Raaphi Persitz

Who was Raaphi Persitz?

Raaphi Joseph Arie Persitz was an English–Israeli–Swiss chess master, financial analyst, financial journalist, and chess writer. Persitz was Israeli Junior Champion in 1951. He was born in Tel Aviv, British Mandate of Palestine.

He studied at Balliol College, Oxford, and represented Oxford University in the annual match against Cambridge University on three occasions. In 1954 he won his individual game in the Oxford-Cambridge match in the morning, playing very quickly in order to be able to travel by train to Swindon in time to play top board for his county against Gloucestershire in the afternoon. He was paired against a former British champion, Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander, and managed to win this game as well.

Persitz played three times for England in the World Student Team Chess Championship.

⁕In 1954, at second board in 1st WST-ch in Oslo;

⁕In 1956, at first board in 3rd WST-ch in Uppsala;

⁕In 1957, at first board in 4th WST-ch in Reykjavík.

He won the individual gold medal at Oslo 1954.

Persitz moved from the UK to Israel, and then to Switzerland. He played for Israel at fourth board in 14th Chess Olympiad at Leipzig 1960.