| Jeff Sarwer | |
|---|---|
 Sarwer playing chess | |
| Full name | Jeffrey William Sarwer |
| Country | Canada (until 2015) Finland (since 2015) |
| Born | 14 May 1978 Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Title | FIDE Master (2015) |
| Peak rating | 2344 (July 2015) |
Jeffrey William Sarwer (born 14 May 1978) is a Canadian-Finnish (dual citizenship) former child chess prodigy whose charismatic personality and chess talent made him a well-known media figure. His chess career and his family's unconventional lifestyle were the subjects of many articles and TV shows.[1]
Sarwer's attacking playing style was often compared to that Bobby Fischer, and a tournament game drawn against him by another young chess player, Joshua Waitzkin, was the inspiration for the climax in the film Searching for Bobby Fischer.
Sarwer won the under-10 World Youth Chess Championship in Puerto Rico in 1986 representing Canada.
When Sarwer was 8, he was believed by many to be one of the strongest prodigies in the history of the game. Allen Kaufman, head of the American Chess Foundation, said, "Jeff at 9 is stronger than Bobby was at 11." Bruce Pandolfini said, "Of the several thousand kids I've taught, Jeff is certainly the most amazing young player I've ever seen."