Connect With Us

Yuri Averbakh

by

by John Bain

Yuri at chessboard looking over top of glasses at chess pieces

A Role Model

Yuri Averbakh is the world’s oldest living chess Grandmaster–also, the first and only Grandmaster ever to reach 100 years old!

Yuri was born on February 8, 1922 in Kaluga, Russia.


In His Prime

Young Yuri with big hair at chessboard seated in coat & tie behind the black pieces

Averbakh at the match USA vs. USSR, New York City, 1954

Yuri Lvovich Averbakh is a Russian chess Grandmaster and author.

In his prime, Yuri was one of the strongest players in the USSR and the world. In 1953 he rose to the top 15 players in the world, taking part in the legendary Candidates Tournament in Zurich, finishing in 10th place.


Growing UpYoung Yuri with big hair in dark coat & black jacket

Yuri Averbakh


He was born into a Jewish family. His father was an immigrant from Germany and his mother was a Russian from the Kaluga area, southwest of Moscow.

Yuri’s father worked as a forester at the time of his son’s birth, and had immigrated from Germany–the original family name was “Auerbach.”

When Yuri Averbakh was three years old, along with his younger sister, the family moved to Moscow and lived only a short walk from the Central Chess Club.

In Moscow in 1925, they lived in a municipal flat shared with three other families. The flat had no heating and no electricity!

The four families shared a common kitchen with a simple stove for cooking. In the mid-1930s, the flats in the multi-storied house received central heating.


Grandmaster!

Yuri hand on cane in tweed sports coat

Averbakh joined the Moscow Chess Club, which was located in the basement of the Ministry of Justice. Averbakh made steady progress and in 1938 won the Under-16 Soviet Championship. Then, in 1949, 1950 and 1962 Averbakh won the Moscow Championship

After finishing high school he started to study engineering, but in 1952 he gave up his studies to focus entirely on chess.

Also, in 1952 he earned the FIDE Grandmaster title, and qualified for the 1953 Candidates Tournament in Zurich.


Retirement

Yuri at chessboard moving a white Rook

In retirement, Yuri was chairman of the USSR Chess Federation from 1973 to 1978. He is the first FIDE Grandmaster to reach 100 years.

After his active career Averbakch worked as author, editor, theoretician, second and official.


100 Years Old!

On February 8, 2022, turned 100 years old, and he is still playing chess!

Yuri wearing glasses at chessboard with glass of wather

Despite his eyesight and hearing having worsened, at 100 years old, Yuri finds time to devote to chess-related activities.

Learn to Play Chess
like
Yuri Averbakh Plays Chess!


The Path to Grandmaster Can Begin Here

World’s Best-Selling Scholastic Chess Workbooks!

161,685 in print now! 

Why? Simply, the best! And affordable! 

Chess Rules For Students ($4.50) – 83,870 in print and counting!

Checkmate! Ideas For Students ($6.95) – 45,280 in print and counting!

Chess Tactics For Students ($16.00 $12.80 – On Sale Now!) – 37,535 in print and counting!

Volume Discounts automatically applied at checkout, so consider ordering as a group!

We appreciate your support!


Beginner’s BookChess Rules For Students

Chess Rules For Students workbook

Chess Rules For Students is a workbook for students learning the game of chess and for beginning students returning to the game. No previous knowledge of chess is necessary. Parents unfamiliar with chess will find this booklet a valuable guide to their child’s new interest.

Chess Rules For Students is designed with students, coaches, and parents in mind. Reading level is appropriate for grade-school use. All major rules of chess are covered, and algebraic notation worksheets are included. Each page is in easy-to-use worksheet format.

A student-friendly Answer Key makes self-correction fun!


Beginners & Intermediate Book – Checkmate! Ideas For Students

Checkmate! Ideas For Students

Checkmate! Ideas For Students is a workbook for beginning and intermediate students. Checkmate! covers the tactics used in checkmate attacks with clear explanations, diagrams and arrows to pinpoint the key features.

Unlike many other basic checkmate books, Checkmate! categorizes the checkmates by the tactics used to force the checkmate–like Pins, Sacrifices, Removing the Guard, Attraction, Clearance and Attacking Flight Squares–rather than only the checkmate pattern itself.

The worksheets and Answer Key are clear and simple for the student to use, and easy for the parent, teacher and coach to correct! Fun!


Intermediate & Advanced BookChess Tactics For Students

Chess Tactics For Students workbook

Chess Tactics For Students is a workbook containing 434 carefully selected problems in worksheet format. Chess Tactics has been extensively field tested with elementary, middle-school, and high-school students over a four-year period.

This book is ideal for independent seat work as well as for homework and classroom instruction.

The worksheet format and Answer Key enable self-correction with minimal dependence or direct help from a chess teacher, coach, or parent.


Chess for Students Shop Now

SOLVE A PUZZLE & WIN!

Solve a chess puzzle, enter the weekly drawing as often as you like, and win awesome prizes! Winners’ prizes are listed below. If you don’t win this week, try again next week! New puzzles are posted daily!

CHESS PUZZLES WEEKLY PRIZES

Below are the weekly prizes we send out! If you don’t win, try again the following week for your chance to win! Click on the prize to learn more about it.

Checkmate In One Prize
Chess Rules For Students Workbook
An instructional workbook designed for students learning the game of chess. Click here to learn more!
Checkmate In Two Prize
Checkmate! Ideas For Students
An instructional workbook containing tactics in worksheet format used to checkmate--like Pins, Sacrifices, Removing the Guard, Attraction, Clearance, and Attacking Flight Squares!
Checkmate In Three Prize
Chess Tactics For Students
An instructional workbook containing 434 carefully selected problems presented in worksheet format.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This