Kavalek Lubomir (09.08.1943)

U.S. Grandmaster (1965), coach, journalist, author and organizer.  Kavalek was born in the Czech Republic. In 1970 he emigrated to the West and settled in the U.S. Since then he has been one of the highest-rated Western Grandmasters and one of the best in his country. He is also trained in journalism and Russian literature (he speaks five languages), coach, organizer, teacher, commentator, and author. Kavalek first gained attention by winning the Czech Championship in 1962 at the age of nineteen.

Kavalek first gained attention by winning the Czech Championship in 1962 at the age of nineteen.  During the early 1960s, he played on the Czechoslovak student team five times. In 1965 Kavalek was awarded the International Master title and that same year he came first in Varna and equal second in Leipzig, which secured him the Grandmaster title. After 1970 Kavalek sought U.S. citizenship and took up residence in Washington, where he had a chess column in the Washington Post.

Best results: winner or shared first Amsterdam 1968, Caracas 1970, Bauang 1973, Natanya 1973, U.S. Championships of 1972 and 1973, Solingen 1974 and also won the U.S. Championship in 1978, however his best result was probably coming equal third in Tilburg 1977. Kavalek was first in Bochum 1981.

Kavalek played on the Czech Olympiad teams in 1964 and 1966 and on seven U.S. Olympiad teams between 1972 and 1986.

Kavalek was also the Editor-in-Chief at RHM Press Chess Publishing from 1973 to 1989 and the author of Wijk aan Zee Grandmaster Chess Tournament 1975 and World Cup Chess (Bloomsbury 1990).
Between 1960 and 2005 his chess articles appeared in eight different languages, including in the British Chess Magazine and Chess Life. He has also been a columnist for the Washington Post between 1986 and 2007 then in May 2010 he started a new chess column in The Huffington Post.

Peak rating: 2626 in 1973.