Raymond Dennis Keene OBE is a renowned British chess Grandmaster, author, and commentator. He was born on January 29, 1948, in London, England, and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1970.
Keene's chess career spans several decades, starting as a junior player. He won the London Chess Special Prize and the British Junior Championship at the age of 17 and 18, respectively. He gained further recognition by winning the British Chess Championship in 1971 and became an International Master in the same year. In 1976, he was awarded the Grandmaster title by FIDE.
As an author, he has penned at least 100 chess books. He has also written for The Times newspaper and The Spectator magazine. He's known for being one of the chief organizers of some major chess events such as the World Chess Championships in 1986 and 1993, the Kasparov vs. "Deep Blue" match in 1997, and the 2000 "Mind Sports Olympiad".
Keene serves as a chess correspondent for The Times, The Sunday Times, and The Spectator. He has been involved in some controversies, including accusations of plagiarism and financial mismanagement. Despite the controversies, Keene was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1985 for his services to chess.
He's also a director of World Mind Games, Mindsports Olympiad Limited, Brain Trust Charity, amongst several others. However, some of his affiliations have been mired in incessant controversies.