Jack de Nijs for Anefo · CC0

Born Szmul Rzeszewski in Poland, Reshevsky was a chess prodigy who grew into one of America's leading grandmasters, contending for the World Chess Championship from the mid-1930s into the late 1960s. He tied for third in the 1948 World Championship tournament and remained a Candidate as late as 1968, all while working as a practicing accountant rather than a full-time professional player. His eight U.S. Chess Championship titles tie him with Bobby Fischer for the most in the tournament's history.