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William Graif (born 1999) is a Canadian-American FIDE Master (FM), chess-content creator, and chessboxer. He won the 146th New York State Chess Championship in 2024, the Canadian Junior (U-20) Chess Championships in 2019, and has represented Canada at four World Youth Chess Championships. Away from the board he runs the "GambitMan" YouTube channel and has been selected for the United States team at the 2025 World Chessboxing Championships in Serbia.

William Graif
Graif at the 2022 Chicago Open
Born (1999-11-05) November 5, 1999 (age 25)
New York, New York, U.S.
Nationality
  • Canadian
  • American
Alma materUniversity of Chicago (BA)
Occupations
  • Chess FIDE Master
  • Content creator
  • Chessboxer
  • Data scientist
Years active2006–present
William Graif
Country Canada /  United States
TitleFIDE Master (2021)
Peak rating2335 (February 2022)
Websitewww.williamgraif.com

Early life and education

[edit]
Graif with legendary chess coach Sunil Weeramantry after winning 6th Grade US Nationals, 2011

Graif was born in Manhattan and grew up in Westchester County, New York. In 2008 The Scarsdale Inquirer profiled the eight-year-old as a local "Whiz Kid,"[1] noting his win against GM Alexander Shabalov in a 31-board simultaneous exhibition; at eight he remains one of the youngest players reported to have defeated a grandmaster under any conditions.[2] As a scholastic player he claimed consecutive New York State grade titles (K-1 in 2007, K-3 in 2008), then won the 3rd-grade section of the 2008 U.S. National Scholastic K-12 Championship in Orlando.[3] He followed with another national title in the 6th-grade section of the 2011 edition in Dallas.[4] He also captured the U-10 crown at the 2008 Canadian Youth Championships, qualifying for that year’s World Youth in Vietnam. Graif would also compete for Team Canada at three more World Youth Chess Championships: Turkey (2009), United Arab Emirates (2014), and Greece (2015).[5]

At Edgemont Junior-Senior High School he founded and captained the chess team. The squad collected back-to-back New York State high-school titles (2017–18); earlier, its ninth-grade lineup won the 2014 U.S. team championship.[6][7] In 2015, the Westchester County Board of Legislators presented Graif and the team with Certificates of Merit in recognition of that national victory, and in June 2018 County Executive George Latimer honored Edgemont Chess following their state triumph.[8][9] The Daily News observed in 2018 that "Edgemont owes much of its success to player/coach William Graif, who runs the team with little support from its school district" after Edgemont's second state championship over well-supported school chess programs. Graif himself described Edgemont Chess at the time as “unique in that we have zero faculty oversight, no official coach, nor any school budgetary funding” when contrasting it with the school's competition, noting his team as "led, coordinated, and coached by students."[10] In recognition of his leadership and advocacy for the school's chess program, Edgemont School District awarded Graif its inaugural "Extracurricular Leadership Award" at his 2018 graduation and began providing official funding and coaching for the team.[11][12][13]

Graif was employed by the National Scholastic Chess Foundation to teach the game to children at his former elementary school, as well as with Hunter College Elementary School at summer chess day camps and national competitions.[14][15]

Graif completed a dual B.A. in data science and public policy at the University of Chicago. As club president, he organized a 40-board simul with GM Hikaru Nakamura.[16] He also guided UChicago Chess to victory in Season 3 of the Collegiate Chess League and in the 2022 U.S. Amateur Team North, achievements highlighted by campus media.[17][18][19]

Chess career

[edit]

Graif achieved the National Master title at fourteen years old.[20] He crossed the 2300-rating mark in 2021 during a European tour, earning the FM title.[21] He secured his first IM norm at the Charlotte Chess Center Fall 2023 Invitational, the Center’s 100th awarded norm.[22] In 2019, he became the Canadian Junior Chess Champion and was offered a spot to compete at the World Junior Championships that year in India.[23] In 2024, he captured the 146th annual New York State Chess Championship, checkmating with just a bishop and knight on the board in the last round. Empire Chess featured his victory on its cover, noting that it was a childhood dream of Graif's to "join the long and storied list of New York State Chess Champions".[24]

Notable classical wins include victories over GMs Alexander Stripunsky and Fidel Corrales Jimenez.[25][26]

Style and media

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Graif’s YouTube channel focuses on off-beat attacking ideas—his 2021 video on the Busch-Gass Gambit has garnered more than 100,000 views.[27][28]

Chessboxing

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William Graif at Gleason's Gym practicing chessboxing, 2025

Graif trains at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn and was profiled by Columbia University’s Uptown Radio, which followed his preparation for a sold-out chessboxing card where he won by checkmate after two rounds.[29] In 2025 he will represent the United States at the world championships in Belgrade.[30]

Personal life

[edit]

Graif holds dual U.S.–Canadian citizenship through his Toronto-born mother and Montreal-born father. He lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and works in finance while coaching privately and streaming on Twitch.[31][32] Graif's chess-playing friendship with MLB pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was featured on MLB.com.[33]

References

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  1. ^ Rivera, Danielle (March 30, 2018). "Beyond the board: Edgemont HS champions say chess mirrors life". Scarsdale News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  2. ^ Dynako, Betsy (15 May 2008). "Emotions Run High in Pittsburgh". US Chess. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  3. ^ "2008 National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championship – 3rd Grade". US Chess. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  4. ^ "2011 National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championship – 6th Grade". US Chess. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  5. ^ "National Master William Graif". National Scholastic Chess Foundation. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Edgemont ekes out chess championship win". The Journal News. March 17, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  7. ^ Rivera, Danielle (March 30, 2018). "Beyond the board: Edgemont HS champions say chess mirrors life". Scarsdale News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  8. ^ "Edgemont High National Chess Champions Honored". Greenburgh Daily Voice. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  9. ^ "County Executive George Latimer Honors Edgemont Chess Team for Winning the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship". Westchester County Government. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  10. ^ "County Executive George Latimer Honors Edgemont Chess Team for Winning the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship". Westchester County Government. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  11. ^ "A Speech on Edgemont Chess Before Board of Education" (PDF). Edgemont UFSD. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  12. ^ Rivera, Danielle (30 March 2018). "Beyond the board: Edgemont HS champions say chess mirrors life". Scarsdale News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Two New York high schools disagree on who's the rightful state chess champion". New York Daily News. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  14. ^ "National Master William Graif". National Scholastic Chess Foundation. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  15. ^ "Amazing Results at the 2019 National K-12 Chess Championships!". Hunter College Campus Schools. 2019-12-18. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  16. ^ Hartnett, Finn (26 May 2021). "Chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura takes on the UChicago Chess Club". The Chicago Maroon. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  17. ^ Lang, JJ (March 14, 2022). "Teamwork Made the Dream Work at 2022 USATN Tournament". US Chess. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  18. ^ McCord, Eva (9 November 2021). "Bona-FIDE Success: UChicago Chess Club Looks Ahead to Promising Competition Season". The Chicago Maroon. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  19. ^ McCord, Eva (4 March 2022). "Chess Club "P(A)WNS" Opponents in Season of Success". The Chicago Maroon. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  20. ^ "National Master William Graif". National Scholastic Chess Foundation. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Chess Master William Graif's Story: From Skepticism to Success". ChessMood. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  22. ^ "Charlotte Chess Center Fall 2023 Invitational – Norm #100". FIDE. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  23. ^ Abrahams, Valerie (September 3, 2019). "Former Edgemont chess champ Graif clinches title". Scarsdale News. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  24. ^ "Empire Chess – Issue 57". Empire Chess. March 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  25. ^ "Liberty Bell Open 2023 – Final Standings". Chess Events. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  26. ^ "Bradley Open 2023 – Major Section". Chess Events. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  27. ^ "Busch-Gass Gambit: The GREATEST Gambit Ever???". YouTube. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  28. ^ "FM William Graif – GambitMan". YouTube. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  29. ^ Warshaw, Flora (16 May 2025). "The Art of Chessboxing". Uptown Radio. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  30. ^ "2024 NY State Chess Champs – Standings". Chess Events. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  31. ^ "National Master William Graif". National Scholastic Chess Foundation. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  32. ^ Harris, Rainier (18 June 2024). "Wall Street Bankers Beaten in 'Smartest' Chess Tournament". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  33. ^ Flanagan, Jeffrey (18 October 2015). "Guthrie a pawn to Canadian boy, his chess mate". MLB.com. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
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