The Players

1997 Interplay Women's Chess Championship

The following bios are from the 1997 US Championship Bulletin, reprinted with permission.

Participants in the 1997 Overall Championship

This event, the overall championship, is unrestricted by age or gender. Players are invited based on rating or specific accomplishments. For example, the US Junior Champion and US Open Champion from the previous year are traditionally invited.

GM JOEL BENJAMIN

Age 33 and living in NY, Benjamin is a past winner of the U.S. Championship (1987, tied with GM Nick de Firmian). As a junior player, Joel completed a rare triple crown: winning the National Elementary (1976), National Junior High (1978), and National High School (1980, 1981) championship titles. He has also won the U.S. Junior Championship (1980, 1982) and the U.S. Open (1985). Joel was a member of the bronze�medal winning U.S. team at the 1996 FIDE World Olympiad, and has qualified for the 1997/98 FIDE World Championship Tournament. He is the former editor of Chess Chow, and a past columnist for Chess Life.

GM WALTER BROWNE

Browne, 48, hails from Berkeley, Calif. Walter is a six-time U.S. Champion, including a stretch of three consecutive titles in the mid 1970's (1974-75-77; 1980, tied with GM Larry Evans and GM Larry Christiansen; 1981, tied with GM Yasser Seirawan). He is also a 10�time winner at the National Open, and has won numerous other major U.S. Swisses. Walter is the founder of the World Blitz Chess Association (WBCA).

GM LARRY CHRISTIANSEN

Christiansen, 41, is a California native who, after spending time in Germany, is now based in Cambridge, Mass. He is a past U.S. Championship winner (1980, tied with GM Walter Browne and GM Larry Evans; and 1983, tied with GM Walter Browne and GM Roman Dzindzichashvili). Larry's input was a vital part of the U.S. team's bronze medal finish at the 1996 FIDE World Olympiad. He has qualified for the 1997/98 FIDE World Championship Tournament on the basis of his excellent finish at the 1994 U.S. Championship and Zonal Tournament.

GM NICK DE FIRMIAN

De Firmian, 40, lives in New York City. Nick is a previous U.S. Champion (1995, tied with GM Patrick Wolff and GM Alexander Ivanov). He also won the title in 1987 (tied with GM Joel Benjamin). Nick has represented the United States at several Interzonals (a qualifying stage for the World Championship) and FIDE Olympiads, including the 1996 event in Yerevan, Armenia.

GM ROMAN DZINDZICHASHVILI

Dzindzichashvili, 53, resides in East Boston, Mass. Roman was born in Soviet Georgia, and played in two USSR Championships before emigrating to Israel in 1976. He came to the U.S. in 1980, and has won the U.S. title twice (in 1983, tied with GM Walter Browne and GM Larry Christiansen; and 1989, tied with GM Yasser Seirawan and IM Stuart Rachels). Dzindzichashvili is a cofounder of the chess.net chess server, and a popular commentator. As a trainer, he has worked with a number of the world's top players and rising juniors, including GM Gata Kamsky.

GM JOHN FEDOROWICZ

Fedorowicz, 38, lives in New York City. John has won numerous U.S. titles, including the U.S. Junior Championship (1977, tied with IM Ken Regan), U.S. Open (1980, tied with GM Florin Gheorghiu), and National Open (1992, tied with four players). He has won countless major U.S. Swisses, including the World Open (1977, 1979, 1982, 1989).

GM BORIS GULKO

Gulko, 50, makes his home in Fairlawn, N.J., with his wife, Anna. Born in Germany, Boris spent most of his life in the USSR, where he won the USSR Championship in 1977 (tied with GM Dorfman). GM Gulko and his wife attempted to emigrate in the late 1970's, and endured persecution as "refusniks" from 1979 to 1986 (when they were finally allowed to leave Russia). Boris is the only person who can claim the title of USSR Champion and U.S. Champion (he won the U.S. title in 1994). Boris has been a candidate for the World Championship, and is one of the few players to hold a plus score against PCA World Champion Garry Kasparov. He has qualified for the 1997/98 FIDE World Championship Tournament.

GM DMITRY GUREVICH

Gurevich, 40, lives in Chicago, Ill. Dmitry left his native Russia in 1980 to live in the United States, where he earned his Grandmaster title three years later (1983). He has tied for first at the National Open on multiple occasions (1985, 1986, 1990, 1991), and has been a steady performer at most major U.S. Swisses.

GM ALEXANDER IVANOV

Ivanov, 41, lives in Newton, Mass., with his wife, WIM Esther Epstein. Alexander left his native Russia in 1988, and is best known for his crushing margins of victory in the year�long Novag Grand Prix (1991, 1993, and 1994). Alexander is also a previous U.S. Championship winner (1995, tied with GM Patrick Wolff and GM Nick de Firmian).

GM GREGORY KAIDANOV

Kaidanov, 37, has lived in Lexington, Ky., since 1991, when he arrived from the USSR. He has won many international tournaments, including Lvov 1987 (ahead of GM Vassily Ivanchuk), Moscow 1987, Vienna 1989, and Ghent 1990. In 1992, Gregory won the World Open, the National Open, the U.S. Open, and the Novag Grand Prix. Gregory was a member of the bronze�medal winning U.S. team at the 1996 FIDE World Olympiad.

GM SERGEY KUDRIN

Kudrin, 37, hails from Chestnut Hills, Mass. Sergey has collected many first�place finishes in U.S. Swisses, including the National Open (1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993), New York Open (1983, 1985), and North American Open (1995, 1996). He has played in several U.S. Championships. Sergey will be the coach for the U.S. team at the 1997 FIDE World Under 16/Under 18 Championship in Armenia later this year.

GM YASSER SEIRAWAN

Seirawan, 37, makes his home in Seattle, Wash. Yasser has been a force on the U.S. chess scene for nearly two decades. He has participated in several Interzonal cycles and has been one of the top 20 players in the world on many occasions. Yasser is the founder of International Chess Enterprises, publisher of Inside Chess magazine. He is a successful chess author, and most recently served as commentator at the Kasparov-Deep Blue return match in New York City. Yasser has qualified for the 1997/98 FIDE World Championship Tournament.

GM GABRIEL SCHWARTZMAN

Schwartzman, 20, lives in Gainesville, Fla. Gabriel is the 1996 U.S. Open champion. He is also the publisher of Chess Academy magazine, and a regular columnist for Chess Life and School Mates.

GM ALEXANDER SHABALOV

Shabalov, 29, resides in Pittsburgh, Pa. Alexander is a past U.S. Championship winner (1993, tied with GM Alex Yermolinsky). Originally from Latvia, GM Shabalov played on the Latvian team at the FIDE Olympiad before moving to the United States. He played on the U.S. team at the 1994 FIDE Olympiad in Moscow.

GM ALEXANDER YERMOLINSKY

Yermolinsky, 39, resides in Euclid, Ohio. Alex left Russia and moved to the United States in 1990 (after a brief stint in Italy). He earned his Grandmaster title in 1992. Alex is the defending U.S. Champion, having won the tournament twice (1996, clear first; 1993, tied with GM Alexander Shabalov). Alex is one of the most active U.S. Grandmasters, and plays in dozens of U.S. tournaments each year. He was also a member of the bronze medal winning U.S. team at the 1996 FIDE World Olympiad, and has qualified for the 1997/98 FIDE World Championship Tournament. He was recently named the 1997 Grandmaster of the Year by the US Chess Federation.

NM JORGE ZAMORA JR.

Zamora, 18, lives in Providence, R.I. Jorge is the 1996 U.S. Junior Champion (tied with IM Boris Kreiman). He has represented the U.S. in several international competitions. Jorge is making his first U.S. Championship appearance.

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This page was last updated August 15, 1997