Player Title: Larry Evans

Name: Larry Evans

Peak FIDE Rating: 2631 achieved in 1978

Federation: United States of America 

Active Since: 1946-2010

Player Description:

Larry Evans is not only a Chess player; he is also a Chess Author who has written a long-running column and more than 20 books on the sport. Born into a Jewish Family in 1932 in Manhattan, Larry learned chess on 42nd Street in New York by paying 10 cents an hour. 

Larry rose quickly up the ranks, and by the age of 14, he had grown up to be a fine player. He tied for 4th-5th place in the Marshall Chess Club Championship but went on to win the same next year, becoming the youngest to win the title. In 1947, he finished equal second in the U.S. Junior Championship

At the age of 18, Evans had won a New York State Championship as well as a Gold Medal in the Dubrovnik 1950 Chess Olympiad. Larry continued his great work as he won his first US Championship in 1951, finishing ahead of Samuel Reshevsky. He defended his title the next year after he won the title match against Herman Steiner. Larry went on to win the National Championship three more times - 1961-62, 1967-68, and 1980. 

Larry was awarded the title of International Master in 1952 and the title of Grandmaster in 1957. In between, he was also named the Chess Ambassador in 1956 by the US State Department.  He won the US Open in 1951, 1952, and 1954. He tied with Walter Browne in 1971.  Evans also won the Lone Pine Tournament in 1971. 

Evans represented the United States of America in eight Chess Olympiads throughout his career. He won the Gold medal in 1950 and then won the Silver medal in 1958, and the Bronze medal in 1976. Larry also won the Team Silver Medal in 1966 and the Team Gold Medal in 1976. Evans’ best results overseas came in the Canadian Open Chess Championship, which he won in 1956 and then in 1966. 

Larry Evans has also worked with Bobby Fischer and played a key role in Fischer winning the World Championship title against Boris Spassky in 1972. Evans was Bobby’s second for the Candidates matches, which led up to the World Championship in 1972. Evans has always been interested in writing as well. By the age of 18, he had already published David Bronstein’s Best Games of Chess, 1944-1949, and then the Vienna International Tournament. His new book, New Ideas in Chess, was published in 1958. 

Evans began his career in journalism in 1960, and he helped to find the American Chess Quarterly, which ran from 1961 to 1965. He was also an editor of Chess Digest during the 1960s and the 1970s. For over 30 years, he wrote a question-and-answer column for Chess Life. Larry has been a commentator on some of the important chess games for Time Magazine and ABC’s Wide World of Sports. 

World Championship Cycles Appearances: 

Larry Evans participated in only one World Championship Cycle.

Olympiad Medals:

1950 (Individual Gold Medal)

1958 (Silver Medal)

1976 (Bronze Medal)

1976 (Team Gold Medal)

1966 (Team Silver Medal)

National Championships: 

Larry Evans won the US Championship 5 times (1951, 1952, 1961-62, 1967-68, and 1980)

Tournaments Won:

US National Championship (1951, 1952, 1961-62, 1967-68, and 1980)

Chess Olympiads (Gold Medal in 1950, Silver Medal in 1958, Bronze Medal in 1976, Team Gold Medal in 1976, Team Silver Medal in 1966)

Canadian Open Chess Championship (1956 and 1966)

Lone Pine Tournament (1971)