Larry Christiansen American chess player, grandmaster. Date of Birth: 27.06.1956 Country: USA

Biography of Larry Christiansen

Larry M. Christiansen, born on June 27, 1956, is an American chess player and grandmaster known for his aggressive playing style. He has achieved numerous successes throughout his career, including being a three-time United States champion in 1980, 1983, and 2002, as well as winning the Linares tournament twice in 1979 and 1981, alongside Anatoly Karpov.

Early in his life, Christiansen displayed extraordinary abilities in chess, successfully competing in various tournaments. From 1973 to 1975, he won the US Junior Chess Championship three times consecutively. In 1977, he became one of the few players to earn the title of grandmaster without first achieving the International Master title.

Throughout his career, Christiansen achieved victories in chess tournaments in Vienna, Reykjavik, and Saskatoon (Canadian Open Chess Championship). In 2002, he accepted an offer from the developers at Ubisoft to play against their program, Chessmaster 9000. The match took place on the Internet Chess Club website and lasted for two days. Ultimately, Christiansen lost with a score of 2.5-1.5, winning the first game against the computer but later losing twice and ending the match with a draw. This result surprised the audience, especially considering his recent victory as the US champion.

Despite the loss, Christiansen continued to collaborate with Chessmaster developers, creating an interactive training course for their program. He also remains an active chess player online. Christiansen has written two books describing his attacking style of play: "Storming the Barricades" and "Rocking the Ramparts."

Outside of chess, Christiansen is married to Natasha, who is also a chess player and currently has a rating of 1963.