{{short description|Canadian chess grandmaster (born 1975)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox chess biography | name = Alexandre Le Siège | image = | caption = | full_name = <!-- if different --> | country = {{flagu|Canada}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1975|08|18}} | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec | death_date = | death_place = | title = Grandmaster (1999) | rating = <!-- automatically displayed via FideID parameter for ratings of 2400+ --> | peakrating = 2589 (October 2001) | FideID = 2600170 }}
'''Alexandre Le Siège''' (born 18 August 1975 in Montreal), also known as Alexandre Lesiège, is a Canadian chess player who holds the FIDE title of Grandmaster. He has won three Canadian championships and represented Canada in world championship qualifying events and Olympiads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=David |date=2019-01-13 |title=Alexandre Lesiège |url=http://www.canadianchess.info/canadianchesshistory/CanadianChessBiographiesL.html#LESIEGE |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Canadian Chess Biographies}}</ref>
== Biography == Le Siège was first introduced to chess at age six. He began playing in local events organized by Chess 'N Math, and had a candidate master rating by age 11. His first important success was winning the Canadian Junior Championship in 1989, at 14, with a score of +10, =1.<ref>{{Cite web |title=21st Canadian Junior Championship:Toronto, 27 December 1991 - 2 January 1992 |url=https://www.bcchesshistory.com/canjun.html |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=British Columbia Chess History}}</ref> He followed up by winning the 1991 Quebec Invitational Championship.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bevand |first=Larry |date=1991-06-29 |title=Lesiège outclasses Quebec field |pages=103 |work=The Gazette (Montreal) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/424019465 |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-04-22}}</ref>
Le Siège, at 16, won the 1992 Canadian Chess Championship at Kingston, Ontario, defeating Kevin Spraggett in the key game. This made him the second-youngest Canadian champion ever, after Abe Yanofsky, who also was 16 when he won in 1941.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Day |first=Lawrence |date=2006-02-06 |title=Chess |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chess |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia}}</ref> Awarded the International Master title, Le Siège qualified for the 1993 Interzonal Tournament at Biel, Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interzonal: Biel 1993 |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/ind-wcc/wc1996-iz.html |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=OlimpBase: The Encyclopedia of Team Chess}}</ref> In 1997 he won The Quebec Open.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Week in Chess 144 |url=https://theweekinchess.com/html/twic145.html#Quebec |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=theweekinchess.com}}</ref>
He won the Canadian title again in 1999 at Brantford and in 2001 at Montreal after winning a tie-break playoff against Spraggett.<ref>Ficzere, Tony. [https://neven.ca/pdf/enpassant/ep159_199912.pdf "The 1999 Canadian Chess Championships"]. ''En Passant'' December 1999: 30-39</ref><ref>Hergott, Dean. [https://neven.ca/pdf/enpassant/ep171_200112.pdf "Spraggett vs. Lesiege: Canadian Championship Playoff Match".] ''En Passant'' December 2001: 16-21</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2001 |title=WCN Exclusive Interview with Alexandre Lesiege |url=http://www.chessib.com/intlesiegewcn1.html?i=1 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Chess Siberia}}</ref> He earned the grandmaster title at the 1999 Quebec Open in Montreal with his third and final required title norm, thus becoming the first Canadian francophone to earn the highest title in chess.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Block |first=Irwin |date=1997-08-14 |title=He's chairman of the chess board |pages=3 |work=Gazette (Montreal) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/424742013 |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-04-22}}</ref> He represented Canada in Olympiad team chess events, twice on top board, with success.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lesiege, Alexandre |url=https://www.olimpbase.org/players/2oumq42i.html |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=OlimpBase: The Encyclopedia of Team Chess}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yoos |first=Jack |date=2001 |title=The 34th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul, 2000 |url=https://neven.ca/pdf/enpassant/ep166_200102.pdf |journal=En Passant |issue=166 |pages=9–23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Teplitsky |first=Jan |title=35th Chess Olympiad, Bled, Slovenia |url=https://neven.ca/pdf/enpassant/ep179_200304.pdf |journal=En Passant |issue=179 |pages=9–43}}</ref>
Le Siège virtually retired from competitive chess from 2004 to 2015, when he resumed by defeating Evgeny Bareev in a rapid match 1.5-0.5.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Retour d'Alexandre Lesiège |url=https://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/fqe/content.php?Id=12293 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Fédération québecoise des échecs |language=French}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Boisvert |first=Yves |date=2020-11-29 |title=Le romantisme retrouvé des échecs |language=French |work=La Presse |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/2020-11-29/le-romantisme-retrouve-des-echecs.php |access-date=2023-04-21}}</ref> He subsequently was a member of the Canadian Olympiad team and won the Quebec and Canadian International opens.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Plotkin |first=Victor |date=2016 |title=2016 Olympiad - Men's Team |pages=10–82 |work=Chess Canada |url=https://www-files.chess.ca/newsletters/2016/2016.CFC.ChessCanada.Olympiad.pdf |access-date=2023-04-21}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=McKim |first=Fred |date=2022-05-30 |title=2022 Canadian Chess Hall of Fame - Alexandre Lesiege |url=https://forum.chesstalk.com/forum/chesstalk-canada-s-chess-discussion-board-go-to-www-strategygames-ca-for-your-chess-needs/219817-2022-canadian-chess-hall-of-fame-alexandre-lesiege |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=Chesstalk}}</ref>
In 2022, Le Siège was elected to the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame.<ref name=":0" />
==References== <references />
==External links== * {{CFC|106923|Alexandre Le Siege}} * {{Chess.com member|caefellion|Alexandre Le Siège}} * {{YouTube|XgUrpaFU4nA|Questions et réponses avec GM Alexandre Le Siège [Q&A with GM Alexandre Le Siège]}} {{in lang|fr}}. May 2016. * {{FIDE|name=Alexandre Lesiege}} * {{OlimpBase player|2oumq42i|Alexandre Lesiege}} * {{Chessgames player|14481|Alexandre Lesiege}} * [http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/PlayerProfile.asp?Params=199510SSSSS3S074990000000111000000000017610100 Alexandre Lesiege] Chessmetrics player profile. {{Canadian grandmasters}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesiege, Alexandre}} Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian chess players Category:Chess Grandmasters Category:Sportspeople from Montreal Category:Chess Olympiad competitors