Career
He played for Latvia in Soviet Team juniors chess championships in Leningrad in 1951 at first board (5,5 from 9). He played in Latvian Chess Championship finals in:
1950 (6th place),
1951 (8th place),
1952 (4th place),
1953 (9th place),
1954 (7th place),
1955 (6th place),
1956 (2nd place),
1957 (4th place),
1958 (1st place, ahead Aivars Gipslis and Mikhail Tal),
1961 (4th place),
1962 (2nd place),
1963 (5th place),
1964 (3rd place),
1972 (2nd place),
1973 (9th place). In the Championship of Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics he reached semifinals in 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1962.
Zilber also played for Latvia in Soviet Team chess championships in 1953 (second place at seventh board: +4 -1 =2), 1955 (at fourth board: +2 -2 =5), 1958 (at first board: +1 -5 =1), 1960 (at fifth board: 2,5 from 7), 1962 (second place at fourth board: +4 -1 =3), and 1963 (at fourth board: 6 from 9).
He played in the Soviet Team chess cup for team "Daugava" at fifth board in 1961 (+0 -3 =3) and 1964 (+0 -1 =0). After 1974, Zilber immigrated first to Israel and then to the United States.
Also his name can be found between the participants of Manchester Benedictine in 1980. However, his life was not very successful in the United States.
Zilber would end up homeless on the streets of New York City through most of the 1980s and played in Washington Square Park.
This story about the park was the setting for the 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer. Details of Zilber"s life in the end are controversial - unconfirmed story that during one hard winter he froze to death. But in another version he is not listed in the Social Security Death Index.
Mikhail Tal vs Josif Israel Zilber, United Research Services 1952 First victory over young Mikhail Tal.
Josif Israel Zilber vs Mikhail Tal, United Research Services 1958 The deciding battle in Latvian Chess Championship in 1958. Josif Israel Zilber vs Yasser Seirawan, Hastings 79-80 1979 The very interesting game with Yasser Seirawan.
