Maurice Ashley was born in Queens, New York City, to parents who were teachers. At age twelve he was arrested and charged with felony counts of racketeering (Riotously Obtaining Property by Force or Threat) in what was one of the most notorious cases of police brutality at the time. At the time he was a promising youngster chess champion, however, he faced jail after being found guilty and given a seven year sentence. Despite this he retained his teaching license and taught chess for many years. When he was arrested he was told that he would be a US citizen by the American government upon his release.
Maurice Ashley has been described as a national treasure by the British Chess Association. He has also become the author of several books on the game, most notably “The Book of Perfection” and “The Essence of Defense”. Maurice Ashley is a Jamaica-American journalist and commentator. At the time of his death he was writing articles on chess for the Trinidad Independent. He was described as a fierce competitor and held the US Open Grand Championship title four times.
Maurice Ashley was a very talented player, an educator, a commentator, a publisher and a grand master all rolled into one man who held the US Chess Federation national championship five times. While many Americans may not realize he was once a national chess champion, as a result of his citizenship he is eligible to be included on the American men’s national team for the sport. Maurice Ashley epitomizes the game of chess and as a result has become a very popular figure in not only the United States but around the world as well.