HR0142 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0142 LRB104 12362 MST 22573 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Max Jordan Chiswick, who passed away in Tel Aviv, Israel on January 7, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick was born in London, England on December 1, 1985; he moved with his family to Buffalo Grove when he was one year old; he graduated from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire; he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University and a master's degree in electrical engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick was a renowned professional poker player; he was one of the most successful mid-stakes No-limit Texas Hold'em players in the world from 2008 to 2012; he completed a challenge to play three million hands of poker in a single year, including playing 990,000 hands of poker during the month of December 2009, a world record for hands of poker played in a single month that is believed to still stand today; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick traveled the world; he visited 76 countries and had a particular fondness for the African continent, which he visited 12 times, including a two month stay at the Sangha Lodge on the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve in the Central African Republic; he biked the length of Africa from Cairo to Cape Town on the Tour d'Afrique; he hiked Annapurna in Nepal and the length of Israel on the Israel Trail; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick proudly carried his Judaism throughout his travels; he found community and comfort in the global network of Chabad-Lubavitch centers that became his spiritual anchors around the world; he visited at least 36 Chabad centers across the globe, a number he meticulously tracked on a website he built called chabad.earth; he made a commitment to wear tefillin regularly after the October 7, 2023, terror attack; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick was a prolific collector of meaningful mementos and artwork, especially those created by lesser-known artists with disabilities and that depicted the distinguished physicist Albert Einstein, Judaica, the African continent, internet poker brands, and carrots, a vegetable that he consumed so much of that his skin occasionally turned orange and that he described as "the perfect snack...maybe too perfect"; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick established various websites to document his eclectic interests, including hoteleggs.com, which rated eggs that he consumed at hotels and other lodgings, rotisserieride.com, which documented his planned bicycle ride from Los Angeles to New York City during which he would consume rotisserie chicken each day, overbet.ai, which hosted ideas at the intersection of artificial intelligence and game strategy, and 40k.earth, which allowed users to build their own travel maps and compare with friends; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick established the Expected Value Foundation, which helps people explore the concept of expected value in fun and practical ways; he founded Poker Camp, a program to teach artificial intelligence and better reasoning through poker that conducted several events in New York City and San Francisco; he co-founded the Artificial Intelligence Safety Awareness Foundation, a volunteer organization dedicated to educating the public about the benefits and risks of modern artificial intelligence; he taught an expected value workshop at Ecole les Hirondelles Mermoz in Dakar, Senagal during December 2024; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick had a unique and uncanny ability to make and maintain friendships; upon his death, tributes and remembrances poured in from across the globe by people who had the good fortune of crossing his path on this earth; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick's memory will be a blessing for the innumerable souls that had the privilege of being touched by the presence of a special, uncommon man; and

WHEREAS, Max Chiswick is survived by his parents, Peter and Ellen; his sister, Lisa; and countless friends in all corners of the world; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Max Jordan Chiswick and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Max Chiswick as an expression of our deepest sympathy.