Luca Shytaj

Iart Luca Shytaj (born 3 February 1986) is an Albanian-Italian chess grandmaster and virologist.

Luca Shytaj
Luca Shytaj, Mitropa Cup 2019
Full nameIart Luca Shytaj
Country
Born3 February 1986 (1986-02-03) (age 37)
Tirana, People's Socialist Republic of Albania
TitleGrandmaster (2018)
FIDE rating2449 (October 2023)
Peak rating2507 (September 2011)

Chess career

Born on 3 February 1986, Shytaj won the Albanian Chess Championship in 2003. He earned his international master (IM) title in 2006, and won the Italian Rapid Chess Championship in 2009.[1] He achieved his first grandmaster (GM) norm at the Arctic Chess Challenge in August 2009, his second during the 2016/17 Chess Bundesliga season, and his third at the Mulhouse Festival in July 2018. He was awarded the title in October 2018.[2] He is the 14th Italian player to achieve the title of GM.[3][4]

Shytaj represented Albania at the 36th and 37th Chess Olympiads, and Italy at the 38th Chess Olympiad.[5]

Scientific career

Shytaj received a bachelor's degree in biology from the Sapienza University of Rome, and a master's degree in genetics and molecular biology from the same university.[1] His Ph.D. thesis, which resulted in a functional cure of AIDS in macaques,[6] was named as one of the three best presentations at HIV Dart 2012, an international conference on drug development processes in antiretroviral research.[7] As of 2017, Shytaj works at Heidelberg University.[8]

Personal life

Shytaj was born in Tirana. He moved to Italy with his parents at age six, and he became an Italian citizen in 2007.[1] He married German GM Elisabeth Pähtz in September 2015.[9] They separated in 2018.

References
  1. A long-term cure for HIV in the offing? ChessBase
  2. 89th FIDE Congress 2018, 26 Sep - 6 Oct, Batumi, Georgia FIDE
  3. Luca Shytaj Grande Maestro! Scacchierando.it
  4. Scacchi: Luca Shytaj è diventato il 14° Grande Maestro italiano OA Sport
  5. Shytaj, Luca OlimpBase
  6. Shytaj, IL Shytaj IL; Chirullo, B; Wagner, W; Ferrari, MG; Sgarbanti, R; Corte, AD; LaBranche, C; Lopalco, L; Palamara, AT; Montefiori, D; Lewis, MG; Garaci, E; Savarino, A (2013). "Investigational treatment suspension and enhanced cell-mediated immunity at rebound followed by drug-free remission of simian AIDS". Retrovirology: 10:71. doi:10.1186/1742-4690-10-71. PMC 3748827. PMID 23866829.
  7. Shytaj IL, Chirullo B, Della Corte A, Norelli S, Ferrari MG, Montefiori D, Labranche C, Lewis MG, Garaci E and Savarino A. Auranofin, Buthionine Sulfoximine and Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy Induce Post-Therapy Control of Viremia in Chronically SIVmac251 Infected Rhesus Macaques, HIV DART, San Diego,California, USA, 4-7 December 2012 (oral presentation).
  8. "Eigentlich mag ich Schach nicht" Rhein Neckar Zeitung
  9. ELISABETH PÄHTZ HAT GEHEIRATET German Chess Federation
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.