UC Berkeley sophomore and U.S. chess national master, Aryan Achuthan competed at IMC Trading’s inaugural U.S. Chess Academy, where he accomplished something he had been dreaming of since childhood: playing chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. Achuthan, a data science major and dedicated member of the Chess Club at Berkeley, was selected as the sole regional qualifier after competing against players from UC Berkeley, UCLA and Stanford. Out of college players across the nation, only 23 other students were selected to attend the July match in Chicago. The tournament was a two-day event that included an exhibition match where the 24 qualifying players competed in a tournament-style game with two chess grandmasters — the highest-ranking position a chess player can get — Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Read more through the link in bio. ✍️: Farida Dowidar 📸: Courtesy of Barry Brecheisen . . . #ucberkeley #dailycal #berkeley #chess #grandmaster