Career
He is known as "the sparring partner of champions". His peak regular USCF rating is 2471, his peak quick rating is 2515 and his peak blitz rating is 2414. He was portrayed in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer by actor Austin Pendleton.
Hoffmann is interviewed in the documentary Bobby Fischer Against the World along with Anthony Saidy, Larry Evans, and Susan Polgar.
His natural tactical flair and strong positional understanding made him a dangerous opponent even to top Grandmasters. Hoffmann went on to have more than a 50-year chess career, winning hundreds of tournaments and playing against most of the top ranked United States. Grandmasters as well as many World Championship contenders.
He was vice president of the Manhattan Chess Club. A colorful figure on the New York City chess scene, Hoffmann was the son of two attorneys, Mercedes Solomon Hoffmann and David Hoffmann and grew up on Park Avenue.
He attended Hunter, Horace Mann School and Columbia University.
Hoffmann began teaching chess students at the age of 18 years and has continued teaching students to this day. As of October 2014, Hoffmann was the top ranked senior blitz player in the United States. He also holds the titles of United States. Life Master and United States. Senior Master. In 1983 he was awarded the international chess title of FIDE Master (FM).
Hoffmann describes himself as a Games Master, being a master in Chess, as well as Backgammon, Bridge, Scrabble and Poker.
Hoffmann has also authored a book about his signature Czechoslovakian Benoni chess opening entitled The Czechoslovakian Benoni in Action (with Greg Keener, Mongoose Press, 2014), and is working on an update of his earlier book The Chess Gladiator as well as a book of his memoirs. On February 24, 2014 Hoffmann married fellow tournament chess player Virginia Doctorate"Amico Hoffmann.
Their wedding reception was held at the Marshall Chess Club. The two had dated 37 years earlier and were reunited in 2013 through mutual friends.
They live in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan in New York City.
