Joel Lawrence Benjamin (born March 11, 1964) is an American chess player who holds the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM).

Benjamin is a native of Brooklyn, New York City, and grew up in the Marine Park neighborhood, where he attended PS 222.

He became the youngest-ever U.S. chess master at age 13, a record previously held by Bobby Fischer.

Benjamin is known for playing offbeat openings such as the Black Knights' Tango, and for converting very small advantages into a win.

[1] Benjamin was hired as the official grandmaster consultant by IBM to help with the Deep Blue chess computer that defeated World Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.

[1] Benjamin appeared in the movies Searching for Bobby Fischer and Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine.

[7] Grandmaster Matthew Sadler contributed live commentary on Youtube as the match progressed.