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Lev Alburt
Lev Alburt 1980 Malta.jpg
Alburt in 1980
Full name Lev Osipovich Alburt
(Лев Альбурт)
Country United States (after 1979)
Soviet Union (before 1979)
Born (1945-08-21) August 21, 1945 (age 79)
Orenburg, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Title Grandmaster (1977)
FIDE rating 2539 (June 2025)
Peak rating 2580 (July 1981)
Peak ranking No. 22 (January 1981)

Lev Osipovich Alburt (born August 21, 1945) is a famous chess player. He is known as a Grandmaster, a writer, and a coach. Lev Alburt was born in Orenburg, Russia.

He became the Ukrainian Champion three times. Later, he moved to the United States in 1979. After moving, he won the U.S. Champion title three times too.

Lev Alburt's Chess Journey

Lev Alburt started his amazing chess journey in Ukraine. He won the Ukrainian Chess Championship three times in a row. These wins happened in 1972, 1973, and 1974.

He earned the title of International Master in 1976. Just one year later, in 1977, he became a Grandmaster. This is the highest title a chess player can achieve.

Moving to the United States

In 1979, Lev Alburt decided to move to the United States. He was on a chess trip to Germany at the time. After arriving in the USA, he stayed with a former coach.

In 1980, Alburt led the U.S. team in the Chess Olympiad. This is a big international chess tournament. It took place in Malta that year.

Winning U.S. Championships

Lev Alburt continued his success in the United States. He won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1984, 1985, and 1990. He also won the U.S. Open Chess Championship twice. Those wins were in 1987 and 1989.

In 1986, he played an eight-game match against Jonathan Speelman. Speelman was the British Chess Champion. The match ended in a draw.

Alburt's Work Beyond Playing

Lev Alburt is not just a great player. He has also written many popular chess books. These books have helped many people learn and improve their chess skills.

Promoting Chess

From 1985 to 1988, Alburt was part of the Board of Directors for the United States Chess Federation. This group helps guide chess in the U.S. He wanted them to focus more on how to get new players interested in chess.

Coaching Future Chess Stars

Alburt has spent many years working as a chess coach. In 2004, he received a special award. It was the FIDE Senior Trainer title. This shows he is a highly respected coach.

He lives in New York City. There, he has taught chess to many important people. He helps them learn the game and improve their strategies.

Chess Books by Lev Alburt

Lev Alburt has written many books about chess. These books are very helpful for players. They cover different parts of the game.

One of his books won a special award in 2018. It was named "Book of the Year" by the Chess Journalists of America. This shows how important his writing is to the chess world.

Alburt's Impact on Chess

Lev Alburt has left his mark on the game of chess. A specific chess move sequence is named after him. It is called the Alburt Variation.

This variation is used in a chess opening called Alekhine's Defence. It starts with the moves: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6.

Famous Chess Games

Lev Alburt has played many memorable games. Here are two examples where he showed his skill.

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
Hort vs. Alburt, Děčín 1977
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2 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn 2
1 {{{square}}} black rook {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white knight 1
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In 1977, Alburt played against Vlastimil Hort. Hort was one of the top players in the world at that time. Alburt won this game playing with the black pieces. He used an opening called the Benko Gambit.

Hort vs. Alburt
1. d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.Nf3 d6 8.g3 Bg7 9.Bg2 Nbd7 10.0-0 Nb6 11.Re1 0-0 12.Nd2 Qc7 13 Rb1 Qb7 14.b3 Nfxd5 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16.Nf1 Nc3 17.Bxb7 Bxb7 18.Qd3 Be4 19.Qe3 Bd4 20.Qh6 Bxb1 21.a3 Ba2 22.Nd2 Rfb8 23.b4 cxb4 24.axb4 Rxb4 25.Nf3 Bg7 26.Qh3 Be6 27.Qf1 Bc4 28.Kg2 Ra1 29.Ng1 Rbb1 30.Kh3 h5 31.f4 Be6+ 32.Kg2 Nd5 33.Kf3 Bc3 34.Rd1 Bb2 0–1
Seirawan vs. Alburt, Jacksonville 1990
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8 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 8
7 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 7
6 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king 6
5 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black bishop {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black pawn 5
4 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn 4
3 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 3
2 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 2
1 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 1
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Final position

In 1990, Alburt won the U.S. Championship for the third time. On his way to winning, he defeated Yasser Seirawan. Seirawan was a four-time U.S. champion. Alburt won this game playing with the black pieces.

Seirawan vs. Alburt
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.c3 d5 4.Bf4 e6 5.e3 Bd6 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.Qa4 Bxf4 8.exf4 Qb6 9.Nbd2 0-0 10.dxc5 Qxc5 11.0-0 Bd7 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Qd4 Qe7 14.b4 c5 15.bxc5 Rfc8 16.Nb3 a5 17.Rfc1 a4 18.Nbd2 Qxc5 19.c4 Rab8 20.Qxc5 Rxc5 21.Ne5 Rcc8 22.Rab1 Kf8 23.a3 Ke7 24.g3 Rxb1 25.Rxb1 Rc7 26.Kf1 Be8 27.Ke1 h5 28.f3 Nd7 29.Nxd7 Bxd7 30.Rb4 Kd6 31.Kf2 Kc5 32.Ke3 Bc6 33.h4 Rd7 34.g4 Rd8 35.g5 Rd7 36.Ke2 Rb7 37.Rxb7 Bxb7 38.cxd5 exd5 39.Ke3 Bc8 40.Kd3 Bf5+ 41.Ke3 g6 42.Nf1 Kc4 43.Ng3 d4+ 44.Kd2 Kb3 45.Ne2 Kxa3 46.Nxd4 Kb2 47.Nb5 a3 48.Nxa3 Kxa3 49.Kc3 Ka2 0–1

See also

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