Recap of the Hart House Chess Club's 2022-2025 Activities

I’m wrapping up my last term as Secretary/Chair of the Hart House Chess Club. This upcoming year, I’m not running for Election as I’ll be graduating later in 2025. I’ve been on the Executive for 3 years now and as the outgoing Secretary, I feel obligated to recap our work, our successes, our challenges, and also to set a path forward for the Club in the coming years. I’ve included some of the memorable photos in my recap throughout the post as well.

Firstly, there were a ton of people who were involved in making the Chess Club what it was while I was here. There are the many Executives who worked alongside me and also many volunteers, players, students, club members, and community members who made my time special. You know who you are.

When I first joined in 2021 as a first-year member I didn’t realize what history I was walking into. And to see what we accomplished together is simply remarkable.

Tanner, Ahmed, and I were Executives of the Chess Club in 2022-2023. Photo by John Upper, CFC

Once I was elected into my first position as Communications Director, I really understood what this Chess Club meant for not only Hart House, the University, current students, alumni, faculty, but more importantly perhaps the rest of Toronto and Canada. I remember one of the first things I read was the History of the Club (copy here) and being inspired by the work that so many people have put before me.

We represent not only the future of Canadian chess in terms of players but also the future of Canadian chess organization. During my time here, we’ve been able to produce over 10 National Arbiters, many of whom will become FIDE Arbiters and perhaps one day International Arbiters. When I was in Vancouver, what we defined as organized chess was completely different. My definition of organized chess is now very different thanks to what we have built at Hart House. We have also built over the past few years the necessary connections for the Club to collaborate alongside the local Toronto chess scene in the coming years and decades. I am sure that many of the former Executives will go on to organize and lead the future of chess in Canada and possibly the world. The players who have come through our ranks will also contribute immensely to chess.

A blitz tournament at Hart House in 2022

A Remarkable Comeback #

In 2022, we were still emerging from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, we struggled to organize even small casual chess events. Fast forward to 2024, and we successfully hosted the Canadian National Championships, breaking records for participation. The journey from uncertainty back to National recognition was something none of us could have predicted.

The Chess Club stands on the shoulders of generations of students, staff, and alumni who have invested countless hours into building its legacy. Since its founding in 1895, each Executive team has wrestled with the same fundamental question: What’s next? I’ve come to realize that leadership isn’t just about making decisions for today but also ensuring a sustainable future for the Club.

During my tenure, we witnessed significant changes in both global chess and local Toronto chess. Toronto saw Magnus Carlsen visit Toronto for a chess.com event in 2023, and in 2024 the Candidates were held. New chess clubs came and went in Toronto while the city awoke from the pandemic. We persevered through chess scandals and new developments in the chess world seemingly happening every month.

On the Executive, I focused on what makes our Club unique. We ran casual chess every Friday which is what most students want. We had a few streamers like Nemo, Daniel Naroditsky, and Eric Rosen visit. We welcomed top Canadian players like Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Razvan Preotu, Evgeny Bareev, and current Canadian Champion Shiyam Thavandiran. We also brought in exceptional players from around the world who visited to provide simuls and exhibitions including GMs: Petro Golubka, Vinay Bhat, and Gergely Szabó We sent two teams to our major external tournaments every year which were the PanAm Chess Championship and Canadian University chess championship. We managed to increase our inventory and supplies to ensure that our future tournaments were ready to handle 250+ players and so I think it’s fair to say that we fully recovered from the pandemic.

One of the proudest moments of my time as an Executive came in 2025 when we won the 2025 Canadian University Chess Championship for the first time during my time as an Exec.

For me, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have been provided so many opportunities thanks to the Club including opportunities to meet chess legends and former World Champions Gary Kasparov and Vishy Anand when I first an Executive. I was also one of the few in the room for the final seconds of the 2024 Candidates held in Toronto when Caruana and Nepomniachtchi drew in Round 13. I won’t forget the agony in Nepomniachtchi’s face as he walked out of the room. I knew many of the organizers and people who organized that event and the effort they put to put Toronto in the spotlight should be celebrated.

With Garry Kasporov in 2022

My Most Memorable Event #

My most memorable event that I organized was probably the Zonals in terms of actual time and effort. The massive undertaking took up a lot of time and really taught me how to run and execute a top-level Canadian event.

The Toughest Challenge #

The toughest challenge is when you feel like you’re alone making a decision that may affect the future of the Club. It’s not often when you have to make those decisions but when it does it’s important that we have all the decisions laid out and the data to support it. My approach has always been to ensure that every decision is data-driven and made with the long-term well-being of the Club in mind.

From the 2024 Hart House Reading Week Open

What Makes an Ideal Chess Club? #

I think there’s this pressure running the Chess Club to consider what the ideal chess club should be. I had the privilege of travelling to many local clubs in Toronto and experiencing what they had to offer. What I’ve found is that every club has their own unique way of doing things. For instance, Hart House we focus on casual chess, Annex Chess Club focuses on weekly long rated games and massive events, and Scarborough focused on weekly long rated games while working from a community centre. There isn’t an “ideal” nor “correct” way of running a chess club. I believe it depends on the community and purpose of the Club.

Areas where I think we can look to improve #

There are a few areas which I think we can improve. One area I think is in reaching the students of the University who play online but don’t play in-person. I think the Chess Club needs to figure out how to reach this audience which numbers in the thousands. One avenue that I suggest looking into is short-form video content which is what the newer generation of students tend to like. If we can effectively engage this audience I think we will be able to really capitalize on the University audience.

I also think the Chess Club needs to keep on asking the membership for feedback and advice on where they think the Club should go and see itself in both the short-term and long-term. The Club’s Executive always needs to think about the members and what is best for the membership over everything else. I think at some points in my tenure there were moments where I thought we weren’t really focusing on what the student members wanted. I think getting in-person feedback and thoughts on how the Chess Club is doing is important. Interacting with members is a valuable way of getting feedback.

Finally, I think we can improve other areas of engagement with the University populace through collaborative events with other organizations/groups which foster greater engagement into the Chess Club. This requires dedicated volunteers and supporters who believe in not only a short-term goal but also a longer-term sustainable vision. One of the projects that I wish we could have brought back was the Faculty-vs-Students match popular in the 1970s.

The Importance of Quality #

If there’s one lesson I’ve taken away, it’s the importance of quality. What sets Hart House apart is our unwavering commitment to doing what’s best and right for chess. We care about running professional events and creating an atmosphere that is welcoming for everyone.

I am glad that we dedicated resources both with our alumni friends/mentors and also within the Club towards arbiter/organizer development. We organized two FIDE Arbiters Seminars in just 3 years and educated dozens of people on how to organize events at the highest levels in Canada. We attracted the top arbiters and the top players in Canada thus showing the high standing we have amongst the top players.

Advice for Future Executives #

To the incoming Hart House Chess Club Executives, the world is your oyster. Chess is a traditional game, but the ways in which you can innovate and expand its reach are limitless. I encourage you to embrace change, explore new ideas, and continue building upon our Club’s incredible legacy. I’m happy to answer any questions as well, the Club’s Alumni Chair will know how to contact me.

When I first started out as an Executive, I didn’t have any idea what we’d be able to achieve in just 3 years. We organized a National Championship, broke records in attendance, and hopefully created a lasting impact for future generations of Chess Club executives.

Closing Thoughts #

These past 3 years have been a roller-coaster for me in terms of learning and development. I’m really happy about what we were able to accomplish and the skills that I’ve acquired will last with me for the years to come.

Chess is in the news every day and things seem to be changing so quickly. I think there’s going to be a lot of developments in the next 5-10 years which will possibly reshape how chess is seen. Yet, I know the Chess Club will continue to make a significant contribution to both the University, Toronto chess, and Canadian chess regardless of what is to come.

I’m looking forward to seeing what else the Club will do in the coming years.

Our team winning the 2022-2023 Toronto Team Championship

UChicago Chess after winning the 2023 Ivy League Chess Championship

At the 2022-2023 PanAms in Seattle

Announcing the upcoming 2023 Reading Week Open

Teaching Lessons in 2022 as a substitute

Canadian Championship Shiyam Thavandiran, photo by Deepanshi Matai.

With Grandmaster Vinay Bhat in 2023 during his book tour.