Mike “Timex” McDonald has never been content with mastering just one game. Nearly two decades after shocking the poker world as a teenage phenom, the Canadian star has proven once again that competitive excellence follows him everywhere—this time across a chessboard.
McDonald was recently crowned co-national champion at the Cayman Islands National Chess Championship, sharing top honors with Zara Majid, who claimed the Female Championship. The win comes almost exactly 18 years after McDonald’s legendary European Poker Tour Main Event victory at just 18 years old.
From High-Stakes Poker to Fighting Chess
The championship featured the country’s top players in a 10-player round-robin format, and McDonald quickly established himself as the player to beat. Described by the Cayman Islands Chess Federation as playing “fighting chess with great determination and skill,” McDonald posted a tournament-best 7.5 points from 9 games.
Ryan Blackwood finished close behind with 7 points, earning a medal of his own, but it was McDonald who stood atop the standings.
Posting afterward on X, McDonald admitted he “needed a few upsets to get the win,” adding that his FIDE rating now sits just under 1900—an impressive mark for someone better known for crushing poker tournaments than opening theory.
A Career Built on Winning—Whatever the Game
Though he stepped away from the full-time poker grind years ago, McDonald’s competitive résumé remains legendary. His rise began with a bang in 2008, when he won the EPT Dortmund Main Event for more than $1.3 million, instantly becoming one of the youngest major champions in poker history.
According to The Hendon Mob, McDonald has amassed over $13.3 million in live tournament earnings, with his most recent recorded cash coming from an 11th-place finish in a WPT High Roller in 2022.
Beyond the felt, “Timex” is equally famous for dominating prop bets. Perhaps most notably, he won a $200,000 basketball free-throw prop bet in 2020, sinking 90 out of 100 shots—a challenge he completed with months to spare before the deadline.
Another Game, Another Win
Poker, prop bets, basketball, and now chess—McDonald’s track record suggests that if there’s a competitive edge to be found, he’ll locate it and exploit it. With a national chess title now added to his already glittering résumé, Mike “Timex” McDonald continues to live up to his nickname: reliable, relentless, and always right on time.
