View source for Joel Benjamin

{{short description|American chess grandmaster (born 1964)|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{For|the Broadway singer and dancer|Joel Benjamin (singer)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox chess biography
| name = Joel Benjamin
| image = Benjamin Joel.jpg
| caption = <!-- other than just name -->
| birth_name = Joel Lawrence Benjamin
| country = [[United States]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|3|11|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], New York, U.S.
| title = [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (1986)
| rating = <!-- automatically displayed via FideID parameter for ratings of 2400+ -->
| peakrating = 2620 (July 1993)
| peakranking = No. 29 (July 1987)
| FideID = 2000091
}}

'''Joel Lawrence Benjamin''' (born March 11, 1964) is an American [[chess]] player and author who holds the [[FIDE title]] of [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (GM). In 1998, he was voted "Grandmaster of the Year" by the [[United States Chess Federation|U.S. Chess Federation]].

==Life and career==
Benjamin is a native of [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]], and grew up in the [[Marine Park, Brooklyn|Marine Park]] neighborhood, where he attended PS 207. He was in the class for "intellectually gifted children". He is now a New Jersey resident, married to Deborah, and they have two children, Aidan and Amy.

He graduated from [[Yale University]] with a major in history in 1985. He became the youngest-ever U.S. [[chess master]] at age 13, a record previously held by [[Bobby Fischer]].<ref name="USCF">{{cite web |url=http://main.uschess.org/content/view/138/195 |title=USCF bio of Joel Benjamin |access-date=January 30, 2010}}</ref> This record was broken by [[Stuart Rachels]] and is now held by [[Samuel Sevian]]. As a junior, he won the National Elementary championship (1976), the National Junior High championship (1978), and the National High School championship (1980–81).<ref name="2005 program">{{cite web |url=http://www.uschesschampionship.com/usch2005program.pdf |title=First Move for the Championship: 2005 US Chess Championship |publisher=America's Foundation for Chess |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230144003/http://www.uschesschampionship.com/usch2005program.pdf |archive-date=December 30, 2006}}</ref>

Other successes included the U.S. Junior Championship in 1980. In the same year he earned the [[International Master]] title.<ref name="chessgames">{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=42951 |title=Chessgames.com player page for Joel Benjamin |access-date=January 30, 2010}}</ref> He won the U.S. Junior Championship again in 1982, and the [[U.S. Open Chess Championship]] in 1985. He earned the Grandmaster title in 1986.<ref name="chessgames"/> Benjamin was the [[U.S. Chess Championship|U.S. Chess Champion]] in 1987 (sharing the title with [[Nick de Firmian]]), in 1997, and in 2000.<ref name="chessgames"/> He won the [[Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John]] Open I in 1988, and the 2000 [[Canadian Open Chess Championship]]. In 1999, he placed first at the QVB Chess Festival in Sydney.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theweekinchess.com/html/twic222.html#11 |title=TWIC 222: QVB Chess Festival |last=Crowther |first=Mark |date=1999-02-08 |publisher=London Chess Center |access-date=January 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930232509/https://theweekinchess.com/html/twic222.html#11 |archive-date=September 30, 2011}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[World Chess Hall of Fame]] in Miami on May 2, 2008. He is the youngest inductee.

Benjamin is known for playing offbeat openings such as the [[Black Knights' Tango]], and for converting very small advantages into a win.<ref name="USCF"/>

Benjamin tied for first place in the 1986 and 1987 [[U.S. Masters Chess Championship]]s.

He co-authored ''Unorthodox Openings'' along with [[Eric Schiller]], for Batsford publishers in 1987, is a frequent contributor to ''[[Chess Life]]'' magazine and other chess periodicals, and is a regular commentator on the [[Internet Chess Club]], usually presenting its ''Game of the Week'' webcast. He was also the editor-in-chief and founder of the now defunct magazine ''Chess Chow'' from 1991 to 1994.<ref name="USCF"/> His book ''American Grandmaster: Four Decades of Chess Adventures'' was a biographical work about his chess career.  His latest book is ''Chessboard Combat: The Give and Take of Chess Tactics.'' He is also a frequent contributor to Chess Life Online articles on the [[United States Chess Federation|USCF]] website.<ref name="USCF"/>

Benjamin was hired as the official grandmaster consultant by [[IBM]] to help with the [[IBM Deep Blue|Deep Blue]] chess computer that defeated [[World Chess Champion|World Champion]] [[Garry Kasparov]] in 1997.<ref name="USCF"/>

Benjamin appeared in the movies ''[[Searching for Bobby Fischer]]'' and ''[[Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine]]''.<ref name="USCF"/> He coaches the [[Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School]] chess team.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Chess Champs - Joel Benjamin |url=https://uschesschamps.com/bio/joel-benjamin-0 |website=U.S. Chess Champs |publisher=Saint Louis Chess Club |access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref>

==Notable games==
{{AN chess|pos=secright}}
{{Chess diagram   
| tright
| Benjamin vs. Gufeld, Hawaii 1998
|  |  |  |  | rd | rd | kd |
|  |  |  |  |  |  | pd |pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  | nl |ql
|  | qd |  | rl |  | nd |  |
| pd | pl |  |  | pd |  |  |
| pl |  |  |  |  |  | pl |
| bl | bl |  |  |  | pl |  |pl
|  |  |  |  |  |  | kl |
| Final position
}}
Benjamin beat grandmaster [[Eduard Gufeld]] in the U.S. Open, [[Hawaii]] 1998:
 
Benjamin vs. Gufeld <br/>1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.Qd2 e6 8.Be2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 Qa5 11.Bb2 Rd8 12.Rfd1 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.a3 Bb7 15.b4 Qb6 16.Qe1 Ba6 17.Qf1 Rab8 18.Rac1 d5 19.exd5 exd5 20.Na4 bxa4 21.Bxa6 Ne4 22.Bd3 Bd6 23.Rc2 Bf4 24.g3 Bh6 25.Re2 f5 26.Qh3 Rf8 27.Bb1 Rbe8 28.Ba2 Ne7 29.Ne5 Qb5 30.Rxe4 fxe4 31.Qe6+ Kh8 32.Qxh6 Nf5 33.Ng6+ Kg8 34.Rxd5 {{chessAN|1–0}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1292499 |title=Benjamin vs. Gufeld, Kona 1998 |website=[[Chessgames.com]]}}</ref>

In January 2025, Benjamin played an 8-game match on [[Lichess]] receiving [[knight odds]] against the neural net chess engine [[Leela Chess Zero]] with a specially trained network for playing at this handicap. Benjamin won the match, scoring two wins, one loss, and five draws.<ref>[https://lczero.org/blog/2025/01/leela-vs-gm-joel-benjamin/ Match website][https://lichess.org/broadcast/leela-knight-odds-vs-gm-joel-benjamin/game-1/vzQHuqnK#overview Lichess game results]</ref> Grandmaster [[Matthew Sadler]] contributed live commentary on Youtube as the match progressed.<ref>Sadler's [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxhvNMc95Uo9So3dZwPSiDwRrbIWEdX3y Youtube playlist] of odds matches.</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Jewish chess players]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{FIDE}}
* {{USCF}}
* {{OlimpBase FIDE ratings|Benjamin,%20Joel}}
* {{OlimpBase player}}
* {{Chessgames.com player}}
* {{365Chess.com player}}
* Joel Benjamin presents [https://web.archive.org/web/20081205023210/http://www.chessclub.com/webcast/preview/GOTW Internet Chess Club's ''Game of the Week''] (preview version viewable by non-members)
* [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4D8113DF93BA25757C0A961948260 "CHESS AT NEW YORK OPEN: 'IT'S LIKE A WAR'," 4/18/87]
* [http://main.uschess.org/content/view/138/203 USCF - Chess Life Online - GM Joel Benjamin]

{{S-start}}
{{s-ach|ach}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Yasser Seirawan]]
| title = [[United States Chess Championship|United States Chess Champion]]
| years = 1987 (with [[Nick de Firmian]])
| after = [[Michael Wilder]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Alex Yermolinsky]]
| title  = [[United States Chess Championship|United States Chess Champion]]
| years  = 1997
| after  = [[Nick de Firmian]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Boris Gulko]]
| title  = [[United States Chess Championship|United States Chess Champion]]
| years  = 2000&ndash;2001 (with [[Alexander Shabalov]] and [[Yasser Seirawan]])
| after  = [[Larry Christiansen]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Bobby Fischer]]
| title  = Youngest ever United States chessmaster
| years  = 1977&ndash;1979
| after  = John Litvinchuk
}}
{{S-end}}

{{American chess grandmasters}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Joel}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American chess players]]
[[Category:American chess writers]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Chess Grandmasters]]
[[Category:Chess Olympiad competitors]]
[[Category:Jewish chess players]]
[[Category:People from Marine Park, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Yale College alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:Chess players from Brooklyn]]