Maurice Ashley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maurice Ashley
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Ashley in 2015
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| Born | March 6, 1966 |
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| Citizenship | United States | ||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Michele Ashley-Johnson
(m. 1993; div. 2014) |
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| Children | 2 | ||||||||||
Chess career
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Maurice Ashley (born March 6, 1966) is a famous chess player, author, and commentator from Jamaica and the United States. In 1999, he became a Grandmaster (GM), which is the highest title a chess player can earn.
Maurice Ashley is well known for explaining chess games during big events. He has also spent many years teaching chess to young people. In 2016, he was added to the US Chess Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Chess Journey
Maurice Ashley was born in St. Andrew, Jamaica. When he was 12 years old, he moved to the United States. He went to high school in Brooklyn, New York.
Maurice first found out about chess in Jamaica. His brother used to play with his friends. He became more serious about chess during high school. He played chess in parks and clubs all over New York City.
Maurice also coached young chess teams. He led the Raging Rooks of Harlem and the Dark Knights (also from Harlem). Both of these teams won national championships with his help.
Maurice Ashley's Chess Career
In 1992, Maurice Ashley shared the United States Game/10 chess championship title. He shared it with another strong player, Maxim Dlugy.
On March 14, 1999, Maurice Ashley achieved the Grandmaster title. He was the first Black chess Grandmaster in history.
In September 1999, Maurice started the Harlem Chess Center. This center helped bring chess to more people. Famous people like basketball player Larry Johnson and musician Wynton Marsalis visited the center.
In 2003, the U.S. Chess Federation named Maurice Ashley "Grandmaster of the Year." He shared this honor with GM Susan Polgar.
Maurice has also written books about chess. In 2005, he wrote Chess for Success. This book shares his experiences and shows how chess can help you in life. He also helped organize the 2005 HB Global Chess Challenge. This was a big chess tournament with a huge cash prize.
In 2007, Maurice went back to Jamaica, where he was born. He was the first Grandmaster to play in a tournament there.
Maurice Ashley has been featured in documentaries and movies. He was in the CNN documentary Black in America in 2008. He also appeared in the film Brooklyn Castle, where he helped a young chess player. He was even mentioned in the chess movie Life of a King.
In 2013, Maurice announced a plan for the Millionaire Chess Open. This was meant to be the chess tournament with the biggest prize money ever. The first one happened in Las Vegas in 2014.
In 2015, Maurice started a program called Your Move Chess. This program helps bring chess to schools in the Saint Louis area. The goal is to expand this program across the country.
In 2016, a video of Maurice Ashley playing chess in Washington Square Park became very popular online. He played against someone who was "trash-talking" (saying boastful things) and won!
On April 13, 2016, Maurice Ashley was added to the US Chess Hall of Fame.
Chess Commentator
Maurice Ashley is a well-known chess commentator. He explains chess games for many big events, including the Grand Chess Tour. He was a commentator for the famous matches between world champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue computer in 1996 and 1997. He also explained the Kasparov vs. Anand World Championship match in 1995.
In 2003, Maurice hosted ESPN's broadcast of Kasparov's match against X3D Fritz. He has also been a commentator for many Sinquefield Cup tournaments and US Chess Championships.
Personal Life
Maurice Ashley married Michele Ashley-Johnson in 1993. They had two children, a daughter named Nia and a son named Jayden. They divorced in 2014.
Maurice's sister, Alicia Ashley, was a world boxing champion. His brother, Devon Ashley, was a world kickboxing champion.
Maurice once spoke about being the first Black Grandmaster. He said, "African-continent GMs do exist; but, according to the system of racial classification, I am the first Black GM in history... it matters, and doesn't matter, all at the same time."
Books and Videos
Maurice Ashley has created many works to share his love for chess.
Books
- Ashley, Maurice. Chess for Success: Using an Old Game to Build New Strengths in Children and Teens. New York: Broadway Books, 2005.
- Ashley, Maurice, and Graham Burgess. The Most Valuable Skills in Chess. London: Gambit, 2009.
- Ashley, Maurice. Ferguson and The Chess Game of Life. Jet. October 15, 2015.
- Ashley, Maurice. Move by move: life lessons on and off the chessboard. Chronicle Prism: San Francisco, 2024.
Videos and Apps
- Ashley, Maurice. Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess For Beginning and Intermediate Players. Torrance, CA: Davidson & Associates, 1997. CD-ROM.
- Ashley, Maurice. Working backward to solve problems. TEDYouth 2012.
- Ashley, Maurice and Mobile MATCH, LLC. Learn Chess! with Maurice Ashley. Mobile phone app. 2012.
- Ashley, Maurice. "Grandmaster Maurice Ashley plays trash talking guy in Washington Square Park." Outtake. The Tim Ferriss Experiment. February 16, 2016.
