Chess is Popular
The Beautiful Diversity of Chess Fans
The people love chess. The average people, the pretty people, interesting people, boring people and everyone else in between. They all love chess, and it’s a magical time to be a chess professional. But, don’t take my word for it. Just listen to the words of the many fans that I interviewed at the FIDE Candidates 2024.
Let’s start with Jingting, whom I met in the Fan Zone. My apologies to Jingting for calling her Jane in the interview! It was very noisy in the room and hard to hear. But, despite my own gaffe, she was a great subject to interview. As you will hear, she has just started playing chess recently and is part of the wave of new chess players coming into the game. She watches tons of YouTube videos and just started playing in her office!
Thank you to Jingting for doing this interview! I hope she had tons of fun at the Cnadidates!
My next two subjects were waiting for the top chess players to arrive in the cold Toronto wind before round 8 . Although this is a phenomenon that is not new to chess, it provides a quaint charm to the practiced player like me. The chess world is still so small, and all of the these players are quite accessible through one contact or another. But, in broad historical terms, they have become superstars almost as if overnight. That means fans are lined up at this big event for autographs and to catch a glimpse of their favorite players! Let’s hear from David and James as to why they were at the Candidates 2024.
You can feel the excitement outside of the Great Hall!
My last subject for today is Diana Cruz, who is a writer and a celebrity in her own right in the Chicago Latino community. She brought her son to the Candidates 2024 to experience all of the excitement. She is an embodiment of all of the true heroes behind all of us chess players like my mother! Let’s hear why she values chess and the opportunities that it gives all people:
Thank you to Brian C Glover for operating the camera here.
What an experience in Toronto, Canada at the FIDE Candidates 2024. The people, the fans that are the beating heart of chess, came out, supported and sold out the event. There are many improvements that can be made in terms of the watchability of chess for the average fan. But in Toronto, FIDE took a big step forward!
BONUS VIDEO: I have a short video clip of GM Cheparinov playing a blindfold simul. Post in the comments if you spot any other chess personalities.