Jaffe Charles (12.07.1941)

American player born in Belarus (then Russian Empire) who immigrated to the USA in 1896. Jaffe was one of the strongest players in America between 1905 and 1930.

Jaffe worked as a weaver in the silk mills of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania until 1910 when he became a professional chess player.
At the First National American Chess Tournament in 1911, he shared the third prize with Oscar Chajes, one-half point behind José Raúl Capablanca. In the same year, he won the brilliancy prize and master title at Carlsbad. In 1913 at the Second National American Chess Tournament, he won the third prize defeating José Raúl Raul Capablanca, David Janowsky, Oscar Chajes, Abraham Kupchik; but drawing with Frank Marshall who was then US champion. In 1915, Jaffe won at Utica. In 1918, he tied for 1st-2nd with Boris Kostić at New York. He won matches against Arnold Aurbach, Jacques Mieses, and Oscar Chajes. In single

In single games, Jaffe has defeated such eminent players as Dr. Emanuel Lasker, Frank Marshall, David Janowski, Jackson Showalter and José Raúl Capablanca. Jaffe complained bitterly that he was later barred from strong U.S. events because of Capablanca’s charges that Jaffe threw his game to Frank Marshall in the 1913 Havana tournament so that the American would win.

Jaffe wrote two books including Jaffe’s Chess Primer(1937) and edited the short-lived Jewish Chess Magazine in 1906. Reshevsky said: Charles Jaffe remains today unquestionably one of the world’s leading authorities on openings. As a chess analyst there are few to equal him. He has met on an even footing and played with a marked measure of success against such players as Dr Emanuel Lasker, José Capablanca, Frank Marshall, Pillsbury and a host of other famous players.