Seirawan’s company was first

When Play Magnus went public in October, we claimed it was a first for a chess company. Now we have learned that International Chess Enterprises, founded by grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, was listed on the Vancouver Stock Exchange in 1989. It was later renamed to Masterpiece Games and then to Grand Master Technologies. Major shareholders besides CEO Seirawan were Faneuil Adams and Duncan Suttles, also a GM. It was a “penny stock” that traded above C$ 6 at its peak. Since the scandal-ridden Vancouver Stock Exchange was closed in 1999, the stock was moved to the Toronto Stock Exchange, where it was unlisted when the company was sold (and Seirawan retired) in 2003.