Wolfgang Unzicker was a German GM, rated about 2550 and worked as a judge. In the sense of holding down a job while playing, he was an "amateur" player.
So was Unzicker, a GM in the 70's, the last amateur GM?
asked Jun 30, 2019 at 12:25
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2Most GM's have a "real" job, very few make their living solely from chess.– ArlenCommented Jul 12, 2019 at 18:34
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3 Answers
The economist Ken Rogoff (b. 1953) achieved the GM title in 1978, but was never a "professional" chess player. Rogoff is currently a professor of economics at Harvard University.
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2In the absence of better answers that are true "amateur" GMs I am going to tick this. Commented Jul 1, 2019 at 7:39
So in the sense of holding down a job while playing he was an "amateur" player.
So was Unzicker, a GM in the 70's, the last amateur GM?
No. Here are 4 current British "amateur" grandmasters.
- English GM Matthew Turner is a teacher at Millfield School in Somerset.
- English GM Matthew Sadler is a computer consultant in the Netherlands.
- English GM Luke McShane (currently on 4/7 in the Netanya Masters) is a financial trader in London
- Scottish GM Dr. Jonathan Rowson is Director of the Social Brain Centre at the Royal Society of Arts in London
answered Jun 30, 2019 at 18:42
There are plenty of GMs that do not play professionally, e.g. GM Luke McShane is a financial trader, GM Hou Yifan is a Rhodes scholar. So if your definition of "amateur" is holding down a job while playing occasionally, Wolfgang Unzicker certainly was not the last amateur GM.
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But I think you have fallen into a subtle trap there. They are GMs whose broad intent is to play chess only. Or to put it another way, their life is variable; Hou Yifan may come back after she does her studies. Commented Jun 30, 2019 at 12:37
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7@athornton I don't see how that's relevant. They're holding down a job while playing, making them amateurs.– AllureCommented Jun 30, 2019 at 12:42
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6I think the more important question is, did they ever play professionally? Do they hold other jobs because chess was never anything more than a serious hobby, or simply because professional chess didn't pay the bills? Commented Jul 1, 2019 at 9:15
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2If that's what the OP wants to ask, he/she should clarify that in the question.– AllureCommented Jul 1, 2019 at 9:16