After winning the title of World Under-18 Chess Champion, Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux is trying to become the first Quebecer to be named an international grandmaster.
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This is the highest honor a chess player can receive.
“You have to get three standards to get this title. I got one in Romania and I need two more. The standards are acquired when one achieves a performance of a certain level with several criteria to be respected, “said the young man in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
Never has a Quebecer reached this level and only one other Canadian has ever been declared an international chess grandmaster.
Shawn will attempt to harvest his second standard in November.
“In Quebec and in Canada, the tournaments which allow us to obtain a standard are rarer than in Europe, but I will have the chance to participate in another tournament in November”, mentioned the world champion.
“A passion”
The young man said he discovered chess in the first year and fell in love with this game.
“I’ve always had passion. I always wanted to play chess. I have played chess every day for the past 12 years. I believe that passion helps a lot to want to improve, whether in chess or in another sport,” said Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux.