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
  • YouTuber
  • Chessboxer
  • Data scientist
Years active2006–present
William Graif
Country Canada /  United States
TitleFIDE Master (2021)
Peak rating2335 (February 2022)
Websitewww.williamgraif.com

William Graif (born 1999) is a Canadian-American FIDE Master (FM), chess-content creator, and chessboxer. He won the 146th New York State Chess Championships 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 "Gambit Man" YouTube channel and has been selected for the United States team at the 2025 World Chessboxing Championships in Serbia.

Early life and education

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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. After learning the rules of chess from his mother, he entered his first rated tournament at five. By age six he was able to defeat his father at chess while blindfolded, and at eight he began training with FIDE Master Sunil Weeramantry.[1][2] In 2008, The Scarsdale Inquirer profiled Graif as a local "Whiz Kid,"[1] noting his win against GM Alexander Shabalov in a 31-board simultaneous exhibition in which Shabalov won the other 30 games; at eight Graif remains one of the youngest players reported to have defeated a grandmaster under any conditions.[3] 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.[4] He followed with another national title in the 6th-grade section of the 2011 edition in Dallas.[5] 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).[2]

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][1] 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.[7][8] 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 was quoted at the time describing Edgemont Chess 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."[8] In recognition of his leadership and advocacy for the school's chess program, Edgemont Union Free School District awarded Graif its inaugural "Extracurricular Leadership Award" at his 2018 graduation and began providing official funding and coaching for the team.[9][1][10]

Graif began coaching professionally at age fifteen, teaching with the National Scholastic Chess Foundation at his former elementary school and also at Hunter College Elementary School’s summer chess camps and national competitions.[2][11] In a 2021 interview with The Chicago Maroon, he called this work with students his “greatest reward.”[12]

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.[13] 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.[14][12][15]

Chess career

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Graif achieved the National Master title at fourteen years old.[2] He crossed the 2300-rating mark in 2021 during a European tour, earning the FM title.[16] He secured his first IM norm at the Charlotte Chess Center Fall 2023 Invitational, the Center’s 100th awarded norm.[17] In 2019, he became the Canadian Junior Chess Champion and was offered a spot to compete at the World Junior Chess Championship that year in India.[18] 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".[19]

Graif led team Deutsche Bank to qualify for the finals of the 2024 World Corporate Chess Championships, competing on the first board for the company against the eleven other finalists at Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York City in June 2024.[20][21][22]

Notable classical wins include victories over GMs Alexander Stripunsky and Fidel Corrales Jimenez.[23][24]

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.[25][26] Fans describe the channel as "a school for romantic chess," praising its bold play.[27] ChessMood highlighted Graif for "inventing crazy gambits," noting his tendency to introduce novel pawn sacrifices in openings such as in the McCutcheon Variation of the French Defense. Graif said that he "love[s] making opening innovations to add to the theory of chess – to find something that nobody else has found yet, or to improve on something that people thought couldn't be played."[16]

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.[27] He has been selected to represent the United States at the world championships in Belgrade in September 2025.[28]

Personal life

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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.[2][20] Graif's chess-playing friendship with MLB pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was featured on MLB.com.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d e "National Master William Graif". National Scholastic Chess Foundation. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  3. ^ Dynako, Betsy (15 May 2008). "Emotions Run High in Pittsburgh". US Chess. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  4. ^ "2008 National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championship – 3rd Grade". US Chess. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  5. ^ "2011 National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championship – 6th Grade". US Chess. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Edgemont ekes out chess championship win". The Journal News. March 17, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  7. ^ "Edgemont High National Chess Champions Honored". Greenburgh Daily Voice. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b "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.
  9. ^ "A Speech on Edgemont Chess Before Board of Education" (PDF). Edgemont UFSD. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Amazing Results at the 2019 National K-12 Chess Championships!". Hunter College Campus Schools. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b McCord, Eva (9 November 2021). "Bona-FIDE Success: UChicago Chess Club Looks Ahead to Promising Competition Season". The Chicago Maroon. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  13. ^ Hartnett, Finn (26 May 2021). "Chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura takes on the UChicago Chess Club". The Chicago Maroon. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  14. ^ Lang, JJ (March 14, 2022). "Teamwork Made the Dream Work at 2022 USATN Tournament". US Chess. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  15. ^ McCord, Eva (4 March 2022). "Chess Club "P(A)WNS" Opponents in Season of Success". The Chicago Maroon. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Chess Master William Graif's Story: From Skepticism to Success". ChessMood. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Charlotte Chess Center Fall 2023 Invitational – Norm #100". FIDE. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "Empire Chess – Issue 57". Empire Chess. March 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  20. ^ a b Harris, Rainier (18 June 2024). "Wall Street Bankers Beaten in 'Smartest' Chess Tournament". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  21. ^ Dinic, Milan (17 June 2024). "Four teams in the finals of the World Corporate Chess Championship". ChessBase. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  22. ^ "FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship Qualifiers 2024 – Qualifier G, Round 7". Lichess. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  23. ^ "Liberty Bell Open 2023 – Final Standings". Chess Events. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  24. ^ "Bradley Open 2023 – Major Section". Chess Events. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  25. ^ "Busch-Gass Gambit: The GREATEST Gambit Ever???". YouTube. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  26. ^ "FM William Graif – GambitMan". YouTube. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  27. ^ a b Warshaw, Flora (16 May 2025). "The Art of Chessboxing". Uptown Radio. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  28. ^ "2024 NY State Chess Champs – Standings". Chess Events. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  29. ^ Flanagan, Jeffrey (18 October 2015). "Guthrie a pawn to Canadian boy, his chess mate". MLB.com. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
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