Andrew Karklins (Latvian spelling Andrejs Kārkliņลก) was born in Germany in 1947, of Latvian descent. He began playing chess at age 14, and later emigrated to Chicago with his family.1 He is a FIDE Master, and the son of the late National Master Erik Karklins. He is the author of the book "Modern Grandmaster Chess," in which he analyzed every game played in the USSR Zonal (1964), and the editor of "Tal's Masterpieces and Other Selected Games 1960-1975."
Karklins shared the 1965 Illinois State Championship with the late Senior Master Richard William Verber. In 1967, Karklins both became a National Master and won the Western Open. He played in Lone Pine (1971), Lone Pine (1972) (finishing =2nd), Lone Pine (1973), Lone Pine (1974) (finishing =4th), and Lone Pine (1975). He competed in the US Championship (1973) (finishing with an even score) and United States Championship (1974). He again was Illinois State Champion in 1990 and co-champion in 1993. In 2009 he shared first place at Ohio's Kings Island Open with GM Benjamin Finegold and two others, ahead of GM Eugene Perelshteyn.
He is known for his opening innovations, including the Karklins-Martinovsky Variation of Petroff's Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nd3 Nxe4 5.Qe2), the Karklins Variation of the Najdorf Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Qf3), and the Karklins Gambit against the Colle System (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 c5 4.Bd3 g5).
In 2011, the Illinois Chess Association awarded him the Natalie Broughton Lifetime Achievement in Chess Award.
1Val Zemitis "Encyclopedia of Latvian Chessplayers Vol. I" pp.K-36-38
Kibitzing
