The Underworld of the Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023. Sneak Peek Behind the Scene
Amidst the uneventful bustle of a Toronto hotel lobby, an unsuspecting visitor might glide through the cozy ambiance, oblivious to its underground world. But in that lobby, beneath your very feet, life is pulsating with the incredible energy of the Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023.
The only thing that gives this secret location away, is the intermitted appearance of Wesley So in the lobby.
Allow me to take you on a journey behind this exhilarating spectacle and much-anticipated event of the year. As a humble chess.com Top Blogger and a local Torontonian, I feel privileged and grateful to be invited to this remarkable behind-the-scenes operation by no other than Mike Klein, famously known as Chesskid’s FunMasterMike.
So. Our tour begins with a hidden stairwell:
As you descend, a crescendo of majestic chess vibes slowly rises up and up your body with every step you take into this ocean of anticipation, until you are fully submerged.
A friendly security personnel greets you with a smile and for a second you wonder if you will be let in. But with Mike by your side, you are an instant VIP!
Turn into the corridor and you are at the “Golden Gate” behind which all the magic happens.
Your eyes widen and you gasp! Magnus, Hikaru, Wesley, Fabi, Maxime, Alireza, Denis, Nodirbek, Danny R., James C., chess.com crew … everyone, EVERYONE, is about to be behind that door, just a heartbeat away! For a moment you think you will faint but you try your best not to cause a scene, and compose yourself for what lies ahead.
And what exactly awaits us behind this mysterious portal? Let’s unveil the curtain! Behold ... the hangout lounge!
This is where the players converge, chill, and get refreshed. Interestingly enough the live event broadcast in this room is exactly one minute delayed so that the players accidentally wouldn’t hear an important commentary and speculation of their live games while taking, say, a bathroom break. But the mechanics of this delay during their walk back to the board remains a mystery. And you’re too overwhelmed to probe Mike about it.
A corridor on the right lures you straight into a media hive that you never ever suspected would engage that many personnel working meticulously on every aspect of the broadcast.
Wow, just look at this technology! It’s like an FBI command center!
And now, brace yourself … the playing area!!
This is the battleground where the dreams are made and crushed, where the glory resides, and where the champions reign. Feel it! It’s surreal.
Go, go ahead, take it all in. I know, never in a million years have you thought you’d be here.
Your bliss is now gently interrupted by Mike’s, “Would you like to play a game? At the Carlsen and So’s table?” Your mind goes foggy. This isn’t happening but it is and you nod while screaming in your head: “YES! A million times YES!”
Mike asks a crew member to take a photo of you two and you smile your best humble smile. The crew member says, “Oh, I know you. You’re MomOnaBreak. We know you here.” And this time you definitely feel like fainting. You didn’t know you were, uhem, famous. (Ok, dear readers, I’m slightly exaggerating the affect).
Once the photo is shot, you forget all the etiquette in the world and with white make your first move 1.c4 and hit the clock. Meanwhile, Mike reaches out his hand for a handshake and your blood rushes to your face with embarrassment … which you hope goes unnoticed by FunMasterMike, but it doesn’t. He grills you on this mishap later with a twinkle in his eye. In your defense, you were just holding that handshake (for what seemed like forever) a few seconds earlier in front of a camera.
You start playing, 5 minutes each, and again your mind goes foggy. Just like with Hikaru. Except that you manage to hold your cool for a little longer this time and actually develop your pieces nicely with the Makagonov Variation. Suddenly you feel like you’re in control. You know this variation despite the lack of practice. It gives white an edge. Do you stand a chance?
At this thought, you can’t breathe. It’s happening too fast. You hear that the crew is recording this scene for a trial run (or something) and your self-conscious kicks in…
And you blunder …
The slap in the face you needed so badly just one move earlier to come back to reality but now it’s too late. And you lose.
But not before Mike reaches for his phone and captures this immortal defeat on camera.
You dust yourself off and get off the stage. James and Danny are here now too and you, little Alice in Wonderland, stare! All these years they were always on your screen, or your imagination, unreal, and now they are live in front of you in flesh and blood.
Somewhere in this daydream you shake hands with Danny and introduce yourself as MomOnaBreak and Danny says he enjoyed your Why More Moms Should Play Chess article and even … your blogs. No way!
Now well past the fainting point, you smile confidently and say thank-you and that you feel magic, indescribable magic when you write. Danny takes a note of this and jots something down that includes your email address. Now you’re just floating … two inches above the ground.
FunMasterMike loyally follows you, and out you go!
Next destination? The city tour with Mike, followed by a delicious vegan lunch.
“This is our appreciation for all the [super-duper, awesome] blogs that you write for us,” says Mike. Well, you assume your blogs are super-duper awesome because, uhm, you just want to feel great about yourself!
And you realize just how much your undeniable passion for chess transcends itself into your “super-duper” blogs and summons these unique experiences into your life.
***
This is where your, my dear chess friends, Champions Chess Tour ends.
But my chess adventure continues. I hand off my VIP pass to Mike and wait for him in the lobby while he continues his underground tactics for a bit longer. What amazes me the most, is that Mike keeps treating me like a VIP! Occasionally, he emerges from the underground with a fresh cup of tea brewed specifically to my liking (Yeah, I wish. It was a regular green but still), or with a much-needed cell phone charger.
Imagine if we all treated each other as VIP’s? Our world would be so beautiful!
Mike also gives me a tip: “Sit in front of the lobby, and you might catch some players!”
Good point. I didn’t meet the players. But I also didn’t want to be a nuisance to them, an annoying fly buzzing in front of their eyes, buzz, buzz, buzz, in such important times. Once with Magnus was enough!
So who did I “catch” in the lobby that day? Hikaru, Denis, and Nodirbek. No photos. Just admiration.
FunMasterMike, MomOnaBreak, and Olga
At the end of the working day, Mike and I meet up with Olga Mushtaler, the VP of the CFC, and the three of us are headed to Cactus for dinner.
Oh, how much we laughed! Perhaps, I, of the three, the most and the loudest, for when I’m that tired, I might be mistaken for a drunk … but no. Mike is actually funny. Really funny! He has this insane ability to make people feel at ease and brings out the best in them. Talking to him is captivating and breezy although he insists we laugh at his jokes.
Our dinner conversation is lively and animated and we all say some silly things that maybe we shouldn’t ha… waaaaa! Maybe these parts of the conversation I will forever keep to myself and will secretly laugh at when I’m 100!
But one thing is certain: when you’re with FunMasterMike, you are a VIP!
Thank you Mike, thank you chess.com for this unforgettable day!
P.S. Next time I run into Wesley So in a random hotel lobby, I will be looking for hidden passages and underground existence.
P.P.S. And now check out my brief conversation with Norway’s commentator and new(ish) mom Kaja Snare and an ode to all chess moms in the world, here!!
