CARMEL VALLEY — Toby Chen didn’t come into the Oct. 24-26 weekend of the San Diego Open chess competition planning to take home a victory.
His sophomore year at Canyon Crest Academy had kept him busy without as much time to play chess, and he figured he would join the competition for fun.
However, after three long days of competition featuring multi-hour games at the Marriott San Diego at Liberty Station, the 15-year-old emerged in first place for the U1600 Section, earning a $1,200 prize.
Toby, who lives in Carmel Valley, began his chess journey around eight years old, while attending an after-school program called Golden Dragon in Sorrento Valley.
He grew to love the game, becoming interested in focusing on logic and concentration to beat his opponents. He continued to play at Golden Dragon and other extracurricular programs as well as at summer camps and other clubs, and became especially interested in openings, because they set a good foundation for the rest of your game.
“Its like you’re kind of taking a test, but it’s not as stressful. The goal is just to beat the opponent and find the best moves. It’s kind of relaxing — it’s a good hobby to work your mind out,” he said.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools, Toby, then a student at Ocean Air Elementary, was left at home with little to do. His mother, Heidi Chen, said she encouraged him to play chess to keep him occupied, and he would play online games as well as explore the world of educational chess content on YouTube.
As things slowly started to reopen in 2021, Heidi wanted to find more opportunities for Toby to connect with other people. They learned about the San Diego Chess Club in Balboa Park, which offered weekly tournaments — known as gambitos — for people of all ages and skill levels.
“We thought that would be something good to try out,” Heidi said.
After Toby won his first tournament in the 1300 section, the Chens started heading down to San Diego almost every weekend. Heidi was surprised by how much Toby enjoyed the all-day tournaments, playing from around 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“It’s a very tight-knit community. Usually you can expect around 40 to 80 people per tournament. They’re very welcoming, and they accept every skill level,” Toby said.
Toby eventually connected with a coach named Charlie Rossello at the club and began to improve his skills further. While he wasn’t working with Rossello as much by the time of the tournament, the coach was very encouraging of him.
Toby first participated in the inaugural San Diego Open last year, where he came in second in his section.
Sections are divided by ranking, which is based on the number of games they have won and predicts their likelihood of winning a game. The U.S. Chess Federation sets rankings by levels A-D, with D being the lowest, followed by expert and master levels.
The U1600 section includes players up to level B, who are generally above-average players.
Toby returned for the second year of the San Diego Open in late October, but didn’t come in with too many expectations, as he hadn’t had time to play in a while.
“I had taken about a few months’ break from chess. I was still playing on and off online, so going in I wasn’t really expecting anything. I just tried to practice a bit of chess before the tournament online,” he said.
The tournament is like a marathon, Toby said, with around 200 people sitting in one room, totally silent and focused. Individual games generally last three to four hours.
“It’s definitely much longer time control. I found myself thinking a lot more and diving deeper into playing chess,” Toby said.
While he started off feeling a bit rusty, Toby had a strong first and second day, and he returned for the third day of play, where he began to realize he might have a chance to win. He eventually entered his final game tied for second place.
That game was against the number-one-seeded player, and while he was nervous, Toby ended up winning. By luck, the other players he was tied with ended up drawing, giving him the total points needed to take the crown.
“Everything that could go right, went right,” he said. “The thing about these tournaments is you’re not only relying on yourself, you’re relying on your opponents to have the best outcome.”
Earning this victory, he said, has reinvigorated him to spend more time on chess and continue growing his passion for the game.
“I’m definitely gonna get back into chess now that I’ve won,” he said. “I want more people to get into chess. It’s a good activity.”
When he is not in school, Toby also enjoys participating in the school swim team, spending time with friends, volunteering, and playing video games.
Heidi said she was happy to see this outcome for Toby and the fulfillment he gets from playing.
“I was really proud of how he did,” she said. “It really showed he has progressed and matured as a chess player.”
