GM Mark Heimann started playing chess at age five, after his father brought home a chess set for him and his twin brother. He quickly rose through the scholastic ranks, winning multiple state championships and reaching the #1 national ranking for his age group by 2008.
After stepping back from competitive chess as a teenager to focus on academics, Mark earned his PhD in Machine Learning from the University of Michigan and built a career as a computer scientist. He returned to serious tournament play in his late twenties — and within just three years, went from International Master to Grandmaster, earning his final GM norm in December 2024 after a run through nine consecutive games against grandmaster-level competition.
As SV Chess Academy's Grandmaster Ambassador & Advisor, Mark brings that rare combination of elite competitive chess and a researcher's mindset to help shape how the next generation of students learns the game.