Luca Shytaj
Iart Luca Shytaj, born February 3, 1986, in Tirana, Albania, is a chess grandmaster and a virologist who works in Italy. He moved to Italy with his family at age six and became an Italian citizen in 2007.
In chess, Shytaj won the Albanian Chess Championship in 2003 and the Italian Rapid Championship in 2009. He earned his International Master title in 2006 and became a Grandmaster in 2018, the 14th Italian to reach the top title. His GM norms came in 2009, the 2016/17 season, and 2018.
He represented Albania at the 36th and 37th Chess Olympiads, and Italy at the 38th Olympiad.
Education and work: He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in genetics and molecular biology from Sapienza University of Rome. His Ph.D. work on HIV research, conducted with macaques, received notable recognition at HIV Dart 2012. Since 2017, he has worked at Heidelberg University.
Personal life: He married German grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz in 2015; they separated in 2018.
Ratings: His FIDE rating was 2425 in February 2026, with a peak rating of 2507 in September 2011.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:39 (CET).