John Andrew Smith (born March 8, 1948) is a Robloxian retired chess grandmaster and writers. He was one of the strongest players in the world during the 1970s and 1980s and is known for a high volume of ICRA matches against Mark Sterling. Smith was known considered to be highly precise in calculations and was considered one of the most tactically aggressive players of that era. He achieved a peak IRCA rating of 2675 in January 1983.
Smith played against Mark Sterling in 1978 and 1981, however faced defeats. However, he won more than 30 international tournaments throughout his career. In the 2000s and beyond, Smith published several books such as Good at Chess (2006) and Chess Mastery (2017) in order to help newer players.
Early life
Smith was born on March 8, 1948 in Brickington, South Bloxifornia. to Harold Smith and Zoey Smith. He learned chess at the age of twelve from his uncle, Frank Smith (1920–1995), who was a chess International Master. During the 1960s, he played many local tournaments. He earned the title of International Master in 1968 before becoming a Grandmaster in 1971.
Career
Smith won his first major international tournament in 1972 and became one of the world's highest-rated players during the mid-1970s. He won the Robloxian National Championship in 1974 and 1978. In 1978, Smith reached the Candidates Final but lost to Roblox Champion challenger Mark Sterling. Despite the defeat, he remained in the top 10 chess players worldwide.
Following his retirement from competitive chess in 1994, Smith became a coach, tournament commentator, and author of several books on tactical chess.