Yochanan Afek

Yochanan Afek was born in 1952 in Tel Aviv

Yochanan Afek was born Yohanan Kopelovich on 16 April 1952 in Tel Aviv. He started playing chess at 14, mainly under the guidance of Moshe Czerniak, whom he called his teacher. He published his first endgame study and first problem at 15, guided by the twins Hillel and Yoel Aloni.

For many years he was an amateur player who earned a living from organizing, writing and coaching. He became an International Master at 41, and in 2002 he won the Paris City Chess Championship. From 1984 to 1990 he ran the Tel Aviv municipal chess club, where he founded the city's international chess festival in 1988.

From 1988 to 1998 he coached Israel's youth squad. He edited chess columns in Al HaMishmar from 1973 to 1986 and in Maariv from 1997 to 2014, and has written 12 books alone or with coauthors. As a composer he has published more than 250 endgame studies and more than 100 problems.

In 2000 he moved to the Netherlands and settled in Amsterdam, where he continues to coach and write. He has been Israel's official representative to the world chess composition federation since 2014. In 2016 he won the Haarlem open tournament with 8.5 points from 9 rounds.