In 1992, Ashley shared the United States Game/10 chess championship with
Maxim Dlugy. On March 14, 1999, Ashley beat
Adrian Negulescu to complete the requirements for the Grandmaster title. This made him the first Black chess
Grandmaster. In September 1999, Ashley founded the Harlem Chess Center, and
Wynton Marsalis. Along with GM
Susan Polgar, Ashley was named 2003 Grandmaster of the Year by the U.S. Chess Federation. In 2003, Ashley wrote an essay
The End of the Draw Offer?, which raised discussion about ways to avoid quick agreed draws in chess tournaments. In 2005, he wrote the book
Chess for Success, relating his experiences and the positive aspects of chess. He was the main organizer for the 2005 HB Global Chess Challenge, with the biggest cash prize in history for an open chess tournament. In 2007, Ashley returned to his birth country of Jamaica and became the first GM to ever participate in a tournament there, the Frederick Cameron Open. After sweeping a field consisting of several of Jamaica's top players, Ashley was upset in the final round by Jamaican National Master
Jomo Pitterson. In 2013, Ashley announced he was planning the highest-stakes open chess tournament in history,
Millionaire Chess Open. Its first edition took place October 9–13, 2014 in Las Vegas. In 2015, Maurice announced a partnership with the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and Ascension, Your Move Chess. This program supports after school chess in the Florissant-Ferguson School District alongside other schools in the Saint Louis area. Longer term, the goal is to expand the program on a national level. In February 2016, a video of Ashley defeating a "trash-talking" amateur chess player in
Washington Square Park went viral. The incident was referenced in an episode of
Billions where Ashley portrayed the chess hustler. On April 13, 2016, Ashley was inducted into the
US Chess Hall of Fame along with Chess Grandmaster
Gata Kamsky.
Commentator Ashley has worked, and currently is working, as a chess commentator covering many events, including those of the
Grand Chess Tour. He was one of the commentators of the two matches between world champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue that took place in 1996 and 1997. He provided commentary for the Kasparov vs. Anand World Championship match in 1995. In 2003, Ashley hosted
ESPN's broadcast of Kasparov's match against X3D Fritz. He has also served as a commentator for the 2013–19 Sinquefield Cups, several US Chess Championships, and many other chess events. == Personal life ==