Ossip Bernstein was a Russian-French grandmaster of chess and a financial lawyer. He was born on 20 September 1882 in Zhytomyr, Russian Empire, and died on 30 November 1962 in a sanatorium in the French Pyrenees. Bernstein was a successful financier and in consequence never became a professional chess player, but remained an amateur.
In his early life, he twice won the Kiev Championship, in 1901 and 1902, and gained his Doctor of Law degree in Heidelberg, in 1906. Bernstein played in his first international tournament in Ostend 1907, where he performed respectably. His best early successes were at the San Sebastián tournament in 1911, where he shared 1st to 4th places with Akiba Rubinstein, Carl Schlechter, and Richard Teichmann, and at the Moscow 1911 tournament, taking 3rd place after Rubinstein and Kostić.
Bernstein was exiled from Russia and his property was confiscated after the October Revolution. He won the first French Championship in Paris, in 1923, but was not considered a French citizen until 15 years later. By the end of his career, he played against five World Chess Champions and defeated four of them at least once.
Besides playing chess, Bernstein was a highly successful financier. He was chief legal adviser to the General Company for Russian Petroleum. He lost his fortune in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and then again in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. After that, he rebuilt his wealth only to lose it again during World War II. Despite the adversities, he rebounded and continued to work in finance until his death.
A description of his chess style describes him as a well-prepared player, particularly in the openings. His games against well-known players like Akiba Rubinstein, Carlos Torre, and José Capablanca showcase his attacking style. His personal life adds an extra layer of color to his biography, including surviving persecution by the Bolsheviks and Nazis, and an anecdote about winning a game of chess for his own life.