On March 17, Maurice Ashley became the first African American to earn an International Grandmaster chess title. 

Ashley was born in St. Andrew, Jamaica, and then moved to the United States when he was 12. He soon took up chess and excelled at the game, becoming a national master in 1986 and an International Master in 1993.

From 1991 to 1997 Ashley was the chess director of the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, Inc., where he led teams to three scholastic national championships.

BlackFacts.com is the Internet's longest running Black History Encyclopedia. Our podcast summarizes the vast stories of Black history in daily episodes known as Black Facts Of The Day™.

Since 1997, BlackFacts.com has been serving up Black History Facts on a daily basis to millions of users and followers on the web and via social media.

Learn Black History. Teach Black History.

For more Black Facts, join Black Facts Nation at BlackFacts.com/join.

Because Black History is 365 Days a Year, and Black Facts Matter!