Andrija Fuderer was a Belgian chess Grandmaster born in Subotica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia on September 13, 1931. He was ethnically Croatian but moved to Belgium by his father’s order, where he eventually changed his name to André and became a Belgian citizen. Fuderer was deemed a chess prodigy and quickly made a name for himself in the chess world, especially with his victory over the reigning World Chess Champion Mikhail Botvinnik at the Staunton Centenary tournament in 1951.
However, Fuderer’s career was short-lived as he decided to pursue a career in medicine rather than professional chess. After studying at the Free University of Brussels, Fuderer got a degree in physics and chemistry. He then completed a Ph.D. in Nuclear Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and went on to work in research laboratories in Switzerland and Belgium. He was also a professor of Nuclear Chemistry at several universities in Europe and Latin America.
Despite his departure from professional chess, Fuderer remained an active player and competed in the Belgian National Championships 11 times, only finishing outside of the top three once. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster of the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) in 1982. At the end of his life, Fuderer lived in Spain. His exact date of death is unknown, with records stating he passed away in October 2011.