Blindfold Match: IM Mark Plotkin vs. NM Bingfei Wang

Published on by harthousechess

The Hart House Chess Club is hosting a special 16-game blindfold match between IM Mark Plotkin and NM Bingfei Wang on April 19, 2026. Mark will play the entire match blindfolded–no board, no pieces in view. A fellow HHCC member will make his moves for him. Bingfei plays as usual.

IM Mark Plotkin

A University of Toronto alumnus and a longtime HHCC member, Mark is a distinguished Canadian chess player and coach. Notably, Mark helped UofT’s team win the Canadian University Chess Championship in 2019. He holds the FIDE International Master title, which he earned in 2020. His chess roots run deep–his father, Victor Plotkin, is a strong FIDE Master himself and former captain of the Canadian Olympiad team. In more recent years, Mark became a co-founder of the Toronto Chess Centre, committing himself to fostering a love for chess within the community.

Photo credits: Derek Ma

NM Bingfei Wang

Bingfei is a current Rotman Commerce student who has been playing chess since age 9. He served as HHCC Secretary from 2025-2026 and has been an active HHCC member throughout. He holds the National Master title and recently earned the Candidate Master title at the 2026 Canadian Zonals. He has been an active competitor in intercollegiate chess, and recently led UofT’s C team to a 2nd place finish at the 2026 Canadian University Chess Championship.

Feel free to join us onsite, in the Donald Burwash Dining Room, to spectate the match live! Or, follow along on our Youtube channel, as the match will be live streamed. There will be eight rapid games (15+5) followed by eight blitz games (5+3). 

EVENT DETAILS

  • WHEN: Sunday, April 19th, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
  • WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Donald Burwash Dining Room.
  • WHAT: Blindfold match: 8 rapid (15 minutes + 5 second increment) games, followed by 8 blitz (5 minutes + 3 second increment) games. 
  • EQUIPMENT: Chess sets and boards provided.

Events like this can start with your ideas. If you have an exhibition, match, or format that you’d like to see happen at Hart House Chess Club, please reach out to the executive team!

CONTACT:

Any questions can be sent to: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca

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