Alex Fishbein

Grandmaster Alex Fishbein stands out in this competition for a couple of reasons. Most of the field in this competition grew up in major urban centers. Alex’s situation was markedly different. Born in the chess hotbed of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) he received a solid chess foundation, but at the age of eleven his family moved to Wyoming. One would be hard pressed to find two more different chess environments! Fortunately, Fishbein soon found an exceptional coach in Dmitry Gurevich who helped him to continue making steady progress in his junior years. This work culminated in his winning the inaugural Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Champions in 1985.

Fishbein would go on to win a number of tournaments in the early 1990’s, including a strong round robin in Herning, Denmark in 1991 and the Stavanger Open in 1991 and 1992 (earning the Grandmaster title in the latter). Unlike the other participants in this field (except Max Dlugy), Fishbein then chose to forgo a career as a chess professional, instead making finance his vocation. Despite being a part-time warrior, he has continued to enjoy success over the board with first place finishes in a number of competitions including the World and National Opens. Going into this 2025 U.S. Senior Championship Alex has been, by far, the most active player in the field, having competed in roughly a dozen events this year.

Alex is an accomplished expert on the endgame who has written several well-regarded books and is the author of a regular column in the American Chess Magazine. Alex’s son Mitch is a U.S. Chess Federation rated master.