FIDE and the Chess Institute of Canada to provide kids with tickets to the global Candidates tournament in Toronto
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the world’s greatest chess players is coming to Toronto in April – and the Chess Institute of Canada (CIC) is providing some of its students with seats to see this generation’s top chess minds in action. This offer also extends across both of Canada’s official languages, with a set of tickets being allocated to CIC’s Francophone students.
Running from April 3 through 22, the 2024 Candidates Tournament pairs eight players to determine the challenger at the World Chess Championship 2024. Taking place at the Great Hall in Toronto, the FIDE Candidates Tournament happens concurrently with the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.
“The Chess Institute’s mandate is not only to teach chess but vital life skills to help our students tackle day-to-day challenges with confidence,” says Keith Denning, Senior Instructor with CIC. “We teach across the GTA, including some areas where students may not have the resources to buy tickets to the Candidates Tournament. I’m very excited to have these tickets, generously provided by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), that will give access to some of our brightest students who otherwise might not be able to attend.”
“We hope that having the opportunity to witness top players play live — and potentially to meet other high rated players — will serve as a source of inspiration for our students. Both FIDE and CIC strongly believe in the power of chess as an educational tool for students and we hope that having the opportunity to meet peers from outside their network will also be a fantastic social opportunity with memories to last for years to come,” says Heidi Gay, a member of the Toronto Local Organizing Committee – and also an instructor with CIC.
“We’re organizing ourselves to ensure our students can all attend the same Round 6 or Round 7 match. This is a unique chance for our students to see this level of competition, and I’m very proud we can offer some of them this opportunity,” Denning says.
“One of our fundamental principles at CIC is ‘chess is for everyone,’” says Matt Shepherd, Executive Director of the Chess Institute of Canada. “I couldn’t be happier to see FIDE and the Local Organizing Committee help embody those principles by giving access to this tier of play to our students.”
For more information on the FIDE Candidates Tournament, please visit their website.
