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Byrne and his younger brother Donald grew up in New York City and were among the "Collins Kids," promising young players who benefited from the instruction and encouragement of John W. Collins .
Byrne became an International Master based on his results at the 1952 Chess Olympiad at Helsinki (silver medal on third board). In that same year he graduated from Yale University. He went on to become a professor of philosophy at the University of Indiana, and his academic career left him little time for chess.
In 1960, Byrne returned to serious play, winning the U.S. Open and taking a gold medal on third board at the Olympiad in Leipzig. In 1964Events January January 1 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Ort, his third-place finish at the Buenos Aires tournament (behind Tigran PetrosianTigran Vartanovich Petrosian ( June 17, 1929 August 13, 1984) is a former world chess champion. An ethnic Armenian, Petrosian was born in the city of Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR and died in the Russian capital, Moscow. His results in the triennial Candidates t and Paul KeresPaul Keres ( January 7 1916 June 5 1975) was an Estonian chess player, one of the stronger chess players of all times apart from the World chess champions. He was dubbed "The Crown Prince of Chess". Paul Keres was born in Narva, Estonia. From 1937 to 1941) made him an International GrandmasterThe title International Grandmaster is awarded to superb chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. It is a lifetime title, in chess literature usually abbreviated as GM or IGM (this is in contrast to WGM for Woman Grandmaster and IM for Internat. By the late 1960s, he was playing chess professionally. He went on to other tournament successes, notably a third place at the Leningrad Interzonal in 1973, which made him only the third American (after Bobby FischerRobert James "Bobby" Fischer (born March 9, 1943) is a former world chess champion, and the only American to win the FIDE world chess championship. He won the FIDE World Chess Championship on September 1, 1972, and lost the FIDE title when he failed to de and Pal Benko ) to qualify for the Candidates tournament (part of the world chess championship process).
Since 1972, when he became the columnist for the Times, he has been less active as a player. He did, nevertheless, win tournaments at Torremolinos ( 19761976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 12 UN Security Council votes 11-1 to admit the Palestinian Liberation Organization January 15 Would-be Gerald Ford presidential assassin Sara Jane Moore is s - 1977For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). Events January 1 First woman Episcopal priest ordained January 6 EMI sacks the Sex Pistols January 18 Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious " legionnaire's disease" Januar), Harare ( 1983), and Lagos ( 1993). He has also been a frequent contributor to Chess Life magazine, the publication of the United States Chess Federation. He has chaired USCF's committee on masters' affairs and been one of its vice presidents.
He was inducted into the Chess Hall of Fame in 1994.