1. Andrew Eden Soltis was born on May 28,1947 and is an American chess grandmaster, author and columnist.
21 Facts About Andrew Soltis
1. 2.
Andrew Soltis was inducted into the United States Chess Hall of Fame in September 2011.
3.
Andrew Soltis took no further interest in the game until he was 14, when he joined an Astoria chess club, then the Marshall Chess Club and competed in his first tournament, the 1961 New York City Junior Championship.
4.
Andrew Soltis was a member of the silver-medal winning US teams in the 14th and the 18th World Student Team Championships.
5.
Andrew Soltis won the annual international tournament at Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1972 and was awarded the International Master title two years later.
6.
Andrew Soltis won the championship of the prestigious Marshall Chess Club a record nine times: in 1967,1969,1970,1971,1974,1977,1979,1986, and 1989.
7.
Andrew Soltis competed in four US Championships, in 1974,1977,1978 and 1983.
8.
Andrew Soltis tied for first prize in the 1977 and 1982 US Open Championships.
9.
Andrew Soltis reached his playing peak as a competitive player when he was rated the 74th best player in the world, in January 1971.
10.
Andrew Soltis has written a weekly chess column for the New York Post since 1972.
11.
Andrew Soltis was named "Chess Journalist of the Year" in 1988 and 2002 by the Chess Journalists of America.
12.
Andrew Soltis was one of the few Americans in the 20th century who earned the International Grandmaster title but was not a professional chess player.
13.
Andrew Soltis worked as a news reporter and editor for the New York Post from 1969 until he retired in 2014.
14.
Andrew Soltis continued writing his weekly chess column for the Post after he retired.
15.
Andrew Soltis is considered one of the most prolific chess writers, having authored or coauthored more than 100 books and opening monographs on chess.
16.
Andrew Soltis's books have been translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian and Polish.
17.
Andrew Soltis is credited with the Soltis Variation of the Sicilian Dragon Yugoslav Attack, characterized by 12.
18.
Andrew Soltis gave names to chess openings such as the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, the Baltic Defense and the Chameleon Sicilian.
19.
Andrew Soltis introduced the Russian chess term priyome to English literature in Studying Chess Made Easy.
20.
Andrew Soltis graduated from City College of New York in 1969.
21.
Andrew Soltis has been married to Marcy Soltis, a fellow journalist and tournament chess player, since 1981.