About GM Benjamin Bok

He learned chess at six from his father and joined the local club in his hometown a year later, going on to become Dutch Youth Champion in the U10, U12 and U14 categories.

He became an International Master at 15 in 2010 and a Grandmaster at 18 in 2014, the same year he first crossed 2600. He has won numerous international tournaments, most notably the 2015 London Chess Classic FIDE Open with 8/9, and India Rising 2026, which qualified him to the 2026 Esports World Cup. Furthermore, Benjamin has played in three FIDE World Cups, and has played on the Dutch Olympic Team in five Olympiads. Benjamin has played and beaten many of the best players in the world, including Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.

Besides playing professionally, Benjamin coaches players of all levels. He streams on Twitch and Kick and has commentated for some of the biggest chess channels: Chess.com, GMHikaru, BotezLive and the Esports World Cup. He has also created four Chessable courses with written and video instruction, and has created dozens of educational videos on his YouTube channel.