TORONTO — Aaron Reeve Mendes says he was just five years old when he started playing chess, a favourite game of his father's.
"I really liked how complex it was and how, like, it was not solved like many other board games," he said.
"No matter how much time you spend at the board, you can't, like, solve chess."
He spent a lot of time at the board. Now, at 12, he is the youngest Canadian ever to win an international master title.
Mendes, who lives in Mississauga, Ont., came in first at the 2024 North American Youth Chess Championship held in Dulles, Va., last month.
"I was really happy beyond the words I can explain," he said in an interview. "I got a trophy and I took many pictures."
Mendes spent his early childhood in India, where he said his parents and teachers supported him in his chess journey.
His mother, Jennifer Mendes, said her son was always interested in the game. He would go with his cousins to classes and coaches would tell her: "Aaron has a special knack."
"Sometimes at the age of five, within like six months of learning, he would at times defeat the coach," she said.
Not long after he started playing, the family was already travelling internationally to allow the young prodigy to compete.
They already had family ties to Canada, so it became a favourite destination. In 2019, Mendes participated in Canadian youth chess championships for the first time, in Ontario and then nationally.
The family immigrated to Canada in 2021, as Mendes continued to compete in major tournaments.
He came first in the 2022 Canadian Open Chess Championship, then went on to win a gold medal at the International Chess Federation's World School Championship held in Panama, where players from 37 countries competed.
"As a mother, I'm very proud, but I must say it's a very challenging game," his mom said.
"The best part of it is Aaron finds the challenge more interesting, and that's what inspires him."
She said that her son faces pressure to attain the title of grand master, and she lamented that he has lost some time with his friends and cousins by focusing on the demands of chess.
Nonetheless, "I feel blessed," she said. "Me and my husband, we just have to be supportive to him."
The young player and his sister both became Canadian citizens last year.
He said he feels grateful for the support he gets from his family, his school and the Chess Federation of Canada.
"Whenever I needed help with anything, they always give it."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.
Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
