Herbert Avram
Encyclopedia
Herbert Avram was an American chess
player, and Lieutenant Commander in US Navy. He was born in New York
.
During and after World War II
, he worked at the National Security Agency
and the Central Intelligence Agency
. The sensitive nature of his intelligence work meant that he could never be alone with Soviet chess players in chess tournaments or at chess clubs. However, this rarely, if ever, proved a problem.
Avram won the Virginia State Championship three straight times from 1952 to 1954. He accomplished the neat trick of winning the Maryland Open – and thus becoming Maryland State Champion – twice, once in 1955 and again 24 years later (!) in 1979.
He was one of the very small fraternity of players to take a point from Bobby Fischer
in a rated game, defeating the 14-year-old Brooklyn prodigy in a 1957 New Jersey tournament. Fischer was the reigning U.S. Junior champion and winner of "The Game of the Century"
at the time the game was played.
As a player, Avram was noted for his materialism and his dogged defense, although he was also quite capable of launching sparkling attacks on the king. His chess activity tended to be marked by periods of great activity followed by periods away from the game. The demands of his intelligence work, family life or both may have played a role in this cycle.
Herbert Avram quietly died in January 2006 at age 92. His wife of 64 years, noted librarian Henriette D. Avram, succumbed to cancer three months later.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player, and Lieutenant Commander in US Navy. He was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
During and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he worked at the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
and the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. The sensitive nature of his intelligence work meant that he could never be alone with Soviet chess players in chess tournaments or at chess clubs. However, this rarely, if ever, proved a problem.
Avram won the Virginia State Championship three straight times from 1952 to 1954. He accomplished the neat trick of winning the Maryland Open – and thus becoming Maryland State Champion – twice, once in 1955 and again 24 years later (!) in 1979.
He was one of the very small fraternity of players to take a point from Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
in a rated game, defeating the 14-year-old Brooklyn prodigy in a 1957 New Jersey tournament. Fischer was the reigning U.S. Junior champion and winner of "The Game of the Century"
The Game of the Century (chess)
The Game of the Century usually refers to a chess game played between Donald Byrne and 13-year-old Bobby Fischer in the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament in New York City on October 17, 1956. It was nicknamed "The Game of the Century" by Hans Kmoch in Chess Review...
at the time the game was played.
As a player, Avram was noted for his materialism and his dogged defense, although he was also quite capable of launching sparkling attacks on the king. His chess activity tended to be marked by periods of great activity followed by periods away from the game. The demands of his intelligence work, family life or both may have played a role in this cycle.
Herbert Avram quietly died in January 2006 at age 92. His wife of 64 years, noted librarian Henriette D. Avram, succumbed to cancer three months later.