Business student checkmates his way to top
Jun 06, 2011
Contact:
Maxim Doroshenko, 604.565.3319; maxim_doroshenko@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035; cthorbes@sfu.ca
May 31, 2011
Simon Fraser University MBA student, Maxim Doroshenko has cemented his position as B.C.’s reigning chess champion and one of North America’s elite players, after proving he can block the best from owning first place.
The Moldova-born Ukrainian, who lives in Vancouver with his wife, tied for top billing with 10-time tournament champion, Georgi Orlov in the 2011 Paul Keres Memorial Chess Tournament’s open section in early May.
The B.C. Chess Federation (BCF) hosted the 36th annual rendition of the largest chess tournament in Canada west of Toronto in Vancouver and Tallinn, Estonia. Orlov, a Seattle resident competing for his 16th time and Doroshenko, making his debut in the competition, were among 36 players in the open section’s expert category. Orlov is also a U.S. Open champion.
Doroshenko edged out his competition in four rounds and finished with a draw in three others to ultimately tie for first place with Orlov. The BCF says the draw catapults Doroshenko into Canada’s elite circle of chess players and should qualify him for the World Chess Federation’s FIDE Master Title. Doroshenko has also nabbed the Keres qualifying spot for the next B.C. championship.
As good at making strategic moves in a classroom or boardroom as he is on a chessboard, Doroshenko is studying strategy, marketing and management information systems at SFU’s Beedie School of Business.
The former grocery store and technology company owner combines charitable work and business networking with chess playing whenever possible.
In April, Doroshenko hosted simultaneous chess games with 13 players at SFU’s Segal Graduate School of Business to benefit SFU Net Impact Chapter’s Charity Chess Competition. The event raised more than $100 to build a water-well in Sierra Leone. Net Impact, a business student initiative, promotes environmentally, socially and economically friendly business practices.
“It’s a bit ironic says,” Doroshenko. “We used chess to raise money for a charity but chess is also a charity because there’s no money to be made in it, just great networking opportunities.”
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