Life and Career
Benjamin is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the Marine Park neighborhood, where he attended PS 222. He was in the class for "intellectually gifted children." He is now a New Jersey resident, married to Deborah, and they have 2 children, Aidan, born October 10, 2008, and Amy, born December 8, 2010.
He graduated from Yale University in 1985. At the age of 13, Benjamin broke Bobby Fischer's record by becoming the youngest-ever U.S. Master; this record was subsequently broken by Stuart Rachels and is presently held by Samuel Sevian. As a junior player he won the National Elementary title in 1976, the National Junior High crown in 1978, and the National High School title 1980–81.
Other successes included the U.S. Junior Championship in 1980. In the same year he earned the IM title. He won the U.S. Junior Championship again in 1982, and the U.S. Open Chess Championship in 1985. He earned the Grandmaster title a year later. Benjamin was the U.S. Chess Champion in 1987 (sharing the title with Nick De Firmian), in 1997, and in 2000. He won the 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. He was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in Miami on May 2, 2008. He is the youngest inductee.
He is known for playing offbeat openings such as the Black Knights' Tango, and for winning with only slight edges.
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 1991–94. His latest book is American Grandmaster: Four Decades of Chess Adventures. He is also a frequent contributor to Chess Life Online articles on the USCF website.
Benjamin was hired as the official Grandmaster consultant by IBM to help with the Deep Blue chess computer that defeated World Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.
Benjamin appeared in the movies Searching for Bobby Fischer and Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine.
Read more about this topic: Joel Benjamin
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