2024 Candidates Tournament Reflections
I was there.
As Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi shook hands, the crowd from the balcony including myself began to applaud in appreciation for the enthralling battle that had just taken place between two of the finest players to have never won the world chess championship. We had watched the agony of defeat non-victory, but at the same time, with confirmation of Gukesh D becoming the youngest Candidates winner ever, we had witnessed a new piece of chess history as well. What’s more, for chess players and fans in attendance it was an epic conclusion to one of the biggest chess tournaments to ever grace Toronto and Canadian soil. And for me, it was the highlight of a day that I won’t soon forget.
I started playing chess at the age of 10 in 1992, introduced to it at the public library that I visited. I was a fast learner and within a year I was competing in chess tournaments and a regular at the local chess club in Windsor, Ontario. My biggest achievement at a player came in Grade 6, when I scored a massive upset to win 1st place at the Ontario Chess Challenge for my grade (coincidentally on a chilly Sunday in late April in Toronto). Other victories followed, but I enjoyed playing chess more than studying it and with chess still being considered a niche activity in the mid 90s I slowly lost interest. By 1997 I had stopped playing rated tournaments and like many youth players I gave up chess altogether once I graduated High School, save for the odd game with friends.
Years and decades passed, and apart from volunteering at the youth chess program at the local library for a time when I was living in the US, chess was not really on my radar. Then COVID-19 happened, and after a few weeks of quarantine with no end in sight I, like many others, logged into chess.com and created an online account. I was blown away at how far online chess had come since I first dabbled in it in the 2000s, but I was even more amazed at the online chess content now available - whether it was YouTube videos or live streams. Even before the Queens Gambit I was hooked on chess again.
The rest of the story follows the same one as many chess enthusiasts had during the chess boom over the past few years. I played lots and lots of online Blitz (and some bullet and rapid as well), did chess puzzles, lessons and game reviews, and improved steadily to the point that I am now stronger then even during my peak as a competitive chess player. I also watched a LOT of chess online, from live broadcasts of online and OTB Chess tournaments by Chesscom and Chess24 to content from famous chess streamers and Youtubers such as Hikaru, Levy and the Botez sisters. I had become an even bigger chess fan than a chess player, and even though I’ve played very little online since my daughter was born a couple of years ago I continued to follow the sport closely, especially events like the Olympiad and the World Championships. I was thrilled to learn both that the FIDE Candidates would be held in Toronto in 2024, and that tickets would be available to watch the tournament live. My busy family and work life still came first, but if there was one day for me to attend it had to be the final round where the champions would be decided.
Fast forward to the big day. April 21st, 2024. After meeting some friends for lunch at a burger joint close by, I made my way to the Great Hall full of anticipation. Once inside I was immediately transported to the center of the chess world, with hundreds of fellow aficionados mingling, watching, and playing the game I loved at a child and had rediscovered during the pandemic. Did I still belong though? The only way to find out as to play some speed chess with whoever was game, even if I had never even played with increment over-the-board(!) And so I did, and within a few games it was as if I’d never left.
The rest of the day felt like one highlight after another, even if time seemed to fly by. From playing my first blitz game against a GM (thanks Cristian Chirila!) to meeting all the chess celebrities - or is it chess-lebrities? - like Sagar, Nemo, and of course Eric and Aman (shout out to the Chessbrahs, Canada’s finest chess entertainers and the coolest GMs on the block, for hosting the Fan-zone) that I’d heretofore followed online, it was truly a dream come true. The biggest thrill was watching the closing stages of the final round live, with the meet-and-greet with the tournament winners (Tan Zhongyi and Gukesh D) a close second. Watching the fever pitch of the fans as Gukesh entered the Fan-Zone and later outside the playing hall, I couldn’t help but feel like chess was having a moment, and I was privileged to be a part of it.
