List of Jewish chess players
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Jewish players and theoreticians have long been involved in the game of chess and have significantly contributed to the development of chess, which has been described as the "Jewish National game". Chess gained popularity amongst Jews in the twelfth century.[1] The game was privileged by distinguished rabbis,[2] as well as by women.[3]
Of the first 13 undisputed world champions, over half were Jewish, including the first two. The Modern school of chess espoused by Wilhelm Steinitz and Siegbert Tarrasch; the Hypermodernism influenced by Aron Nimzowitsch and Richard Réti; and the Soviet Chess School promoted by Mikhail Botvinnik were all strongly influenced by Jewish players. Other influential Jewish chess theoreticians, writers and players include Zukertort, Tartakower, Lasker, Rubinstein, Breyer, Spielmann, Reshevsky, Fine, Bronstein, Najdorf, Tal and Fischer[4][5][6]
Professor Arpad Elo, the inventor of the scientific rating system employed by FIDE, analysed some 476 major tournament players from the nineteenth century onward, and of the fifty-one highest ranked players, approximately one-half were Jewish.[7] One of the strongest ever players is the ethnically half-Jewish Garry Kasparov, who was world No. 1 from 1985 until his retirement in 2005; or the considered strongest female chess player in history Judit Polgár.[8]
Beersheba in Israel is the city with the most chess grandmasters per capita in the world.[9] Israel has also won one silver and one bronze medal at Chess Olympiads.[10]
List[]
The list refers to chess players who are Jewish and have attained outstanding achievements in chess.
- Aaron (Albert) Alexandre (c. 1765–1850), German-born French-English[11]
- Simon Alapin (1856–1923), Lithuanian[12][13]
- Lev Alburt (born 1945), Russian/American[14]
- Izaak Appel (1905–1941), Polish
- Lev Aronin (1920–1982), Russian/Soviet[14]
- Levon Aronian (born 1982), Armenian grandmaster, World Cup champion[15]
- Arnold Aurbach (c. 1888–1952), Polish-born French[citation needed]
- Yuri Averbakh (born 1922), Russian, oldest living grandmaster, 2445[16]
- Mary Weiser Bain (1904-1972), born in Hungary (now sub-Carpathian Ukraine), immigrated to the United States as a teenager, first American woman to represent the U.S. in an organized chess competition, won the U.S. Women's Chess Championship in 1951, awarded the Woman International Master title in 1952
- Anjelina Belakovskaia (born 1969), Ukrainian-born US woman grandmaster[citation needed]
- Alexander Beliavsky (born 1953), Ukrainian-born Soviet/Slovenian grandmaster[14]
- Joel Benjamin (born 1964), American grandmaster
- Ossip Bernstein (1882-1962), Ukrainian-born French grandmaster[12]
- Arthur Bisguier (1929–2017), US grandmaster, 2455[17]
- Abram Blass (1896–1971), Polish
- Isaac Boleslavsky (1919–1977), Ukrainian-born Soviet grandmaster[18]
- Mikhail Botvinnik (1911–1995), Russian/Soviet grandmaster & World champion[17]
- David Bronstein (1924–2006), Ukrainian-born Soviet grandmaster, 2590[12]
- Oscar Chajes (1873–1928), Ukrainian/Polish/Austrian-born US[19]
- Vitaly Chekhover (1908–1965), Russian[citation needed]
- Erich Cohn (1884–1918), German[20]
- Wilhelm Cohn (1859–1913), German[21]
- Moshe Czerniak (1910–1984), Polish-born Israeli[22]
- Arnold Denker (1914–2005), US grandmaster, 2293[23]
- Arthur Dunkelblum (1906–1979), Polish-born Belgian[24]
- Mark Dvoretsky, (1947-2016), noted Russian trainer and international master[25]
- Roman Dzindzichashvili (born 1944), Georgian-born Israeli American grandmaster, 2550[citation needed]
- Vereslav Eingorn (born 1956), Ukrainian grandmaster
- Berthold Englisch (1851–1897), Austrian[26]
- Larry Evans (1932–2010), US grandmaster, 2530[17]
- Rafał Feinmesser (1895–?), Polish, killed in Warsaw during Holocaust
- Reuben Fine (1914–1993), US grandmaster[27]
- Bobby Fischer (1943–2008), US grandmaster & World champion[17]
- Alexander Flamberg (1880–1926), Polish[28]
- Salo Flohr (1908–1983), Ukrainian-born Czech & Soviet grandmaster[29]
- Henryk Friedman (1903–1942), Polish
- Paulino Frydman (1905–1982), Polish-born Argentine[12]
- Boris Gelfand (born 1968), Belarusian-born Israeli grandmaster, World Cup champion[14]
- Efim Geller (1925–1998), Ukrainian-born Soviet grandmaster[17]
- Harry Golombek (1911–1995), English[17]
- Eduard Gufeld (1936–2002), Ukrainian grandmaster, 2565[30]
- Boris Gulko (born 1947), German-born Russian US grandmaster, 2644[31]
- Isidor Gunsberg (1854–1930), Hungarian-born English[17]
- Ilya Gurevich (born 1972), Russian-born US grandmaster & junior World champion, 2575[32]
- Mikhail Gurevich (born 1959), Ukrainian-born Russian Turkish grandmaster, 2694[14]
- Dmitry Gurevich Born in 1956, Russian/American grandmaster
- Lev Gutman (born 1945), Latvian-born Israeli German grandmaster, 2547[33]
- Daniel Harrwitz (1821–1884), Prussian/Polish/German-born English French[34]
- Israel Horowitz (1907–1973), US[17]
- Bernhard Horwitz (1807–1885), German-born English[17]
- Dawid Janowski (1868–1927), Belarusian/Polish-born French grandmaster[29]
- Max Judd (1851–1906), US[17]
- Gregory Kaidanov (born 1959), Ukrainian-born Russian US grandmaster, 2695[35]
- Julio Kaplan (born 1950), Argentine-born Puerto Rican US grandmaster & World junior champion[12]
- Mona May Karff (1908–1998), Moldovan-born US woman master[17]
- Isaac Kashdan (1905–1985), US grandmaster[12]
- Garry Kasparov (born 1963), Russian grandmaster, former World Chess Champion
- Alexander Khalifman (born 1966), Russian grandmaster & World champion, 2702[36]
- Stanisław Kohn (1895–1940), Polish
- Ignatz von Kolisch (1837–1889), Hungarian/Slovakian-born Austrian grandmaster[17]
- George Koltanowski (1903–2000), Belgian-born US grandmaster[17]
- Viktor Korchnoi (1931–2016), Russian-born grandmaster
- Yair Kraidman (born 1932), Israeli grandmaster, 2455[37]
- Leon Kremer (1901–1941), Polish
- Abraham Kupchik (1892–1970), Belarusian/Polish-born US[17]
- Alla Kushnir (1941–2013), Russian Israeli woman grandmaster, 2430[17]
- Salo Landau (1903–1944), Polish-born Dutch, killed by the Nazis[38]
- Berthold Lasker (1860-1928), Prussian/German/Polish-born master, elder brother of Emanuel Lasker
- Edward Lasker (1885–1981), Polish/German-born US[39]
- Emanuel Lasker (1868–1941), Prussian/German/Polish-born US grandmaster & World champion[17]
- Anatoly Lein (1931–2018), Russian/Soviet/American grandmaster[14]
- Konstantin Lerner (1950–2011), Ukrainian/Israeli grandmaster
- Grigory Levenfish (1889–1961), Polish/Russian-born grandmaster[40]
- Irina Levitina (born 1954), Russian-born US woman grandmaster[17]
- Vladimir Liberzon (1937–1996), Russian-born Israeli grandmaster[41]
- Andor Lilienthal (1911–2010), Russian-born Hungarian/Soviet grandmaster[42]
- Samuel Lipschütz (1863–1905), Austria-Hungary/American[14]
- Johann Löwenthal (1810–1876), Hungarian-born US English[17]
- Moishe Lowtzky (1881–1940), Ukrainian-born Polish, killed by Nazis[citation needed]
- Gyula Makovetz (1860–1903), Hungarian[citation needed]
- Jonathan Mestel (born 1957), English grandmaster & World U-16 champion, 2540[citation needed]
- Houshang Mashian (born 1938), Iranian-Israeli chess master.
- Jacques Mieses (1865–1954), German-born English grandmaster[17]
- Miguel Najdorf (1910–1997), Polish-born Polish/Argentine grandmaster[17]
- Daniel Naroditsky (born 1995), American grandmaster and chess streamer [43]
- Ian Nepomniachtchi (born 1990), Russian grandmaster[42]
- Aron Nimzowitsch (1886–1935), Latvian-born Danish[29]
- Isaias Pleci (1907–1979), Argentine[44]
- Judit Polgár (born 1976), Hungarian grandmaster, 2735[17]
- Susan Polgár (born 1969), Hungarian-born US grandmaster & World champion, 2577[45]
- Zsófia Polgár (born 1974), Hungarian-born Israeli international master, 2500[17]
- Lev Polugaevsky (1934–1995), Belarusian/Soviet grandmaster, 2640[46]
- Dawid Przepiórka (1880–1940), Polish, killed by Nazis[12]
- Lev Psakhis (born 1958), Russian/Soviet/Israeli grandmaster[14]
- Abram Rabinovich (1878–1943), Lithuanian/Russian[14]
- Ilya Rabinovich (1891–1942), Russian[14]
- Teimour Radjabov (born 1987), Azerbaijani grandmaster[14]
- Nukhim Rashkovsky (born 1946), Russian grandmaster[14]
- (born 1976), French grandmaster[14]
- Samuel Reshevsky (1911–1992), Polish-born US grandmaster[47]
- Richard Réti (1889–1929), Slovakian/Hungarian-born Czech[29]
- Maxim Rodshtein (born 1989), Israeli U-16 World champion[citation needed]
- Kenneth Rogoff (born 1953), US grandmaster[citation needed]
- Eric Rosen (born 1993), American international master and chess streamer[citation needed]
- Samuel Rosenthal (1837–1902), Polish-born French[21]
- Eduardas Rozentalis (born 1963), Lithuanian grandmaster[14]
- Levy Rozman (born 1995), American international master and chess streamer[48]
- Akiba Rubinstein (1880–1961), Polish grandmaster[47]
- Gersz Salwe (1862–1920), Polish grandmaster[12]
- Leonid Shamkovich (1923–2005), Soviet.Israeli/Canadian/American grandmaster
- Yury Shulman (born 1975), Belarussian/Soviet/American grandmaster
- Gennady Sosonko (born 1943), Russian-born Dutch grandmaster[49]
- Jon Speelman (born 1956), English grandmaster[12]
- Rudolf Spielmann (1883–1942), Austrian-born Swedish[29]
- Leonid Stein (1934–1973), Ukrainian-born Russian grandmaster[50]
- Endre Steiner (1901–1944), Hungarian[citation needed]
- Herman Steiner (1905–1955), Slovakian/Hungarian-born US[51]
- Lajos Steiner (1903–1975), Romanian/Hungarian-born Australian[52]
- Wilhelm Steinitz (1836–1900), Czech-born Austrian & US grandmaster & World champion[12]
- Emil Sutovsky (born 1977), Israeli grandmaster, 2697[53]
- Peter Svidler (born 1976), Russian grandmaster, World Cup champion[14]
- László Szabó (1917–1998), Hungarian grandmaster[54]
- Mark Taimanov (1926–2016), Soviet/Russian grandmaster[55]
- Mikhail Tal (1936–1992), Soviet/Latvian grandmaster & World champion, 2645[12]
- Siegbert Tarrasch (1862–1934), Polish/German grandmaster & Senior World champion[56]
- Savielly Tartakower (1887–1956), Russian-born Austrian/Polish/French grandmaster[47]
- Anna Ushenina (born 1985), Ukraine-born Women's World Champion[57]
- Anatoly Vaisser (born 1949), Kazakh-born Soviet/French grandmaster[14]
- Joshua Waitzkin (born 1976), American Junior Champion and martial arts champion
- Max Weiss (1857–1927), Slovakian/Hungarian-born Austrian[17]
- Simon Winawer (1838–1919), Polish[17]
- Leonid Yudasin (born 1959), Russian-born Israeli grandmaster, 2692[58]
- Tatiana Zatulovskaya (1935–2017), Azerbaijani-born Russian Israeli woman grandmaster[12]
- Johannes Zukertort (1842–1888), Polish-born German English[17]
See also[]
- List of Jewish American sportspeople
- List of Jewish sports commissioners, managers and coaches, officials, owners, promoters, and sportscasters
- List of Jews in sports
- Jewish Sports Review
- International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Netanya, Israel
- US National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, Commack, New York
References[]
- ^ Abrahams (11 Jan 2013). Jewish Life In The Middle Ages. Routledge.
- ^ Israel Abrahams. Jewish Life in the Middle Ages. p. 390.
- ^ H. J. R. Murray (2015). A History of Chess: The Original 1913 Edition. p. 221.
- ^ Winter, Edward. "Chess and Jews". chesshistory.com. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Greatest Chess Players". Chessgame.com.
- ^ Berkovich, Felix (2000). Jewish Chess Masters on Stamps. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. pp. Chapter 5.
- ^ Elo, Arpad (1978). The Rating of Chess Players, Past and Present. New York: ARCO.
- ^ "World Top Chess players". FIDE.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Gavin (2005-01-30). "Beersheba Masters Kings, Knights, Pawns". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 30, 2005.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2013-03-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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- ^ Hearst, Eliot; Knott, John (2009-04-03). Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games. ISBN 9780786452927. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ Adler, Cyrus; Szold, Henrietta (December 3, 2007). American Jewish year book. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ Seidler, Fritz (October 23, 2006). The bloodless pogrom. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Chess, JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-21.
- ^ Bermant, Chaim (January 23, 1995). The Jews. ISBN 9780297774198. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ Postal, Bernard; Silver, Jesse; Silver, Roy (October 9, 2008). Encyclopedia of Jews in sports. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
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- ^ Greenberg, Martin Harry (November 1979). The Jewish lists: physicists and ... ISBN 9780805237115. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
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- ^ "Judit Polgár".
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- ^ jewish chess "Sosonko". Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ Greenberg, Martin Harry (November 1979). The Jewish lists: physicists and ... ISBN 9780805237115. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ Greenberg, Martin Harry (November 1979). The Jewish lists: physicists and ... ISBN 9780805237115. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
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- ^ Avrum Ehrlich, M. (2009). Encyclopedia of the Jewish diaspora ... ISBN 9781851098736. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ Hurst, Sarah (July 2003). Curse of Kirsan: Adventures in the Chess Underworld. ISBN 9781888690156. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
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- ^ Weinreb, Michael (2007-12-27). Game of Kings: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs, and Geniuses Who Make Up America's Top High School Chess Team. ISBN 9781592403387. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
Further reading[]
- Jews and the Sporting Life, Vol. 23 of Studies in Contemporary Jewry, Ezra Mendelsohn, Oxford University Press US, 2009, ISBN 0-19-538291-9
- The Big Book of Jewish Athletes: Two Centuries of Jews in Sports – a Visual History, Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz, S P I Books, 2007, ISBN 1-56171-927-7
- The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and The 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars, Peter S. Horvitz, SP Books, 2007, ISBN 1-56171-907-2
- Jews, Sports, and the Rites of Citizenship, Jack Kugelmass, University of Illinois Press, 2007, ISBN 0-252-07324-X
- Emancipation through Muscles: Jews and Sports in Europe, Michael Brenner, Gideon Reuveni, translated by Brenner, Reuveni, U of Nebraska Press, 2006, ISBN 0-8032-1355-7
- Judaism's Encounter with American Sports, Jeffrey S. Gurock, Indiana University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-253-34700-9
- Great Jews in Sports, Robert Slater, Jonathan David Publishers, 2004, ISBN 0-8246-0453-9
- Jewish Sports Legends: the International Jewish Hall of Fame, 3rd Ed, Joseph Siegman, Brassey's, 2000, ISBN 1-57488-284-8
- Sports and the American Jew, Steven A. Riess, Syracuse University Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8156-2754-8
- Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience, Peter Levine, Oxford University Press US, 1993, ISBN 0-19-508555-8
- The Jewish Athletes Hall of Fame, B. P. Robert Stephen Silverman, Shapolsky Publishers, 1989, ISBN 0-944007-04-X
- The Great Jewish Chess Champions, Harold U. Ribalow, Meir Z. Ribalow, Hippocrene Books, 1987, ISBN 0-87052-305-8
- From the Ghetto to the Games: Jewish Athletes in Hungary, Andrew Handler, East European Monographs, 1985, ISBN 0-88033-085-6
- The Jew in American Sports, , Meir Z. Ribalow, Edition 4, Hippocrene Books, 1985, ISBN 0-88254-995-2
- The Jewish Athlete: A Nostalgic View, Leible Hershfield, s.n., 1980
- Encyclopedia of Jews in Sports, Bernard Postal, Jesse Silver, Roy Silver, Bloch Pub. Co., 1965
- Chess, Jews, and history, by Victor Keats, 1994, Oxford Academia Publishers, ISBN 1-899237-00-3
- Chess Among the Jews: A Translation and Explanation of the Work of Moritz Steinschneider, by Victor Keats, 1995, ISBN 1-899237-02-X
- Chess in Jewish history and Hebrew literature, by Victor Keats, 1995, Magnes Press, ISBN 965-223-915-1
- Can I Play Chess on Shabbas, by Joe Bobker, 2008, ISBN 965-229-422-5.
- Jewish chess masters on stamps, by Felix Berkovich and N. J. Divinsky, McFarland, 2000, ISBN 0-7864-0683-6.
External links[]
- Jewish chess players
- Lists of chess players
- Lists of Jews
- Lists of sportspeople