Raymond Keene
A chess grandmaster who broke Soviet dominance at the board and then became a tireless, controversial impresario of the game worldwide.
Born 1948 (age 78)·English chess grandmaster·Birthday: January 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Raymond Keene's career is a tale of two halves: the fierce competitor and the formidable promoter. In the 1970s, he was England's chess gladiator, a bear-like figure who muscled his way into the elite. His victory in the 1971 British Championship announced his arrival, but it was his historic win over the reigning World Champion, Anatoly Karpov, in 1978 that cemented his legacy as a giant-killer. He earned his grandmaster title through sheer force of will, breaking a psychological barrier for English chess. Then, he pivoted. Keene became a whirlwind of productivity, authoring hundreds of books, writing syndicated columns, and, most significantly, organizing major tournaments that brought top-level chess to London. His work with the Mind Sports Olympiad and his role in orchestrating high-profile matches made the game more visible, though his commercial zeal sometimes drew criticism. Love him or question him, Keene fundamentally reshaped the chess landscape in Britain.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Raymond was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Raymond Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Raymond's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the second English player officially awarded the Grandmaster title in 1976.
- Defeated reigning World Champion Anatoly Karpov in a tournament game in 1978, a rare feat for a Westerner at the time.
- Won the British Chess Championship in 1971 and represented England in eight Chess Olympiads.
- Organized the 1986 World Chess Championship match between Karpov and Kasparov in London, returning the title match to the West.
- Has authored or co-authored over 150 books on chess, making him one of the game's most published writers.
Did You Know?
He was a child prodigy who won the British Boys Championship at age 11.
Keene is an accomplished linguist, reading over a dozen languages.
He was a chess consultant for the Stanley Kubrick film '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
He once held the world record for simultaneous blindfold chess, playing 15 games at once.
“Chess is a war over the board; the object is to crush the opponent's mind.”
