| Allen Kaufman | |
| Birth Place: | New York City |
| Known For: | American Chess Foundation, Chess-in-the-Schools |
Allen Kaufman (born 1933) is an American chess master and the former Executive Director of the American Chess Foundation[1] and Chess-in-the-Schools.[2]
Kaufman, a longtime member of the Marshall Chess Club and former president and vice-president,[3] competed nationally in chess in the 1950s. In 1954, Kaufman finished seventh in the U.S. Open.[4] In 1957 at the U.S. Open, while ultimately finishing out of contention, Kaufman was in first place after the fourth round[5] and tied for third after the sixth round.[6] In 1958, Kaufman came in sixth in the U.S. Open. The winner, Eldis Cobo Arteaga, lost his only game to Kaufman.[7]
As the executive director of the American Chess Foundation, Kaufman expanded their program of teaching chess to school-age children, leading to the name change of the organization to "Chess-in-the-Schools". Kaufman is an advocate of chess as mental training and believes that chess increases children's reading and reasoning skills.[8]
At the American Chess Foundation, Kaufman aided the chess prodigy Gata Kamsky in his defection from the Soviet Union in 1989.[9] He was also instrumental in the formation of the Samford Chess Fellowship and is former secretary of the fellowship committee.[1] [10] Kaufman has a Morphy Number of 4 through, for example, Arthur Bisguier and Norman T. Whitaker.[1]
Kaufman was a friend of Bobby Fischer in his teen years.[11]