International chess grandmaster to give simultaneous chess exhibition at Laurier event
March 22, 2011
WATERLOO – International chess grandmaster Mark Bluvshtein will simultaneously play 30 people from the Wilfrid Laurier University community in a special centennial event March 30.
“Laurier faculty, staff and students have a great opportunity to attend this unique event and watch a great chess artist play the royal game,” said Hasan Shodiev, a physics lab coordinator and the event’s organizer. “It’s also a wonderful way to gather the Laurier community and celebrate the university’s 100th anniversary.”
At the age of 13, Bluvshtein became the youngest Canadian to achieve the chess title of international master. Bluvshtein then became an international grandmaster at 16. Along the way, he won every Ontario and Canadian youth event he ever participated in. Among his tournament achievements are wins at the 2005 and 2009 Canadian Open.
Bluvshtein, now aged 22, has been a member of the Canadian Olympiad team since he was 14. Earlier this year, he played in his fifth Chess Olympiad and played on top board (faced the strongest opponent) for the second consecutive time. At the event, he beat grandmaster Veselin Topalov from Bulgaria, a former world champion and at the time ranked second in the world.
Bluvshtein recently finished his undergraduate degree at York University, where he majored in Science and Technology Studies. Upon finishing the degree, he took up a professional chess commitment for a year in an attempt to reach the top 100 in the world. You can follow him on his blog at markbluvshtein.wordpress.com.
The event takes place March 30, at 2:30 p.m. in the Science Building Atrium. It is free and open to the public.
Is he the greatest Canadian ever?