Leonid Stein achieved the Master title for chess at the relatively late age of 24. At that age he competed for first time in the USSR Chess Championship and most amazingly tied for 3rd in that event, gaining the Grandmaster title and the right to play in the Interzonal tournament.
Stein’s creative style was greatly influenced by Chigorin and Alekhine. He was a highly intuitive, natural player. He is considered to be a brilliant attacking genius, but played very sound chess, not in the style of Tal, more willing to unforeseeable complications.
He won the USSR Chess Championship three times out of four attempts between 1963 and 1966, as well as two other very difficult tournaments (Moscow 1967 and Moscow 1971).
Stein was thinking seriously of competing for the world championship when he was found dead from a heart attack at the Rossiya Hotel in Moscow. He was only 39, at the top of his career.