Arctic Talent: Ivan Rainey on the ‘adrenaline’ of chess

There is something special about playing chess, says longtime Iqaluit chess player Ivan Rainey.

But it has to be played on a real board, with a real human.

“It feels more intimate than online,” he says.

“You have the physical, tactile feeling of the clock; you see the other person in front of you; you can feel their emotions.”

So on Nov. 24, Rainey decided to bring the “adrenaline” of chess to the Storehouse Bar & Grill in Iqaluit by organizing the inaugural Iqaluit Chess Club meetup.

Iqaluit chess player and photographer Rainey took time to talk through his path to proficiency.

About 2004: Like for many, Rainey’s chess debut starts by losing to his grandfather.

About 15 chess aficionados gather at the Storehouse Grill & Bar in Iqaluit on Nov. 24 for the inaugural Iqaluit Chess Club meetup. (Photo courtesy of Ivan Rainey)

“He would crush me, like, absolutely every game,” he says.

Because of that, Rainey starts playing chess online to eventually beat his grandfather. And a few months later, the monumental moment comes — he wins.

“Kids just get good at chess so quickly, their mind just absorbs information so fast,” he says.

“Even today, there’s nothing scarier than sitting across the board from a gifted 12-year-old.”

2005: Rainey starts playing chess at a local club in Quebec. He’s one of just a handful of kids in a predominantly adult group, where they play “classical” chess in which each player gets 90 minutes for the game.

That’s where he learned his first opening moves, like the Queen’s Gambit for whites and King’s Indian Defence or Caro–Kann for blacks.

“I just got hooked,” he says.

2008: He takes part in a provincial chess tournament for the first time, getting into the top 10 chess players in Quebec for his age.

2013: As soon as Rainey graduates high school, he puts his chess career on hold.

“You kind of get too busy to play board games,” he says.

2020: It’s the year when chess is going through a boom, thanks to the Netflix drama The Queen’s Gambit (and the COVID-19 pandemic isolation that made people overly excited about gardening and sourdough baking).

So Rainey comes back to the old hobby, starts watching videos and playing online on Chess.com.

“But I have always been looking to start playing it in-person again,” he says.

2025: Rainey and his friend Robyn get 10 chess boards and clock and officially start the Iqaluit Chess Club. They are now planning to hold meetings every second Tuesday at the Storehouse.

“The atmosphere was electric,” he says of the first meetup.

Tip from the trade: YouTube is a strong tool. There are many channels for beginner and advanced-level players, like GothamChess or Daniel Naroditsky, Rainey says.

Rainey’s Arctic Talent pick: Kyra Kilabuk, blogger who brings attention to rising grocery prices in Nunavut.