Larry Christiansen


Larry Mark Christiansen is an American chess player of Danish ancestry. He was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 1977. Christiansen was the U.S. champion in 1980, 1983, and 2002. He competed in the FIDE World Championship in FIDE [World Chess Championship 1998|1998] and FIDE [World Chess Championship 2002|2002], and in the FIDE World Cup in Chess [World Cup 2013|2013].

Biography

Christiansen grew up in Riverside, California, United States. In 1971, he became the first junior high-school student to win the National High School Championship. He went on to win three invitational U.S. Junior Championships in 1973, 1974, and 1975. In 1977, at age 21, he became a grandmaster without first having been an international master. Christiansen tied for first place with Anatoly Karpov at Linares [chess tournament|Linares] 1981. He won the 2001 Canadian [Open Chess Championship]. He also won Curaçao 2008 and the Bermuda Open 2011.
Christiansen played on the United States teams in the Chess Olympiad in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996 and 2002. He won the team silver medal in 1990 and the team bronze in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1996.
Christiansen describes his playing style as "aggressive-tactical", and he lists his favorite opening as the King's [Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation|Sämisch King's Indian].

Notable games

Books

  • Christiansen, Larry. Storming the Barricades. Gambit Publications..
  • Christiansen, Larry. Rocking the Ramparts. Batsford.