Feb 8, 1922 – May 7, 2022 (age 100), Russia
Yuri Averbakh was a Soviet chess grandmaster, big showdown up-and-comer, and Soviet hero. His Soviet chess title came in 1954 with a mind-blowing 14.5/19 score (10 successes and nine draws).
Already, Averbakh completed fifth at the 1952 Stockholm Interzonal, which qualified him for the popular 1953 Zurich Competitors competition. There he tied for tenth out of 15. Averbakh stayed a functioning chess player into the 1980s and, surprisingly, played two serious games in 2007 at 85 years old.
The most seasoned GM ever, Averbakh turned 100 years of age in 2022. The well-known variety of the Lord’s Indian Guard, where White fosters the priests to e2 and g5 prior to moving the knight on g1, is named after him.
