld values” as two bigger ones but so many others which I’ll ask him to remind me our next chat! Dan, happy 75th!
Emilio Córdova, 8 July 1991, is a Peruvian GM who tied for first in the 2022 US Masters CC. His peak rating was 2660 in December 2016, ranking him #94 globally. He dipped below the 2600 waterline to 2599 in August 2019 and has not quite managed to return above it. His rating stands at 2513 entering July 2025.
You can find him on chess.com @emiliocordova where he offers coaching…at a far more reasonable rate than some of the other GM coaches on the site who charge 2-½ times as much. He plays relatively regularly and sports a 2899 blitz rating.
Victor (Viktor) Mikhalevski (Hebrew: ויקטור מיכלבסקי), 8 July 1972, is an Israeli GM, one-time Israeli CC, and one-time Israeli U20 CC. His peak rating was 2632 in January 2008, placing him at #92. He plays events regularly, but bad results in April 2025 cost him 19 rating points and took him slightly below the 2500 waterline for the first time in decades.
You can find him on chess.com @VMikhalevskiwhere he offers coaching. Like his compatriot above, he offers far more reasonable rates than some of his GM peers.
Dragoljub Janoševic (8 July 1923 – 20 May 1993) was a Yugoslav GM. ChessMetrics lists his peak rating at 2589 in March 1954 and placed him #57 globally in January of that year. His best individual performance rating was 2684 in 1966. He achieved a humorous historical footnote when he and Efim Geller agreed to a draw at Skopje 1968 without either player having made a move.
Olga Badelka (Belarusian: Вольга Бадэлька, Russian: Ольга Баделько; born 8 July 2002) is a Belarusian WGM and IM, Belarusian Girl’s U16/U18/U20 CC, European U16 Girl’s CC, and multiple silver and bronze medals in European and World Girl’s CCs. Her peak rating was 2453 in December 2021. She saw three points slip away in June 2025 and entered July at 2421.
Of historic note…she played the Bongcloud against Carlsen in a 2021 blitz event. You can find her on chess.com @Baronessa08, though I found no games after 4 February 2025.
Conrad Holt, 9 July 1993, is an American GM and former US Open CC. His peak rating was 2592 in July 2018. He has played FIDE-rated events very rarely since October 2018, a total of about six based on changes in his rating chart.
You can find him on chess.com @dretch. His blitz rating was 2954 as of 17 June 2025. He blogged occasionally until 2013, but has posted nothing since.
József (“the Hungarian Philidor”) Szén (9 July 1805, Pest, Hungary – 13 January 1857) was an Austrian Empire master, lawyer, and one of the strongest players in the world. ChessMetrics estimates his peak strength at 2546 in August 1851, #4 globally, and places him in the top ten for the period of time considered.
He was known as the Hungarian Philidor because of his accurate endgame play. The Szen position was a discovery of his, a drawing mechanism for the weaker side in a rook versus rook and bishop endgame.
Levan Aroshidze (July 9, 1985) is a Georgian GM and former World U10 CC. His peak rating was 2582 in May 2012. His rating currently stands at 2530 after losing three rating points in April 2025.
He can be found at chess.com @brightthunder. Although he plays rarely (January 2025 was his last game) he was on the site only two days before I wrote this. Until 2016, he produced some video content for chess.com as you can discover on his home page, most recently some of the Karjakin – Carlsen World CC contest.
Berthold Englisch (9 July 1851 – 19 October 1897) was an Austro-Hungarian chess master who earned his living in the stock market. He won several tournaments ahead of luminaries such as Blackburne, Mason, Bird, Winawer, and others. He even drew a match with Pillsbury in 1896. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2690 in February 1897 and lists him as the #2 player in the world in August and September 1881. He was a top ten player for much of his twenty-year career as depicted in ChessMetrics.
SPK1729
- Improvers Post of the Month, March 2025! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 𝐒𝐚𝐜, 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡 & 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 Theory! (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- The Blogger Awards v2.0 May 2025 Silver Medalist for Best Thumbnail competition for The Indian Chess History: From Ancient Roots to Modern Marvels
- The Blogger Awards v2.0 June 2025 Silver Medalist for Best Editing for NO MORE OOPSIES: 3 Rules to Outsmart Your Inner Blunder Monster!
Lu Shanglei (Chinese: 卢尚磊; born 10 July 1995) is a Chinese GM, Chinese Blitz CC, Asian Blitz CC, and former World Junior CC. His peak rating was reached in May 2025 and he reached #79 globally in June.
On chess.com, @wudileige’s bullet and blitz ratings were just over 3000 as of 19 May 2025, but I found no games in any format since then.
Boris Savchenko (Russian: Борис Савченко; born 10 July 1986) is a Russian GM. His peak rating was 2655 in April 2009 and he reached #71 globally in January of that year. He still plays regularly, but his rating dropped almost 200 Elo since that peak. He was rated 2464 entering July 2025.
You can find his profile on chess.com @tigra, but he has not visited the site since April 2023.
Vladimir Epishin (11 July 1965) is a Russian GM. His peak rating was 2675 in January 1994, placing him #10 globally. ChessMetrics rates him 2773 a month earlier, but never places him higher than twelfth in the world. He served as one of Karpov’s seconds from 1987 to 1996. His rating began to plummet in June 2022, and as of July 2025, he is rated 2366.
@PeterDoggers wrote an article about Epishin in 2011 with the obvious title Vladimir Epishin. The stories Peter had to share are unflattering but funny! Here’s a humorous story by @Dozy (inactive) talking about the day 14-year-old Arianne Caoili defeated the GM in 2000, Upsetting a Grand Master.
Robert Kempiński, 11 July 1977, is a Polish GM, two-time Polish CC, Polish U14 CC, Polish U20 CC, European Youth U16 and two-time U18 CC, World Youth CC. His peak rating was 2652 in April 2015, but his peak rank was over a decade earlier when he reached #79 in January 2005. He plays frequently, but has not played in the last few months, and his rating is at 2545.
Pietro Carrera (July 12, 1573 – September 18, 1647) was a chess player, historian, priest and Italian author.
@Batgirl wrote about him in 2011, Carrera's History of Chess Players. She provides a lengthy transcription from the book, Il Gioco degli Scacchi di D. Pietro Carrer, that lists chess players since 1100 B.C. It’s a fun spin through history, ending with an amusing appraisal of the top chess players of Carrera’s time.
Here’s a quick take on the book from a translation: “A treatise on the game of chess. Containing games of odds, various openings of even games, different methods of winning and drawing the game. Also, numerous critical situations on diagrams. To which are added, the art of playing without seeing the board, and an account of the most celebrated chess players of his time.”
According to @kurtgodden, the Sicilian Opening draws its name from Pietro. Here’s the link if you care to read more! Who was the Sicilian?
Carrerra also created a chess variant using an 8x10 board with two new pieces. The “Champion” combined the moves of a rook and knight, while the “Centaurus” combined the maneuvers of knight and bishop.
Andrey Shariyazdanov (Russian: Андрей Шариязданов; born July 12, 1976) is a Russian GM and former European Junior CC. His peak rating was 2605 in January 2000. Twenty-five years later it is only a hundred points lower, resting at 2505 as of June 2025.
He plays regularly on chess.com @GMAndrey64, with four games on the fourth of July.
Zoltán Varga, 12 July 1970, is a Hungarian GM with a peak rating of 2592 in July 2004. His rating stands at 2301 entering July 2025.
Nihal Sarin, 13 July 2004, is an Indian GM, World U10 CC, silver medalist World U12, World Blitz U10 CC, Asian U10 Blitz and Rapid CC, and U18 World Rapid CC. His peak rating was 2698 in March 2024. Scroll forward to June 2025 and he reached his peak rank at #33 with a rating of 2692 entering July 2025.
Nihal was part of the gold-medal winning Indian team for the 2020 Olympiad. In 2017 he won an individual gold and team silver at the World Youth Olympiad.
He plays regularly on chess.com @nihalsarin. As of 4 July 2025, his blitz rating was 3161 and his bullet rating was 3138. On 5 July, he was playing a blitz match against Naroditsky. Nihal’s rating had dropped to 3155 when I last checked, and he was showing offline.
Marta García Martín (born 13 July 2000) is a Spanish IM (picture at Andorra Open) and one-time Spanish Women’s CC. Her picture was taken at the 2019 Andorra Open, an event frequently written about by @emateu.
She plays 960, bullet, and blitz quite regularly on chess.com @martik40.
Nguyễn Đức Hòa (13 July 1989) is a Vietnamese GM and three-time Vietnamese CC. His peak rating was 2518 in January 2015. He dropped below 2400 in March 2022, eventually reaching a trough at 2322 in January 2024. As of July 2025 he popped back over 2400 to reach 2405.
I found no games on chess.com for @NguyenDucHoa since August 2023, but he had been online in June 2025.
Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi [aka, Nepo] (Russian: Ян Алекса́ндрович Непо́мнящий, romanized: Yan Aleksandrovich Nepomnyashchiy, IPA: [ˈjan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈpomnʲɪɕːɪj]; born 14 July 1990) is a Russian GM, co-reigning World Blitz CC, two-time Russian CC, one-time European CC, three-time European Youth CC (U10 twice and U12 one), World Youth CC U12 (beating Carlsen on tiebreaks), and two-time World CC challenger. His peak rating was 2795 in March 2023, and the month prior, he reached #2 globally. Entering July 2025, he is rated 2742 and ranked fourteenth.
Nepo was one of the 43 elite Russian players to sign an open letter of protest to Putin against the invasion of Ukraine.
Ian plays regularly on chess.com @IachesisQ, often while streaming https://www.twitch.tv/lachesisq. His bullet and blitz ratings are both over 3000…I won’t bother listing specific numbers as he plays often enough to see fluctuations. Ian’s peak blitz rating was 3186 and his peak bullet rating was not listed, perhaps because he hasn’t played a bullet game since September 2024 when he was rated 3091.
You can read a 2025 birthday tribute to Ian at The Chess Hall of Fame: Birthday tributes - Jan Nepomniachtchi - Chasing Immortality by FM @Jan939519.
Henry Edward Bird (14 July 1829 – 11 April 1908) was an English master, author, and accountant. Some people would account (excuse the pun) all those occupations as less than enthralling. Poor dweebs. You want excitement? Try this game! Every Bird Has Its Day | Henry Edward Bird vs Wilhelm Steinitz: London 1867.
ChessMetrics estimates Bird’s peak rating at 2635 in September 1875, and lists him at #2 globally in March and April of 1876. From 1866 until 1888 Bird could usually be found among the top twenty players of the royal game.
Henry Bird has received a lot of attention from chess bloggers, including a favorite or two of mine. I’ll lead off with @simaginfan’s Bird on Bird's Opening. Here’s a blog 4 Henry Bird puzzles with complete games by @ChrisBazzle, a member of BlogChamps. I also found A Giant from the Past - Henry Edward Bird (part I) by @162a54f5d. It was November 2016, and he had just enjoyed the release of his biography of Bird with 1,198 games! Here are his sequel posts, A Giant from the Past - Henry Edward Bird (part II) and A Giant from the Past - Henry Edward Bird (part III).
As usual, chess.com has a page for all Top Players, but I usually don’t mention that. Here, I’ll make an exception, Henry Bird | Top Chess Players - Chess.com. Why an exception for Bird? Probably because the first 2500 OTB rated player I regularly hung out with (blitz, beer, B.S.ing) credited the opening for sparking his path to that rating—most of his opponent’s just weren’t prepared for it!
Bird wrote several books, as shown above. However, he is best remembered for popularizing Bird’s Opening (1.f4) and for Bird’s Defense to the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4). He also proposed a chess variant with an 8x10 board and two new pieces. That variant eventually inspired Capablanca to create his own variant, though it differed from Bird’s only in the initial placement of the pieces.
Claude Frizzel Bloodgood (alias: Klaus Frizzel Bluttgutt III; July 14, 1937 – August 4, 2001) was a chess player and author who cemented his place in chess infamy with this entry: Claude Bloodgood | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers. While in prison for killing his mother, he manipulated the closed rating pool provided by his fellow inmates to achieve a US Chess Federation rating 0f 2789 in June 1996.
He’s attracted more than his share of attention by chess.com bloggers. Top Blogger and NM @Rodgy offered the following take, How an Inmate Became America's #2, that offers a great thumbnail! Meanwhile, Claude figured into @PokeGirl93’s award-winning blog Checks And Chuckles: Stories From The Chess World, just jump to the section titled Becoming an elite player... in prison. Even GM @Gserper took time to write about this chess convict and his plan to stand atop the chess world from behind bars! For your delight, all the details about how you might exceed Carlsen’s rating, Do You Want To Be The No. 1 Chess Player In The World?. Here’s an entry by the redoubtable (but doesn’t blog frequently enough) @Jessicamel Dark Side Of The Board ~ The Bloodgood Gambit, Part 1. Of course, years before any of these fine folks wrote about Bloodgood, IM @Silman was writing about chess players who were also criminals, and Claude Frizzle earned his spot in Chess Criminals And The Games They Play. I should mention that @nbrasington mentions Bloodgood in passing in his Can Chess Cause Mental Illness? [He let me know it’s not one of his favorite blogging efforts, but now it’s caught up in the swirl of my chess zodiac series.)
Bloodgood also caught the attention of Bill Wall who produces some great material on his site. Here’s the entry for the convicted character and con artist of interest here: Claude Bloodgood (1937-2001). Or you can visit Tartajubow's blogspot for this article, Tartajubow On Chess II: Revisiting Claude Bloodgood.
Bloodgood also wrote several books, none of which I’d recommend!
Essam El-Gindy (also known as Essam El-Gendy and Esam Mohamed Ahmed Nagib; born 14 July 1966) is an Egyptian GM, one-time Egyptian CC, one-time African CC, and FIDE Trainer. His peak rating was 2527 in October 2008. I found no FIDE-rated games at a standard time control since December 2022 when he lost five rating points to slip to 2407. He did play some rated rapid games in March 2023 and saw that rating slide ten points to 2426.
Haik Mikaeli Martirosyan (Armenian: Հայկ Միքայելի Մարտիրոսյան; born 14 July 2000) is an Armenian GM and former World Youth U16 CC. His peaks were 2708 Elo and @34 in November 2023. That slipped to 2708 and #180 by July 2025.
He plays regularly on chess.com @Micki-taryan and participated in the 5 July 2025 Bullet Brawl. His blitz rating was 3001 and his bullet rating was 3018 as of 6 July 2025.
Yaroslav Volodymyrovych Zherebukh (Ukrainian: Ярослав Володимирович Жеребух; born July 14, 1993) is a Ukrainian-American GM. His peak rating was 2642 in June 2017. He does not appear to have played many FIDE-rated events since February 2020. His standard rating is now 2620.
He plays on chess.com @Cruel_Yaro and offers coaching services.
Ádám Horváth, 14 July 1981, is a Hungarian GM, Hungarian U16 CC, European U20 CC, and one-time Hungarian CC. He placed second in the 2007 Hungarian CC. His rating began to plummet in August 2022 and currently sits at 2388 as of July 2025.
Pal Charles Benko (Hungarian: Benkő Pál; July 15, 1928 – August 25, 2019) was a Hungarian and American GM, one-time Hungarian CC (it’s difficult to win that title when players like László Szabó and Lajos Portisch are in the house), won or tied for first in the US Open a record eight times, author, composer of endgame studies and chess problems, and inductee into the US Chess Hall of Fame. FIDE lists his peak rating at 2530 in July 1973. ChessMetrics places his peak at 2687 in December 1958, #17 globally, only a year after receiving his GM title.
Benko was a ditch-digger for the Hungarian army in WW-II before being captured by the Soviets and forced to work as a common laborer. He began to play chess tournaments in 1945. Then, in the early 1950s, he was sentenced to a Russian concentration camp after attempting to defect to the US. Starving, he was released after sixteen months only because Stalin died. Benko successfully defected in 1958 and emigrated to the US.
Benko played in six Olympiads for the US, earning a team silver and an individual silver over those events.
Benko wrote regularly on endgames in Chess Life, a column I enjoyed monthly during my formative chess years. He also wrote a number of books, and I spent endless days exploring The Benko Gambit, written by the openings’ progenitor.
You can read more about Benko at:
- Pal Benko, 1928-2019 a tribute by FM @PeterDoggers on the occasion of Benko’s death.
- The Early Life Of Pal Benko by IM @Silman, who reminds everyone that Benko gave up his spot in the 1970 Interzonal so that Fischer could play.
- Pal Benko's Studies - Chess Lessons by NM @Jeremy Kane.
- A tribute to Pal Benko (1928-2019) by TB @Rocky64.
In an odd endnote, I never knew his middle name until preparing this entry. You think you know somebody, and then you get a small surprise.
Johann Jacob Löwenthal (Hungarian: Löwenthal János Jakab; 15 July 1810 – 24 July 1876) was a Hungarian master and writer. ChessMetrics placed him #2 globally from October 1858 until April 1859, and in the top ten for over a decade beginning in March 1851.
Löwenthal wrote two books about Paul Morphy and was also editor of The Chess Player’s Magazine, and chess editor for two other magazines, The Illustrated News of the World and The Era.
You can read more about him in the blogs below:
- The Most Remarkable Match - Chess.com by @batgirl, a historical overview of a match between Löwenthal and Daniel Harrwitz.
- If you want to read a dramatization of the Morphy – Löwenthal match I’ll point you towards @dashkee94’s eight part story. Here’s a link to the last in the series, Morphy-Lowenthal story, part eight. I’ll assume you can find the first seven parts on your own.
Atanas Kolev (Bulgarian: Атанас Колев; born July 15, 1967) is a Bulgarian GM, coach, author, and content producer. His peak rating was 2604 in July 2012. I found no rated games after April 2012 when he was at Elo 2529.
A content producer, one video that naturally catches the eye is Play Like Magnus Carlsen | Play Like a Pro.
And you have to love someone who produces an hour-long video of their most painful losses!
Kolev also authored a number of opening books. Considering how many opening books are published daily, it doesn't surprise me that I was unaware of any of these books, though I have no doubt many players loved them.
Martin Kreuzer (born 15 July) is a German ICCF GM, FM, math professor, and author. His peak FIDE rating was 2344 in February 2014, with his rating unchanged since June 2023 at 2231. His ICCF rating peaked at 2660 in July 1992 and shows 2603 as of January 2022. He has earned three team gold medals in Correspondence Olympiads (these events stretch out over years.)
Kreuzer has written several books on chess (published on chessable.com) and authored or co-authored even more math books. I included the one math book that most appealed to me because it’s a course in mathematical cryptography.
Here’s a blog, “Don’t Panic”, a book on tactics but also on chess history, written by @brasileirosim, a beta tester for Kreuzer’s book, A Chess Master’s Guide to Calculation. I’ve written before about publishing a chess book, and that post includes a section on the value of beta testers for e-books. You can find that in My Experiences Writing a Second Book – Secrets of Trapping Pieces: Fundamentals.
Aleksander Delchev (Bulgarian: Александър Делчев; born 15 July 1971) is a Bulgarian GM, three-time Bulgarian CC, European Junior CC, and writer. His peaks were 2669 and #36 in October 2005. He tipped below 2500 a few times, and has resided below that watermark since June 2024. His current rating is his low for this century at 2426 as of July 2025. Happy birthday?
He has written and co-authored multiple opening books…none of which I was aware of until researching him. There are others beyond the ones shown, but if you aren't winning book of the year awards for any of your efforts, I'm unlikely to show all your books in this venue. Just call me lazy.😉
Alexander Ipatov (Ukrainian: Олександр Іпатов, romanized: Oleksandr Ipatov; born 16 July 1993) is a Ukrainian-born Turkish GM, former World Junior CC, two-time Turkish CC, author, and content producer. His peak rating was 2665 in February 2018 and the following month he reached #78 globally. I found no FIDE-rated, standard time control games since January 2020 and his rating has remained at 2644 since then.
You can find him on chess.com @TheGadfly1897, but I found no games since November 2024, though he had been online as recently as 3 May 2025 when I was conducting this research.
Although he has a presence as Alex Ipatov - YouTube, I saw nothing more recent than 2019. He has published two books in the meantime. One book focuses on rare ideas for White, the other book does the same for Black.
Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (born 16 July 1999) is an Uzbekistani IM and WGM, Asian Girls U12 CC and U20CC. Her peak rating was 2446 in January 2019. Her rating is 2378 as of July 2025, after gaining a handful of rating points in June.
She can be found on chess.com @Crazy_girl99. She plays in torrential bursts. Just look at how many games she played on 30 December 2024 and then the downpour let up until April 22 and 23 of 2025. I like the quote on her home page, “Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
Her older sisters also play chess. The oldest, Nafisa, is a WGM, and Hulkar is a WFM.
GM, eight-time Armenian CC, and coach for the Armenian Women’s national team, former #77 worldwide
Ashot Anastasian (Armenian: Աշոտ Անաստասյան; 16 July 1964 – 26 December 2016) was an Armenian GM, eight-time Armenian CC, and coach for the Armenian Women’s national team. His peak rating was 2606 in January 2007, placing him #77 globally.
Jesus Nogueiras Santiago (born in Santa Clara, Cuba, July 17, 1959) is a Cuban GM and five-time Cuban CC, with a peak rating of 2580 in July 1993, and a peak world rank of #24 in January 1986. ChessMetrics estimated his peak rating at 2664 in February 1987, placing him only 44th globally. I found no FIDE-rated games since May 2022 when his rating slipped to 2447.
Anna Zatonskih (born Hanna Vitaliivna Zatonskih, July 17, 1978) is a Ukrainian American IM and WGM, former Ukrainian Women’s CC, and four-time US Women’s CC. Her peak rating of 2537 in May 2011 was more than sufficient for the GM title, but no mention is made of whether she achieved the necessary GM norms. Her rating gradually slid below 2500 and sits at 2306 since June 2025.
As a member of the US Women’s team, she has received one silver and one bronze team medal, while also winning individual gold and silver at Olympiads.
You can find her on chess.com @ZatonskihAnna, though I found no games since January 2025.
Her husband, Daniel Friedman, is a GM born on 15 February with a peak rating of 2670. Together this chess power couple has a peak combined rating of 5207.
Marcin Dziuba (born 17 July 1983) is a Polish GM. His peak rating was 2610 in April 2013. That stands at 2495 in July 2025, unchanged since a year ago when he dipped below the 2500 watermark.
You can find him on chess.com @GMMarcinDziuba. Although I found no games since January 2023, he had been online in late June 2025. He offers coaching services.
Nigel Edward Povah (born 17 July 1952) is a British IM, ICCF GM, and author. This IM’s peak OTB rating is 2385 in January 1980, though ChessMetrics suggests he stood at 2471 in May 1984, and peaked at #457 globally in October 1976. His ICCF GM rating peaked at 2605 in July 1991.
He visits chess.com relatively often @Knightstar52, but plays rarely. I found only two games in 2025 as of 8 July 2025.
He published four books whose titles I could find. One can rarely be sure if all the titles pop up during searches as the search engines try to be helpful by expanding the search, and I’m usually quite lazy about adding filters to prevent that. After all, interesting things pop up!
Alexander Sergeyevich Morozevich (Russian: Александр Серге́евич Морозе́вич, romanized: Aleksandr Sergéevich Morozévich; born July 18, 1977) is a Russian GM, two-time Russian CC, and author. His peak rating was 2788 in July 2008 when he reached #2 globally. Seventeen years later his 2650 rating still leaves him in the top 100 at #78. That said, he has played sparingly since 2017, though he did play a rated event in May 2025. Instead, he has been very active in Go, reaching 1 dan.
He has represented Russia in seven Olympiads finishing with three teams golds, one silver, and one bronze. He also won a gold in the 2—5 World Team CCs, and two golds in European Team CCs.
Ben states up front that Moro is still part of this era, but he hasn't been playing many events lately. Moro has a page on chess.com @EgorGeroev but has not played a game since 2017 and has not been online since 2018.
Moro is well known for his aggressive, even unorthodox openings. He has been known to play the Chigorin Defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6) and the Albin Countergambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5). So, it should come as no surprise that he wrote a book on the Chigorin Defence, seen above.
Huang Qian (Chinese: 黄茜; born July 18, 1986) is a Chinese WGM with a peak rating of 2494! She won the Chinese Women’s CC and the Asian Women’s CC once each. She was also a member of the 2004 Olympiad’s gold-medalist Chinese team.
Huang Qian is married to chess grandmaster Bu Xiangzhi, born 10 December 1985. With his peak rating of 2731 this chess power couple has a combined peak rating of 5225!!
Sriram Jha (born 18 July 1976) is an Indian GM and 2014 Indian Rapid CC. His peak rating was 2511 in January 2010. As of May 2025 his rating had slipped to 2301.
He can be found on chess.com @DelhiGM where he plays blitz frequently.
Sriram Jha and IM Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi
He is married to IM Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi who has a peak rating of 2485. Combined, this chess couple has a peak rating of 4996, four points short of the chess “power couple” I arbitrarily defined at 5000 Elo.
Marjan Šemrl (born July 18, 1954) is a Slovenian ICCF GM and 24th World Correspondence CC. He is also a Slovenian national master.
Maurice W. Johnson (born 18 July 1940) is a retired English ICCF GM, three-time British Correspondence Chess Association CC (in consecutive years no less!!), and had a peak ICCF rating of 2618 in July 1998. That receded to 2428 by April 2004, when he stopped playing.
Vernon Albert Small (born 18 July 1954, England) is a New Zealand IM and journalist who won or shared the title in four New Zealand CCs. His peak rating listed by FIDE was 2390 in January 1989. ChessMetrics lists his peak rating at 2558 in May 1978, good enough for the #158 spot globally. His last FIDE-rated games were in January 2005 when he lost 22 Elo to fall to 2313.
He played in eight Olympiads for the Kiwi team, notching a bronze medal for a 7/9 score in 1976.
Grzegorz Gajewski (born 19 July 1985) is a Polish GM and one-time Polish CC, with a peak rating of 2659 in July 2014 (#86 globally). Eleven years later, his rating is 2547. I found no FIDE-rated games since March 2024.
He was a second for Anand in the 2014 World CC and in several events since. He then served as a second for Gukesh in the 2024 Candidates and was Gukesh’s main trainer heading into the match against Ding Liren.
He is known as a strong opening theoretician. In 2008, he introduced a strong novelty in the Marshall Gambit of the Ruy Lopez in a variation that had been played thousands of times! (ChessBase: Chess News, 03.19.2008.)
He has published two courses on chessable @Gajuchess, seen above. On chess.com he is, no surprise, listed @Gajuchess with a blitz rating of 2841, though I found no games since April 2025. You can find him on X @GajuChess where he had over 4,000 followers when I checked. You can cut that number in half on Instagram @gajuchess.
Grzegorz is married to WGM Joanna Majdan-Gajewska. With her peak rating of 2420 their combined peak ratings easily place this duo in the chess power couple (>5000 combined Elo) at 5079.
Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (née Arakhamia; born 19 July 1968) is a Georgian (former Soviet Union)-born Scottish GM, one-time World Junior Girl’s CC, one-time Soviet Women’s CC, three-time Georgian Women’s CC, two-time Scottish CC (she shared the title with Paul Motwani on one of those occasions, and Ketevan’s husband won the title once), three-time British Women’s CC, and coach. Her peak rating was 2506.
She has won nine Olympiad medals, including two team and three individual golds. She plays blitz every few months on chess.com @KetiGrant.
Of particular note for adult chess learners is that she achieved her GM title at age 41!
She is married to Jonathan Grant, a FIDE Arbiter and Trainer with a peak rating of 2283. Their combined peak ratings max out at 4789. Her husband was a one-time Scottish CC but has no FIDE title.
Dieter René Keller (born 19 July 1936) is a Swiss IM, four-time Swiss CC, and amateur player who worked full-time as a lawyer. FIDE lists his peak at 2420 in January 1986. ChessMetrics placed him at a 2559 rating in April 1986, #237 globally, as he approached age fifty. During his decidedly amateur career, he managed to defeat luminaries such as Fischer, Larsen, Geller, Donner, and more.
Here is an @agadmator video of Keller beating Fischer at Zurich 1959, leaving Fischer a point behind Tal in the tournament.
Pauli Perkonoja, 19 July 1941, is a Finnish chess problemist, three-time World Chess Solving Champion, first-ever International Solving GM, IM for chess compositions, winner of the first European Chess Solving Championship, and a chess problem author for the Finnish magazine Tehtäväniekka.
July 20
Today is International Chess Day!
Lev Solomonovich Aronin (Russian: Лев Соломонович Аронин; 20 July 1920 – 4 October 1982) was a Soviet IM who might have joined the GM ranks except international travel was limited by the Soviets, who feared potential defections. FIDE lists his peak rating at 2420 in July 1971, just after FIDE initiated a rating system. ChessMetrics estimates his true strength at 2674 in March 1952 and from December 1952 until March 1953 places him at #18 globally.
Josep Oms Pallise (20 July 1973) is a Spanish GM, Spanish Junior CC, four-time Andorran CC, individual gold medalist at the 2006 Olympiad, and FIDE Trainer. His peak Elo of 2528 was achieved in November 2010. He gained a couple of rating points based on his performance in March 2025 and now sits at 2437.
Vladimir Pavlovich Malaniuk (Ukrainian: Володимир Павлович Маланюк, romanized: Volodymyr Pavlovych Malanyuk; 21 July 1957 – 2 July 2017) was a Ukrainian GM and three-time Ukrainian CC. He placed second in the 1986 Soviet CC. His peak rating was 2635 in July 1993. ChessMetrics suggests his actual peak was 2694 in October 1983, #22 globally.
He won team one silver and one bronze team medal in Olympiads as a member of the Ukrainian team. He won an individual gold medal in the 1993 World Team CC.
He made contributions to the theory of the Leningrad Dutch beginning in the 1980s and published a book on the opening.
Michael Khodarkovsky (Jul 21, 1957) is a Ukrainian-born, American chess player, coach, author, President of the Kasparov Chess Foundation, Chair of the International Affairs Committee of the US Chess Federation, and former US Chess Delegate to FIDE. His peak Elo was 2290 in July 1990.
A trainer in the Soviet Union until 1992, he has coached numerous players. He was a member of Kasparov’s coaching team during two World CC matches and the matches against Deep Blue. Khodarkovsky was also a coach at the Odessa Chess Olympic school for a decade. After immigrating to the US, he served as head coach of the silver-medal winning US Women’s team at the 2004 Olympiad, and bronze medal winning teams in 2008 and 2010.
A popular chess columnist, he was syndicated across multiple Ukrainian newspapers in the 1980s and his columns were named that nation’s best for 1985-86. He also wrote at least seven books.
Miksa (Max) Weisz (Weiss) (21 July 1857 – 14 March 1927) was an Austrian master born in the Kingdom of Hungary. Though he was co-champion with Chigorin of the famed 40-round New York 1889 tournament (the Sixth American Chess Congress) to select a challenger to Steinitz for the World CC, neither player followed through. Chigorin had already lost a match to Steinitz, and Weisz quit international chess after this marathon event, though he did play a few events in his hometown of Vienna. ChessMetrics lists him at #3 globally in eight different months between August 1887 and June 1890.
GM @Julio_Becerra posted a blog about Weisz (Weiss) in 2010, Who Was Max Weiss?
Weisz wrote three books [Schach-Meistersteich (Mühlhausen 1918), Kleines Schachlehrbuch (Mühlhausen 1920), and Caissa Bambergensis (Bamberg 1902)], but I could find no images of book covers that were definitively his works.
Volodymyr Volodymyrovich Onyshchuk [Vladimir Onischuk] (Ukrainian: Володимир Володимирович Онищук; born 21 July 1991) is a Ukrainian GM, European U10 CC, and World U16 silver medalist. His peak rating was 2669 in May 2015, placing him #71 globally. He was at Elo 2607 entering July 2025.
He plays in bursts on chess.com @onyshchuk_v with his blitz rating at 2966 as of 1 July 2025.
Albert Beauregard Hodges (July 21, 1861 – February 3, 1944) was an American master and one-time US CC, after defeating Showalter in a match. ChessMetrics ranked him at #10 globally from October 1894 until January 1895, with a highest rating of 2667 in January 1984. More impressive to me is that they ranked him #23 worldwide at the age of 15 years and 2 months! [It should be noted that ranking equated to a rating of 2433, indicating the competitive pool was quite shallow.]
Of particular, unless you prefer the word peculiar, note is that Hodges was one of those who played inside the Turkish automaton Ajeeb.
Walter Arencibia Rodríguez (born July 21, 1967) is a Cuban GM, former World Junior CC, and one-time Cuban Youth CC. His peak rating was 2573 in January 2008. He has played FIDE rated events very rarely since October 2013. His standard rating has remained unchanged at 2486 since May 2019. He has played some rated rapid and blitz events.
He plays blitz on chess.com @Arencibia, with his rating at 2570 as of June 27, 2025.
Nikolai Vladimirovich Krogius (first name sometimes written Nikolay) (Russian: Николай Владимирович Крогиус; 22 July 1930 – 14 July 2022) was a Russian GM, one-time Senior World co-CC, IA, psychologist, chess coach, chess administrator, and author. His peak Elo was 2575 in July 1971. ChessMetrics lists his peak at 2686 in September 1967, and placd him at #17 globally from January to March of 1968.
Krogius coached Spassky for several years and also served as chairman of the Soviet Federation.
Above are several of his books. A few are available only in German.
Temur Kuybokarov (formerly Igonin; born July 22, 2000) is an Uzbekistani-Australian GM, one-time Australian CC, and author. His peak rating was 2600 in December 2023, and he is now rated 2535.
Here’s a video where he talks about a victory over Gukesh in 2023 in what he describes as the biggest win of his career.
You can find him on chess.com @KuybokarovTemur. As of 19 June 2025 his blitz rating was 3023 and his bullet rating was 2842.
He has two books on chessable.com. Both were co-authored with IM Ortik Nigmatov.
Käty van der Mije-Nicolau (22 July 1940 – 14 October 2013), born Alexandra Ekatarina Nicolau, was a Dutch-Romanian WGM, six-time Romanian Women’s CC, and four-time Dutch Women’s CC. FIDE lists her peak Elo at 2340 in July 1971. At her peak she was the fifth-ranked woman in the world.
In six Olympiads playing for the Romanian Women’s team she won two silver team medals, two individual silvers on board one, and one individual bronze on board two. Later, she won an individual bronze while playing for the Dutch Women’s team.
Pawel Jaracz (22 Jule 1975) is a Polish GM, won four Polish Junior CC age group titles, three-time Polish Blitz CC, one-time Polish Rapid, and EU Individual Open CC. His peak rating was 2575 in May 2011. He is rated 2443 as of July 2025.
He seems to play somewhat regularly on chess.com @tdf98pantani with a blitz rating of 2864. That said, when I checked on 20 July 2025, he had not played since mid-May.
His wife, Barbara Jaracz (née Grabarska; born 8 June 1977) is a Polish WGM with a peak rating of 2342 in April 2003. Together this chess couple has a combined peak rating of 4917.
Judit Polgar (23 July 1976) is the Queen of Chess. She was also one of the top ten players in the world for a number of years. And the first person to break Bobby Fischer's record as the youngest ever GM. She also broke into FIDE's top 100 list at the age of twelve, ranking number 55!! Her peak rating was 2735 in July 2005, and according to FIDE she peaked at #8 in the world a year earlier. ChessMetrics suggests that her peak rating was 2746 in January 2004, placing her at #5 in February and March 2004. She retired from active chess in September 2015 with a rating of 2675.
She “has defeated eleven current or former world champions in either rapid or classical chess: Magnus Carlsen, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Vasily Smyslov, Veselin Topalov, Viswanathan Anand, Ruslan Ponomariov, Alexander Khalifman, and Rustam Kasimdzhanov.” [Wikipedia]
Although she has a web page on chess.com @JuditPolgar, I found no games after October 2018, and she had not been online since New Years Eve 2024. There is a JuditPolgar bot…good luck with that! She does offer links to her website (I didn’t find an easy way to translate from Hungarian, to my surprise), official Facebook page (the link was broken), and Twitter.
A very partial list of official chess.com material about Judit Polgar includes:
- Learn From Judit Polgar On Her Path From Child Star To Super Grandmaster posted 2023.
- Judit Polgar Meets British Chess Prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan in Budapest by @TarjeJS in 2024.
- Judit Polgar's Latest Brilliancy: The 10th Global Chess Festival by @NM_Vanessa in 2024.
- Judit Polgar | Chess Lessons from chess.com.
Here Judit talks about Freestyle chess (aka, Fischer Random) and briefly mentions how she and her sisters were introduced to it by Bobby himself. But the focus was on the Weissenhaus Freestyle Grand Slam event for which she had just provided commentary.
The Commander's Cross with Star of The Hungarian Order of Merit was awarded to her in 2013, one of Hungary’s highest awards. Only two years later, Hungary awarded Judit the nation’s highest decoration, the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen. In 2021 she was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. The honors shown above are listed sequentially in this paragraph.
Here’s a review of several of her books by IM Andras Toth.
Let's move on to another category of books Judit has written. This time for children, particularly pre-school. She's advocating for teaching children in much the same way her father taught his three daughters. Form their minds while they're young!
Below is a description of Kalandozások a sakktáblán (Adventures on the Chessboard).
Playing chess is not only a game, but also a way of thinking that can be learned in early childhood and then successfully used in many areas of life. It is a universal brain training that teaches logical thinking, develops problem-solving skills and gives wings to creativity. Judit Polgar's books do all this with fairy tales, rhymes, playful tasks, while also presenting the rules of chess.
Once upon a time, there was a Chess Palace. The king and queen lived in it... This is how the tale begins, the characters of which are waiting for many adventures and mysteries to be solved. In the book Adventures on the Chessboard, we get to know the chess pieces and their strange habits, we learn to move on the chessboard, and we draw, color and write poems.
Now to mention the obvious. Her sister Susan is also a GM, and the third sister, Sofia, is an IM. Tough family!
GM, one-time Kazakhstani CC, former #79 worldwide
Rinat Jumabayev (Kazakh: Ринат Жұмабаев (Rinat Jūmabaev), also spelled Rinat Dzhumabaev;[1] born 23 July 1989) is a Kazakhstani GM, one-time Kazakhstani CC, and placed second in the championship twice. His peak rating was 2658 in October 2021. placing him at #79 internationally. The last four years have seen a slow decline in his rating to 2546 as of June 2025.
He can be found on chess.com @Jumbo where he had impressive blitz and bullet ratings of 2966 and 2913 as of 15 July 2025.
João de Souza Mendes Júnior (23 June 1892 – 10 July 1969) was a seven-time Brazilian CC and physician. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2483 in May 1948 and places him #102 globally in May 1946.
You can read more about him and other legendary Brazilian players in @PokeGirl93’s excellent post A Chess Saga In The Land Of Soccer. Go to section 1.2 – National Championship.
Nieves García Vicente (born 23 July 1955) is a Spanish WIM and eleven-time Spanish Women’s CC, and placed second six times. Her peak rating was 2265 in June 2004 and rests at 2167 as of July 2021.
Nieves played for Spain in fifteen Olympiads, earning a team bronze and individual silver in 1976.
Vugar Gasim oghlu Hashimov (Gashimov) (Azerbaijani: Vüqar Qasım oğlu Həşimov; 24 July 1986 – 11 January 2014), was an Azerbaijani GM particularly known for his blitz skills. His peak rating was 2761 in January 2012, and he reached #6 globally in November 2009. Gashimov died while receiving treatment for a brain tumor.
Tigran Gharamian (Armenian: Տիգրան Ղարամյան, born 24 July 1984) is an Armenian-French GM, one-time French CC, and coach. His peak rating was 2676 in September 2011. That placed him at #67 internationally. His rating has been at 2572 since August 2024.
You can find him on chess.com @tigrangharamian. He’s been playing a lot of bullet chess in July 2025. His bullet, blitz, and rapid ratings are 2963, 2886, and 2906 respectively, as of 10 July.
Anthony (Tony) Cornelis Kosten, 24 July 1958, is an English-French GM and author. His peak rating was 2551 in July 2002. ChessMetrics lists his peak rating at 2591 in February 1992 and placed him as high as #162 globally in August 1987.
He has published numerous books, primarily on openings. Sorry, I’ve never seen them, so I have no opinions to offer. He’s also published some opening works with ChessBase.
Hans Kmoch (25 July 1894 - 13 February 1973) was an Austrian-Dutch-American IM and IA, as well as being a chess journalist and author. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2664 in April 1941 and places him as high as #16 globally for seven different months between February 1931 and June 1941. That was the year he stopped playing to focus on writing and also managing events, particularly after moving to the U.S. and managing the Manhattan Chess Club.
Kmoch served as Alekhine's second in both World CC matches against Efim Bogoljubow, and the first title match against Euwe.
Kmoch's most famous book was Pawn Power in Chess, which gained notoriety for his coining of numerous and new chess terms (aka, neologisms) such as "ram", "lever", "sweeper", and "sealer." Sounds like a collection of animals, simple mechanical devices, building custodians, and glue guns! His The Art of Defence was the first chess book dedicated to that aspect of the game, and he also wrote a number of tournament books that covered events such as Carlsbad 1929 and Bled 1931. In addition, he produced books on various world CC matches and the best games of players such as Rubinstein.
As a correspondent Kmoch wrote for the magazine Wiener Schachzeitung and later wrote for Chess Review.
Some of Kmoch’s most famous quotes were:
The battle for the ultimate truth will never be won. And that's why chess is so fascinating. Chess Quotes - Chess
The preparation for active rook play entails what is called the opening of lines, which largely depends on pawn play, especially on the proper use of levers. Chess Quotes - Rooks
And his six pawns were scattered like the ships of the Armada that should have conquered England; the Lord blew, and they were all isolated.
Has he some psychological antipathy to realism? I am no psychologist, and cannot say. The fact remains that Euwe commits the most inexplicable mistakes in thoroughly favorable positions, and that this weakness has consistently tarnished his record.
Julian Hodgson, born 25 July 1963, is a British GM, British U21 CC (at age fourteen), Canadian Open CC, North American Open CC, and a four-time British CC. He achieved his peak rating of 2640 in July 2000 and is still a member of the 2600+ club, standing at 2609 in November 2024. He has not played competitive chess since 2003, instead teaching chess in schools.
In Olympiads, he shared in the 1990 team bronze, and earned an individual silver in 1992.
He plays very rarely on chess.com @Attackgm. The most recent games I saw in July 2025 were played in February of this year.
Interestingly, Hodgson was largely responsible for the revival of the Trompowsky, though he explained that it was because he was too lazy to learn established opening theory. He has written several major works, including a book on the Sicilian Grand Prix and a series of books on the Trompowsky.
Julio Kaplan, 25 July 1950, is an Argentine-born Puerto Rican IM, former World Junior CC, and software developer, with a specific focus on computer chess. His peak rating was 2480 in January 1981. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2602 in November 1971, #69 globally, full GM strength!
He founded a firm, Heuristic Software Corp. to develop chess software. At some point in the 1990s his firm was hired by Electronic Arts to develop Kasparov’s Gambit. Can’t say I remember that one.
Oleg Anatolyevich Korneev (Олег Анатольевич Корнеев; born 25 July 1969) is a Russian-born GM representing Spain. His peak rating was 2671 in April 2006, placing him #34 globally. He continues to play frequently though his rating has dipped to 2468 as of July 2025.
Dmitry Svetushkin (Russian: Дмитрий Светушкин; Romanian: Dumitru Svetuşchin; 25 July 1980 – 4 September 2020) was a Moldovan GM, one-time Moldovan CC, and author. His peak rating was 2621 in November 2011.
Svetushkin died far too young, suffering from depression that led him to commit suicide. You can read more about him in Chess Players Who Battled Depression by @AstroTheoretical_Physics. His only published book is shown above.
Reefat Bin-Sattar (25 July 1974) is a Bangladeshi GM. His peak rating was 2492 in July 2005. His standard time control rating is 2331 as of February 2024.
He plays a ton of blitz on chess.com @Tacticusbd. His blitz rating was 2635 when I checked it on 22 July 2025, and he had been online playing eight hours before I looked that information up.
@AaravRoy_25, who turned fifteen today!!
He has earned several medals for his blogging efforts in The Blogger Awards v2.0.
- Silver Medal for Most Improved Blogger in April 2025
- Bronze Medal for Best Editing in June 2025 for Crowning Grandmasters: Finding Pieces Within Players.
Nicholas (Nick) Ernest de Firmian (born July 26, 1957) is an American GM, three-time US CC, Canadian Open CC, editor, and author. His peak rating was 2610 in January 1999, It was almost a decade earlier that he reached his peak global ranking, #25 in July 1989. ChessMetrics posits a higher peak rating at 2671 in July 1990, but a peak rank of #44 that same month. He is a member of the World Chess Hall of Fame.
He plays a fantastic amount of blitz on chess.com @Hugooakland.
Nick was a noted author who revised and expanded Capablanca’s Chess Fundamentals. He also helped prepare Deep Blue’s opening book. A noted openings expert, he revised Modern Chess Openings, 13th Edition (MCO-13) and edited/wrote MCO-14 and MCO-15. Here’s what others had to say about MCO-15:
…provides an exhaustive exploration of chess opening strategies. It updated classic theories with modern insights, covering every significant opening and variant. 40 Best Chess Books [Your Ultimate Guide to Chess Mastery]
De Firmian’s expertise shines in presenting complex strategies in an accessible manner, making it a good resource for understanding the first moves. [Ibid]
It offers detailed insights into each opening, with discussions on numerous variations, helping players understand complex strategies. [Ibid]
The book’s dense text and notation make it hard to follow, especially if you prefer visuals or diagrams. [Ibid]
Eva Moser (26 July 1982 – 31 March 2019) was an Austrian IM/WGM, one-time Austrian CC, two-time Austrian Women’s CC, and won eight Austrian Girl’s CCs in various age groups. Her peak rating was 2471 in July 2012.
She died of leukemia.
Aleksey Goganov (Russian: Алексей Гоганов; born 26 July 1991) is a Russian GM. His peak rating was 2643 in November 2016. His rating popped back above the 2500 GM-waterline in April 2025 and was 2516 entering July 2025.
You can occasionally find him on chess.com @AlexVanGog, but his most recent games were in 2021, and when I checked on 23 July 2025, he had not been online since late June 2025.
Lyudmila Vladimirovna Rudenko (Russian: Людми́ла Влади́мировна Руде́нко, Ukrainian: Людмила Володимирівна Руденко; 27 July 1904 – 4 March 1986) was a Soviet IM and WGM, second Women’s World CC, and USSR Women’s CC. She was the first woman to be awarded the IM title and was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2015.
The middle image above is a Google Doodle that was created in 2015 to honor her achievements on what would have been her 111th birthday.
You can read more about this relatively unknown World CC at:
- Lyudmila Rudenko, The First Soviet Chess Queen by Top Blogger @Marignon
- Women's World Championship, Moscow 1950, by Elizabeth Bykova. Winners' profiles by Top Blogger @Spektrowski
Hillar Kärner (27 July 1935 – 19 February 2017) was an Estonian IM, seven-time Estonian CC, and author of a book of his own games. FIDE lists his peak Elo at 2425. ChessMetrics to the rescue! A more accurate estimate of his peak strength was 2637 in September 1972, and in June of that year he reached #43 globally.
Helgi Dam Ziska (born 27 July 1990) is the first-ever Faroese Islands GM, six-time Faroese CC, three-time Nordic Junior CC including the oldest age group, and Sportsman of the Year for 2006 in The Faroe Islands. His peak rating was 2555 in December 2016. His rating nestled in at 2543 in April 2025, but historically, he played regularly enough to expect it to change in the near future.
Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer. He gained renown in the art world and was ranked with Picasso and Matisse as among the most influential artists of the first two decades of the 20th century.
In 1918 he left the New York art world, relocating to Brazil, where he played chess for nine months—sounds great to me! He then effectively abandoned a world where he was a recognized genius and became quite a good chess player. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2412 in January 1930, and you can find him listed by that site at #95 globally in January 1931.
Recognizing his limitations in OTB events, Duchamp turned to correspondence chess and wrote weekly newspaper columns on chess.
There are multiple chess.com blogs about this fascinating artist and chess fanatic:
- Marcel Duchamp and Chess by @billwall
- Review: Marcel Duchamp - The Art of Chess by CM @ArnieChipmunk
- How a Surrealist Sketched the Chess Squares by @AstroTheoretical_Physics
- Two games of Marcel Duchamp against Henri Bertrand in 1925; Nice & Paris by @introuble2
For a chess historian’s viewpoint, I’ll refer you to Marcel Duchamp and Chess by Edward Winter. It’s a long article with plenty of interesting games, photos, and screen shots of various books. That includes a consultation game with Duchamp and several others playing Alekhine.
Duchamp once played a game against a naked model as part of an artistic endeavor. Here’s Jennifer Shahade placing her own creative touches where the naked model is male (but the table prevents any uncomfortable views), and Jen talks about Duchamp.
Arman Pashikian (Armenian: Արման Փաշիկյան; born 28 July 1987) is an Armenian GM, two-time Armenian Youth CC, two-time Armenian CC (he tied for first in 2003, but placed second on tiebreaks), and FIDE Senior Trainer. His peak Elo was 2663 in September 2009, #70 internationally. The last FIDE-rated games I found for him were in October 2022 when he lost one rating point to slip to 2594.
He maintains a presence on chess.com @GM_Arman_Pashikian, having been onsite on 22 July 2025. But I found no games since December 2024.
He is married to WGM Maria Kursova, born 3 January 1986. With her peak rating of 2366 this chess power couple has a combined peak rating of 5029.
Rudolf Swiderski (July 28, 1878 – August 2, 1909) was a German master. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2629 in April 1904 and placed him at #15 globally from January until March 1904. He was in the top 31 from May 1902 until his death by suicide in 1909.
There are a number of blogs about Swiderski on the site, and some elsewhere. I'll mention a few I'm aware of.
- @kahns A Century of Chess: Rudolf Swiderski (1900-1909), A Century of Chess: Coburg 1904, and A Century of Chess: Dusseldorf 1908
- @tartajubow on his website Tartajubow On Chess II: Rudolf Swiderski
- @sleepyporcyy A Suicidal Sacrifice
- The Riddle of Swiderski’s Suicide by Edward Winter
Marcel Sisniega Campbell (July 28, 1959 – January 19, 2013) was a Mexican GM, nine-time Mexican CC, and film director/writer. His peak rating was 2540 in July 1991. ChessMetrics placed him at 2562 in December 1990, and #222 globally in February 1981.
Gavriil Nikolayevich Veresov (Belarusian: Гаўрыла Мікалаевіч Верасаў, Russian: Гавриил Николаевич Вересов; 28 July 1912 – 18 November 1979) was a Soviet IM of GM strength, 6-time Belarusian CC, and best known for The Veresov Opening (1.d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5), also known as the Richter-Veresov Attack. ChessMetrics estimated his peak playing strength at 2631 in June 1945 and places him 21st globally in July 1945.
Ibragim Khamrakulov (born 28 July 1982) is an Uzbekistani and Spanish GM and World U16 CC. His peak rating was 2604 in October 2007.
Pyotr (Peter) Arsenyevich Romanovsky (Russian: Пётр Арсеньевич Романо́вский; 29 July 1892 – 1 March 1964) was a Russian and Soviet IM and IA, two-time Soviet CC (shared in 1927), and author. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2647 in April 1926 and saw his star rising as high as #12 globally in six different months between December 1925 and July 1935, so he was among the elite for over a decade!
Romanovsky would certainly have received the GM title except for an unfortunate event. Part of his submission was based on being co-champion of the 1927 Soviet CC. However, his co-champion, Fedir Bohatyrchuk, had since been relegated to the Soviet trash bin of history for defecting. No surprise that Fedir defected given he was a rabid anti-Communist. Since Romanovsky's co-champion had also been nominated for the title, the Soviets decided to withdraw both applications. Now that's frustrating!
Romanovsky wrote, and then extensively revised, a seminal book that effectively laid out many precepts of the Soviet school of chess. He also contributed to a number of other books covering major tournaments and World CC matches. Here we will only be talking about the book that guaranteed his spot among the chess writing GOATs.
Some quotes from Soviet Middlegame Technique: [People who have read my QuoteMaster series will realize why he didn't make the list.]
It is the middlegame struggle that most fully and dramatically brings out the creative substance of the art of chess. [Introduction]
The paramount creative factor in chess – combination – manifests itself directly in the central phase. [i.e., the middle game. Introduction]
It goes without saying that the limited amount of forces in action in the endgame noticeably narrows the circle of creative ideas. [Introduction]
The ideas of the opening are basically centered on achieving full mobilization, whereas the plans in the middlegame arise from the possibility of actions with pieces already mobilized – which immeasurably widens the creative horizon of the ideas. [Introduction]
A skillfully devised and purposefully executed plan amounts to a sure guarantee of success. [p.8]
Formulating a plan is not enough – you still have to solve the no-less-serious problem of implementing it. [p.8]
It may happen that your opponent's counteraction forces you to change your plan and even go over to defence. [p.8]
If an aim is wrongly chosen or the means to its attainment are wrapped in an obscure haze, then the scheme lacks concreteness and is almost certainly doomed to failure. [p.10]
In the process of the struggle, you sometimes reach positions where it is hard to identify a realistic goal and hence to draw up a concrete scheme. In these cases, you have to be content with judgements of a general nature; your specific thoughts, on the whole, will be directed to forestalling your opponent's threats – until suitable targets for a plan come to light. [p.11]
Striving for dynamism in the execution of a plan means seeking the shortest paths and most energetic methods to achieve the aim. [p.19]
A flank attack needs to be prepared by conquering the centre or solidly fortifying it; and the foundations for a middlegame plan must already be laid in the opening. [p.59]
What others said about Soviet Middlegame Technique:
One of the best books in the world’s chess literature. [GM Alexander Kotov]
...the true value of Romanovsky was always based on his insightful words and that remains the case today. [Foreword by UK Publisher, 2013]
What distinguishes this book is Romanovsky’s blend of Soviet chess philosophies with universal tactical insights. His approach of using real-game scenarios to illustrate key concepts makes the book educational and engaging. [40 Best Chess Books [Your Ultimate Guide to Chess Mastery]
It’s captivating and informative, ideal for chess learners and enthusiasts. [Ibid]
The book merges Romanovsky’s insights on planning and combinations to view middle-game chess strategy fully. [Ibid]
The advanced strategies discussed might be too complex for beginners. [Ibid]
Its emphasis on historical games may not interest those seeking modern strategies. [Ibid]
Older game examples might not resonate with those seeking contemporary techniques. [Ibid]
You can read more about Romanovsky's life in @simaginfan’s 2021 post Romanovsky Revisited. Tragic Scenes From A Wonderful Book or Peter Arsenyevich Romanovsky or A Century of Chess: Pyotr Romanovsky (1920-29). I'll also point you towards Chess is something that keeps mad people sane... Peter Romanovsky case by another Top Blogger, @introuble2.
Urii Mikhailovich Eliseev (Russian: Юрий Михайлович Елисеев; July 29, 1996 – November 26, 2016) was a Russian GM, World U16 C, and Moscow CC. Tragically, he slipped and fell to his death at age 20, while climbing from his window to this balcony on the 12th floor. His peak rating of 2614, #212 globally, coincided with his unfortunate exit.
Viktor Nikolaevich Gavrikov (Russian: Виктор Николаевич Гавриков; 29 July 1957 – 27 April 2016) was a Lithuanian-Swiss GM. A one-time Swiss CC, and one-time U26 Soviet CC, he twice tied for the Lithuanian CC, but others received the crown based on tiebreaks. His peak rating was 2605 in July 1995, while his peak rank occurred a full decade earlier, reaching #19 in July 1985. ChessMetrics places his peak rating at 2702 in February 1985, placing him 17th globally.
I’d never looked for any other players who have died in the chess.com era, but did for him. His forlorn page can be found @Gavrikov. He was last online about seven weeks before his death.
Lajos Asztalos (Serbo-Croatian: Ljudevit Astaloš; 29 July 1889 – 1 November 1956) was a Hungarian-Yugoslavian IM, IA, one-time Hungarian CC, and professor of philosophy and languages teacher. He died during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, oppressed by the Soviets who rolled their tanks and troops to prevent a breach in the Iron Curtain. ChessMetrics estimates his peak rating at 2656 in July 1913 and placed him at #11 globally from February 1917 through January 1918.
Asztalos represented Yugoslavia in four Olympiads, earning a team silver in the unofficial 1926 event.
Diego Rafael Di Berardino (born 29 July 1987) is a Brazilian IM with one GM norm and a peak rating of 2528 (August 2018). He slipped below the GM 2500 waterline in August 2019 and hasn’t quite crested above that again, reaching 2497 in March 2024 but since sliding back to 2448.
He can be found on Instagram @diegodiberardino.
Yge Visser, 29 July 1963, is a Dutch GM with a peak rating of 2533 in July 2006. He has not played a FIDE-rated game since August 2011, with a final rating of 2465.
Chess.com Hall of Fame #19: Fabiano Caruana
Fabiano (Fabi) Luigi Caruana [nickname, “The Machine”] (born July 30, 1992) is an Italian and American GM, four-time Italian CC, four-time US CC, one-time World CC contender (losing in rapid tiebreaks), the third-highest rated individual in history [behind only Carlsen and Kasparov], and a content producer. His peak rating was 2844 in October 2014, #2 globally, and for most of the next seven years he was rated over 2800.
Caruana earned a team gold and individual bronze as a member of the 2016 US Olympiad team.
You can find him on chess.com @FabianoCaruana where he sports a blitz rating of 3111 and a bullet rating of 3203 as of 9 July 2025. Over a decade later he is still rated 2784 entering July 2025.
Fabi has produced hardcopy books, e-books on chessable, and video products in various formats including ChessBase DVDs.
If you want to read more about this player and his games, I’ll point you towards Caruana: Move by Move by Cyrus Lakdawala, ISBN 978-1-78194-479-0, and Fabiano Caruana: 60 Memorable Games by Andrew E. Soltis ISBN 978-1-84994-721-3.
Here’s an hour-long video by GM Ben Finegold showing some of Fabi’s best games, Best Games of Fabiano Caruana, with GM Ben Finegold.
Jorge Moisés Cori Tello, 30 July 1995, is a Peruvian GM, World U14 CC, World U16 CC, Pan American U10/U12/U14/U18 CC, World School U13 CC, and FIDE Trainer. His peak rating was 2689 in November 2018, while his peak ranking rang in 2019 at #52 internationally. He lost two Elo in June 2025 to slip to 2599.
He has played for the Peruvian team in multiple Olympiads. He won an individual bronze in 2016 on board three with a performance rating of 2810. He stepped it up in 2018, winning the best individual performance at that event by scoring 7-1/2 of 8 with a performance rating of 2925.
He can be found on chess.com @machupichu10. As of 14 July 2025 he sported a bullet rating of 3003 and a blitz rating of 2839.
His sister Deysi, born 2 July 1993, is an IM and WGM. Her career arc is described in @PokeGirl93’s post, My Favorite Not-So-Famous Players.
Tomasz Markowski, 30 July 1975, is a Polish GM and five-time Polish CC. His peak rating was 2632 in September 2009. He reached #87 globally in July 2003. He lost ten Elo in July 2024 to fall below the GM 2500 waterline, sinking to a century low of 2491.
Győző Victor Forintos (30 July 1935 – 5 December 2018) was a Hungarian GM, one-time Hungarian CC, and author. FIDE lists his peak rating and ranking at 2495 and #77 respectively in July 1972. ChessMetrics offers a more nuanced measurement, placing him at 2605 in August 1971, and peaking at #65 internationally in June 1971.
He played for Hungary in six Olympiads, securing an individual gold in 1958. He also earned one bronze and one silver team medal in those events.
His book on the King’s Indian describes a white method that is sometimes referred to as the Hungarian Attack, a system Forintos developed.
Ermes Espinoza Veloz, 30 July 1987, is a Cuban GM with a peak rating of 2544 in April 2018. He was rated 2486 entering July 2025.
Jacob Aagaard is a dual citizen Danish-Scottish GM born 31 July 1973. He won the Scottish CC in 2005 and 2012 but was not yet a citizen in the former instance. So, he collected the money but not the title for that first victory. Between those events, in 2007, he became the British CC. His peak rating was 2542 in May 2010. His rating is 2436 as of July 2025.
He was online at chess.com @GMJacobAagaard on July 21, 2025, but I found no games since July 2024.
A FIDE Senior Trainer, he is also an award-winning chess author and co-owner of the chess publishing firm Quality Chess. The series he is most associated with is his Grandmaster Preparation books. When I say “award-winning”, understand that he has set a standard no other chess writer has rivaled. To wit, he has been recognized with all four of the major Book of the Year Awards: English Chess Federation; ChessCafe.com; Association of Chess Professionals; and the Boleslavsky Medal awarded by the FIDE trainer’s committee. All in different years for different books! I found 21 books listed on Wikipedia for him, and then there are his multiple chessable.com publications.
He is found on chessable.com @JacobAagaard. He also provides content on channels such as YouTube. Below is a video about becoming better at calculations. Grandmaster Tips to becoming better at chess calculations | GM Jacob Aagaard
Nigel Rodney Davies, 31 July 1960, is an English GM, British U21 CC, one-time British Rapid CC, coach, and writer. His peak rating was 2530 in January 1995. For a while, he represented Wales. A pleasant little country, I spent some time in Cardiff visiting medieval castles and ancient Roman ruins back in 1990.
He can be found on chess.com @NigelD where he notes that he works as a coach now and mentions the 22 books and 46 videos he has produced. When I checked on 25 July 2025 he had been online on chess.com on 18 July. I found no games or ratings listed for him. That’s unusual.
I show a few of his books above, as well as a ChessBase product of his about the King’s Indian Attack (KIA). A number of his books can be downloaded free at archive.org (e.g., The power chess program : Davies, Nigel, 1960- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive).
Here’s a very brief intro to the KIA by Davies.
Yuniesky Quesada Pérez (born July 31, 1984) is a Cuban-American GM, two-time Cuban CC, head coach of Select Chess at the St Louis Chess Club, content producer, chessable.com author, and chess coach. His peak rating and ranking were reached in July 2014, 2655 and #96 respectively. I found no rated games at standard time controls since May 2023 when he gained on rating point to stand at 2591 as of June 2023.
You can find him on chess.com @TenisMaster where his blitz rating was 3033 as of 24 July 2025 (I was looking at that the next day).
His younger brother, Yasser Quesada Pérez, is also a GM.
Above is the book Yuniesky published on the Caech Benoni on chessable.com. Below is a video where Yuniesky recommends the Czech Benoni for amateur players. This video was produced as part of the Saint Louis Chess Club series of videos. He has other videos, but I previewed none of them...for that matter, I only glanced at the first few seconds of this video.
Evgeniy Solozhenkin (Russian: Евгений Соложенкин, 31 July 1966) is a Russian GM and author. His peak rating was 2565 in July 1996. I found no FIDE-rated games since February 2021 when his standard rating stood at 2373. His daughter Elizaveta Evgenievna Solozhenkina is a WGM.
Solozhenkin published several internet posts accusing Bibisara Assaubayeva of cheating during the World U14 CC in 2017. Is it a coincidence that his daughter was competing in the event? Assaubayeva placed second, and his daughter placed third. FIDE suspended him over his statements, and the Moscow Appellate Court later ordered him to “apologize, disavow his allegations to the media, delete the defamatory articles, and pay a compensatory sum of 100 thousand rubles.”
You can read more about these unfortunate events in @PetterDoggers’ post GM Solozhenkin Suspended For Making Cheating Accusations; Fellow GMs Protest.
Evgeniy has published a couple books, neither of which I was aware of.
Dejan Pikula, 31 July 1969, is a Serbian GM, one-time FR Yugoslavia CC, Central Serbia CC, and FIDE Trainer. His peak rating was 2576 in October 2008. He recently slipped below the 2300 waterline, submerged at 2286 as of July 2025.
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 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 video clips. I hope 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, or some already posted chess zodiac bio, I'll do what I can to oblige.
If you're a blogger who knows me and you have a birthday in August or September, you can ask me to insert a brief note about you in those monthly posts. I can't do the same for October through July. Those months are already posted, and I'm unlikely to go back and make adds except under special circumstances.
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.
Only two more months to go to complete the full Zodiac cycle!!🥵😁
