Benjamin Himmel

Ben's been in love with chess since he was seven years old, when his grandfather taught him the Sicilian Defense on a well-worn board that had traveled through three generations of family game nights. That love never left; it just found new places to land.

Ben has never played professionally, but few contributors bring as much reading to the table. He's worked his way through more opening theory books and annotated master games than he can count, and he's always got something chess-related waiting on his nightstand. That habit of study shows up in how he writes: thoughtful, well-researched, and grounded in a real understanding of the game rather than just a passion for it.

When he's not at the board, Ben works as a commercial airline pilot, a career that's taken him through plenty of hotel lobbies, airport lounges, and the occasional crew room blitz match, all of them good excuses to find a board.

These days, Ben writes about the game that's followed him around the world, sharing what he's learned from decades of study and one curious beginner at a time.

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