Mark A. Heimann is an American chess player and machine learning researcher.
Chess career
Heimann began playing chess at the age of 5 after his father bought him and his twin brother Alexander a chess set. He then won several national grade-level championships as well as the Pennsylvania and Ohio state championships in middle school and high school.[1]
In October 2007, he was ranked as the national #2 under-14 player, only behind future grandmaster Marc Tyler Arnold.[2] In the February 2008 national rankings, he moved up to being the top-ranked under-14 player.[3]
In December 2012, he played for Washington University St. Louis' "A" team in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, where he was the second-most successful player, recording 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. The university's team also won the Division II championship title.[4]
In three tournaments between September and December 2022, Heimann earned three international master title norms, earning the international master title at the age of 29.[5]
In November 2024, he scored a GM norm at the U.S. Masters Chess Championship. He finished the event in joint-6th place,[6]. The following week, at the Saint Louis Masters tournament, he earned his final grandmaster norm and crossed 2500 in live rating, achieving the Grandmaster title.[7] It will be formally awarded to him in 2025.
