Yochanan Afek

Yochanan Afek (born 1952 in Tel Aviv) is an Israeli International Master, who lives in Amsterdam. He is not only an active chess player, coach, journalist, organizer or international arbiter, but above all he is one of the best composers of chess studies in the world. He is the only person to possess the International title in four different branches of chess: International Master, International Master of chess compositions, International Arbiter and International Arbiter of chess compositions. In 2005 he gained the title of FIDE Master in solving problems. In Israel he organized many chess tournaments.

Yochanan Afek is a well known columnist for the Israeli newspaper Maariv and a publicist in several European chess magazines. Up to this day he has composed 250 studies and has been awarded several times. Currently, he is a specialist for the studies for the English chess magazine The Problemist and occasionally publishes articles about the studies along with Alone Greenfeld in the magazine Chess.

On Wednesday, 15 June, from 15.00 in Michna Palace in Prague, he will have a lecture about chess studies and their importance for practical players within the chess festival ČEZ Chess Trophy 2010.