Anatoly Lein

Anatoly Lein was both a world-class competitor and a popular writer. Born in the Soviet Union, he became USSR Armed Forces Champion in 1962 and Russian Chess Champion in 1963. These honors were followed by the international master title in 1964 and the grandmaster title in 1968. Lein and his countrymen placed first at the 1965 European Team Championship. Other major results include wins at the Moscow Championship in 1971 and the 1973 Capablanca Memorial, and outright or shared first-place finishes at Moscow 1970, Cienfuegos 1972, Novi Sad 1972 and 1973, and Grand Manan 1984.

After immigrating to the United States in the mid-1970s, Lein represented his new county in several major national and international tournaments, finishing equal first at the U.S. Open and the World Open in 1976 and representing the U.S. at the 1978 Chess Olympiad. He also held the New Jersey State Championship title from 1992 to 1995. During the 1990s, Lein collaborated with fellow grandmasters on several chess books, including the acclaimed Sharpen Your Tactics: 1125 Brilliant Sacrifices, Combinations, and Studies. In his prime, he scored wins against world champions Mikhail Tal and Vassily Smyslov, making him a dangerous competitor in the international arena and earning him an induction into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2004.