Revival of Beaches Chess Club continues with WinterFest tourney on Sunday, Jan. 14
By AMARACHI AMADIKE, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
When Ivan Rudakov arrived in Toronto in 2020, he quickly noticed something was missing which would make it feel more like home. There was an aura about cities he had gotten accustomed to in his homeland, Russia, that he craved in Toronto.
Roaming through European cities he had visited, Rudakov got used to watching and participating in street chess games which brought individuals of all ages together in the fresh air.
On Sunday, Dec. 17, he took a first step to recreating this very same atmosphere right here in East Toronto as the Beaches Chess Club successfully hosted its first tournament.
“I saw, in other towns, people who were playing outside in the parks,” said Rudakov. “But in Toronto, I haven’t seen that.”
It wasn’t until he stumbled upon a Beach Metro Community News article by Erik Malmsten about an affiliate of the original Beaches Chess Club which was founded in 1915, ( https://beachmetro.com/2018/02/08/beach-chess-players-made-history-nearly-100-years-ago/ ) that Rudakov began this journey to bring chess tournaments back to the East Toronto area and revive the culture.
Katerina Rudakova, another organizer of the first Beaches Chess Club tournament, said that this introduction was the reason the tournament in December was able to take place.
“We contacted Eric and he networked with other members of the old [Beaches] chess club,” said Rudakova. “That’s how the idea of the Beaches Chess Club Revival tournament appeared.”
One of the main reasons for reviving the chess club was to reignite the social aspect of the game. In a time when many are opting to download a chess app, Rudakov and his partners are attempting to instill the social aspect back into the game.
“In our first meeting when we asked how many people play online, most raised their hands,” said Rudakov. “This is the problem because people have stopped communicating with each other and chess has become a game of sitting in front of your screen.”
Rudakov, a chess enthusiast who spent about 10 years playing semi-pro, has now shifted his attention to teaching the game to a young audience. He told Beach Metro Community News that he enjoys nurturing the minds of new chess players as it teaches individuals to think strategically as well as a way to build time management skills and the ability to make critical decisions under pressure.
“It’s not only chess, it affects our regular life,” said Rudakov. “It keeps the mind trained.”
On top of that, Rudakov highlights that it is also a very cheap option for leisure as most activities nowadays cost a lot to take part in.
“We believe that it should be free for the neighbourhood – for the community,” said Rudakova.
Although participation in the Beaches Chess Club is free, signing up for certain tournaments will require a small fee to register as is standard in the chess community.
Beaches Chess Club has so far opted to keep the tournaments free so as to attract newcomers who would rather not spend a lot of money while they are still getting acquainted with the game. The organization, which has just been registered as a non-profit, aims to build the chess community in Toronto through their efforts.
“For beginners paying for a tournament is painful,” said Rudakov. “That’s why it’s so difficult for other clubs to entertain more beginners. But without beginners, you can’t grow professionals.”
On Sunday, Jan. 14, the Beaches Chess Club will be hosting its second tournament which residents of all ages can register for at no charge. Anyone who would like to participate in the Beaches Chess Club WinterFest tourney at the Beaches Recreation Centre on Jan. 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. is encouraged to contact the club in advance by email beacheschessclub@gmail.com
Similar to the December tournament, the winners will be receiving gifts that will be donated by a local business.
With the rain pouring down on the evening of the last tournament, Bernhardt Garlipp and Dave Worth, who were tied for first place in the Beaches Chess Club Revival Tournament, most likely enjoyed winning the umbrellas that were donated by Kangadoo Inc.
With dreams to create a community that branches out to locations such locations as Kew Gardens or even the Lakeshore, hosting outdoor games similar to the atmospheres Rudakov encountered back home before migrating to Toronto, Beaches Chess Club is only in the early stages of its rebirth.
Although the club members are currently restricted to the Beaches Recreation Centre due to weather conditions, Rudakov and his partners have high hopes that the culture of chess, as it once was, will be revived locally.
– Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.
