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Ravens John Urschel To Play Chess Against U.S. Champion

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel is not your average football player. During the offseason, Usrchel has been working on his Ph.D at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke at a Penn State commencement, and continuing his mathematical research.

This week he will take on a new challenge. Urschel will compete against U.S champion Fabiano Caruana in a chess match for the Liberty Science Center's "World Blitz Chess Title Bout."

RELATED: Ravens John Urschel Starting His PhD At MIT

The match is part of the center's Genius Gala and the competition will give the players just seconds to make moves.

Caruana is the third highest-rated chess player of all time, and is the visiting grandmaster and ambassador for the Liberty Science Center's Chess Works! program.

Caruana has a U.S. chess rating of 2870. Bobby Fischer's peak rating was 2785. Urschel has a U.S. chess rating of 1601.

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