Andrew (Andy) Soltis

Though he earned the international master title in 1974 and achieved grandmaster status in 1980, Andy Soltis, born in Hazleton, Penn., made his true mark on the chess world as an author. A win at Reggio Emilia in 1971-72 and an equal first finish at New York 1977 are among his notable tournament results. He stopped playing competitive chess in 2002 and focused on writing about the game.

Soltis is one of the 21st century’s most prolific chess authors. His early books include The Great Chess Tournaments and Their Stories, in 1975 and Pawn Structure Chess, in 1976. Since that time, he was written or contributed to more than 100 titles on subjects that range from history to strategy to game collections and analyses.

In addition to his books, Soltis is also an active journalist, penning “Chess to Enjoy,” the longest-running column in Chess Life, as well as a weekly column in the New York Post. He was named Chess Journalist of the Year by the U.S. Chess Federation in 1988, and in 2004 by the Chess Journalists of America.