Mike "Timex" McDonald, a former poker standout, has added a national chess title to his resume by winning the Cayman Islands National Chess Championship. The Canadian player topped a 10-player round-robin tournament with a score of 7.5 out of 9. He shared the honors with Zara Majid, who won the female category.
Mike McDonald, known in poker circles as "Timex," has a history of success across games. Nearly 18 years after his breakthrough win in the 2008 European Poker Tour Main Event in Dortmund, where he earned over $1.3 million at age 18, McDonald claimed victory in the Cayman Islands National Chess Championship. This chess event featured top local competitors in a round-robin format.
The Chess Federation praised McDonald's performance on its Facebook page, noting he played "fighting chess with great determination and skill." His 7.5/9 score was the highest, edging out Ryan Blackwood's 7/9, who also received a medal. Zara Majid took the female championship title, making her the other co-winner.
Reflecting on the win via X (formerly Twitter), McDonald said he "needed a few upsets to get the win" and revealed his FIDE chess rating is now "just under 1900."
McDonald's competitive edge extends beyond poker and chess. He has amassed over $13.3 million in live poker tournament earnings, per The Hendon Mob database, with his most recent cash being an 11th-place finish in a 2022 World Poker Tour High Roller event. He is also renowned for prop bets, including a successful $200,000 challenge in 2020 where he sank 90 out of 100 basketball free throws over four months.
This chess triumph underscores McDonald's versatility, even as he has largely stepped back from the poker scene.
