Edmar J. Mednis, 64: Chess Grandmaster First to Beat Bobby Fischer

Edmar J. Mednis, 64, a chess grandmaster who was the first player to best Bobby Fischer in a United States Chess Championship Tournament, died Feb. 13 in New York City of complications of pneumonia.

Mednis played Fischer in the first round of the U.S. Chess Championship Tournament for 1962-63. Although he had participated in several tournaments, he was not seen as a threat to Fischer, who had won the championship four times and had not lost a game in an American tournament since 1957. The match went to 73 moves before Fischer resigned.

In the overall tournament, Fischer recovered to win the championship while Mednis finished poorly. He would play Fischer six other times in tournament competition, drawing once and losing five.

Born in Riga, Latvia, Mednis came to the U.S. with his family in 1950. Educated as a chemical engineer, he also worked as a stock market investor but ultimately became a professional chess player.

He began writing books on chess in 1973 and was a regular contributor to Chess Life magazine. He attained grandmaster status in 1980 and was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2000.