Larry Christiansen

Like many chess greats, Larry Christiansen found success early, becoming the first junior high school student to win the National High School Championship in 1971. He then followed this honor with victories at the U.S. Junior Championship in 1973, 1974, and 1975. He accomplished another rare feat in 1977, when he became a grandmaster without first attaining International master status. In the ensuing decades, Christiansen has won the U.S. Championship three times (1980, 1983, and 2002), represented the U.S. at 11 Olympiads, and was a member of the gold-medal World Team in 1993. He has won more than 15 International tournaments, including a first-place tie with Anatoly Karpov at Linares. While living in Germany, he competed in a number of European tournaments, as well as the prestigious Bundesliga team league.