Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish was a renowned Russian chess player who held the title of International Master since 1950 and was also an honorary Grandmaster. He was born on 21st March 1889 and passed away on 9th February 1961.
Levenfish was a two-time Soviet Chess Champion and is better known for his "drawing" matches where he would play equally against his opponents and opt for a draw instead of winning or losing. Despite being a talented player, Levenfish was not fully invested in his chess career and instead chose to work as an engineer.
He showed significant prowess in the 1937 match against his contemporary Salo Flohr where he emerged as the winner. Despite his win, he was not selected to represent the 1937 Chess Olympiad, and the Soviet government did not allow him to participate in international tournaments, which limited his career growth in chess.
Levenfish has co-authored a book with World Champion Vasily Smyslov on rook endgames, using the experiences shared from his matches. He is well-respected in the chess community, known for his conservative playing style and his significant contributions to chess literature.