31-year-old GM-elect Mark Heimann is an accomplished research scientist by day, and avid powerlifter, who has recently been making headlines in the U.S. chess scene during his work vacation time. In late 2024, Mark went on a stunning run where he earned GM norms in back-to-back tournaments in order to clinch the GM-title, less than 3 years removed from being an inactive FM. These experiences were highlighted by playing on the top boards in Charlotte and St. Louis, playing GM Fabiano Caruana twice, and even hearing his game dissected by GM Caruana on the C-Squared podcast. Mark joined me to explain what he thinks has led to this incredible chess breakthrough, and to answer a question that GM Anish Giri recently tweeted- “Who is Mark A. Heimann?”

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0:02: GM-elect Mark Heimann joins the show! What spurred his chess comeback in 2022? Mentioned: Chess Reddit posts by Mark: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1h92nh4/mark_heimann_becomes_gm_after_earning_3rd_gm_norm/ https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1bzcmgf/my_first_grandmaster_norm_age_31/

0:08- Does Mark think there are any similarities between his recent surge, and Hikaru’s continued success in recent years?

0:17- Mark on navigating the nerves, and the chess, of clashes with top players like Ivanchuk and Caruana. Mentioned: Heimann-Caruana, Charlotte 2024 https://www.chess.com/events/2024-us-masters/09/Heimann_Mark-Caruana_Fabiano

0:24- Mark recalls an early game with Caruana from when they were both top scholastic players.

26:00- Why did Mark put chess on the backburner at age 18?

34:00- What is Mark’s study routine like?

45:00- Mark discusses his passion for musical instruments and weight-lifting.

52:00- What is next for Mark, chess-wise?

56:00- Mark discusses his A.I. research, including some discussion of chess ratings.

1:05- Mark’s favorite chess books. Mentioned: Chess for Zebras, Excelling at Technical Chess, Small Steps to Giant Improvement 1:11:00- Thanks to Mark for sharing his inspiring story, you can follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lastgoodcaesar/

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