‘The Wimbledon of Chess’

‘REACHING 2700, MY BIG GOAL, WAS ECLIPSED BY SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER’ – Jorden’s biggest success to date was his spectacular victory in the 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, a.k.a. ‘The Wimbledon of Chess’. In a field that included stars like Magnus Carlsen (2862) and Fabiano Caruana (2823), Jorden was one of the lower-rated players (2671), but that didn’t stop him from finishing shared first with Anish Giri (2764). For thirteen long and exhausting rounds, Jorden remained unbeaten, reaching a performance rating of 2839.  A blitz tiebreak with Giri had to decide on the winner of the tournament. In a wild fight with chess pieces flying (Dutch television collected great footage for the 8 o’clock news) Jorden defeated his compatriot to win the precious Wijk aan Zee trophy.

In the Tata Steel issue of New In Chess (2021/2) Jorden was interviewed about his historic victory.

Interview Jorden van Foreest

(photo: Alina l’Ami)

The odds that he’d win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament were negligible, to put it mildly. Ten of his thirteen rivals had (considerably) higher ratings, and the top-seed lived on a planet two hundred points away. But Jorden van Foreest won, and deservedly so. Talking to DIRK JAN TEN GEUZENDAM, the 21-year-old Dutchman tries to explain ‘a fairy tale’, and reveals what may well have been the secret of his success.

The day after his historical victory, Jorden van Foreest is leaving Wijk aan Zee by train. He’s done several interviews immediately after the tiebreak, and many more requests are pouring into his phone. They all want to know how it feels to be the first winner since Jan Timman in 1985 (in short: very, very good) and what is his next goal (in short: no idea. What could beat this?).

We’re on the same train, but we’ve decided to have our interview a couple of days later, when he will be back in Bruges, in Belgium, where he lives with his girlfriend Sofie. Today, there will be interviews for Dutch national radio and television, and in the evening he will appear on the most popular late-night show, ‘Jinek’.

Having finished a telephone conversation with a newspaper journalist, Jorden sees that his battery is down to two per cent. He leans back, as if he wouldn’t mind taking a nap, and then suddenly looks up with a twinkle in his eyes. ‘Do you know the real secret of my success?’ He seems amused by my puzzlement, but doesn’t put my curiosity to the test, as he continues, ‘The adventure started on another train, on my way to Wijk aan Zee. I had taken a free trial for Amazon Audible and I could choose a book for free. I saw this book by Wim Hof, you know, The Iceman, which had good reviews. At some point he says, if you really want to feel well, and this has been demonstrated scientifically, you have to start taking cold showers. It’s great for your heart, for your stress levels, for your blood vessels. A lot is stimulated that normally speaking is not. I don’t know the science behind it, but I thought, I am going to try this. And so I started taking cold showers on Day 1 in Wijk aan Zee, the day of my arrival. This became a huge ritual as the tournament progressed. I started with half a minute, then built it up to one minute. He says you should do this five of the seven days in the week, but I did it every day. After this cold shower I felt great and full of energy for the rest of the day. The toughest part was behind me. It’s unpleasant for a moment, but your stress levels drop enormously, your heart rate drops, and that is all good.’ With a smile he tempers his enthusiasm, ‘On the other hand, it’s only a cold shower; it’s not rocket science.’ And with a laugh he adds, ‘My stress levels were still high at some point, but imagine what they would have been without those showers!’

When we talk on Skype, about a week later, he admits that his second, Max Warmerdam, didn’t share his enthusiasm for cold showers. But regardless of whether he really believed in their extraordinary powers, Jorden didn’t care. ‘No, not really. I even suggested taking a dive into the cold sea on one of the final rest days. He warned me against it, and I listened to him and didn’t do it. Max thought I did well mainly because of my chess, which also makes sense, but I carried on with the cold showers and I still enjoy them. I’m close to two minutes now.’

The work he and Max did together certainly was another part of his success. It was the first time he teamed up with his 20-year-old compatriot, and they could look back on some unforgettable weeks. For the past two years, Norwegian GM Johan Sebastian Christiansen had joined him in Wijk aan Zee, but this year this was impossible for logistical reasons. ‘First I had asked Johan, because we were a terrific team, but he indicated that it might be complicated with the travel restrictions. Under the circumstances, a Dutch second seemed best, and I pretty quickly decided on Max. I know that he is a very hard worker, motivated, and we’re good friends, so that felt like an ideal combination.’

Funnily enough, the invitation came with a proviso. ‘When I asked him, at the end of last year, he still was an IM. I told him that by the time he joined me I expected him to be a grandmaster, knowing he was going to play two tournaments in Italy. And indeed, he managed to score his two remaining GM norms and arrived as a fresh grandmaster, ready for the job!

‘It proved to be a perfect choice. For me it’s important to have someone around I can unwind with between rounds and with whom I can talk about anything. If you’re on your own for two and a half weeks… Actually, you could see that the participants who came without a companion ended up in the bottom half. Especially this year it was important to bring someone.’

While the vast majority of the Masters were staying in Hotel het Hoge Duin, Jorden and Max were lodged in Hotel Zeeduin, which used to be the first choice of the top GMs before Het Hoge Duin was renovated. It was here that Garry Kasparov stayed when he won the tournament three times in a row between 1999 and 2001. Jorden doesn’t know what the rooms look like in the other hotel, but he had good memories of Zeeduin. ‘I am fine here. I have everything I need. A big bed, good Wi-Fi, a table that you can put a chess board on, two comfortable chairs, what more do you need? Besides a cold shower, of course!’

Each room also has a small kitchen.

‘Ah, yes, I almost forgot. There were two options this year, either order food from the hotel’s restaurant or cook yourself. Max is a good cook. The equipment is quite sparse, but cooking simple dishes went well. We ate a lot of wraps and tortillas, plenty of vegetables and beans. Sounds healthy, doesn’t it?’

When Kasparov won Wijk aan Zee for the first time, he was staying in room 208. For the next two editions he insisted on the same room.

‘I was staying in 308! I had thought that Kasparov would have some special suite… So next year I should… Or just stick to my own room. In any case, something ending on 08!’

You were living in a bubble, more isolated than ever. Is that one of the attractions of Wijk aan Zee, being in a trusted environment where you create your own microclimate and the only thing you have to do is play chess?

‘The special thing for me is that it’s the tournament I have played in most. There’s this wonderful tradition, but for me it’s the event where I have returned so often. Despite my young age, I’ve already played here something like 10 times. It always feels like coming home. I know the village inside out. January and Wijk aan Zee always feels like a great start of the year.

‘But I create my own microclimate at each tournament. I get up at a set time, prepare, have lunch, almost always at the same time. You very much have your own rhythm.’

One of the things many chess players do during tournaments is go for an evening walk or an evening jog – which suddenly became problematic because of the curfew starting at nine.

‘That certainly was annoying. During the first half we would go for walks almost every evening, also together with our friend Alexander Donchenko. But I think the curfew was less dramatic for us than for some of the others. I like going out for some fresh air, but it’s not an essential part of my ritual. I like it, but I can do without. And on the final rest day, I went for a two-hour walk on the beach, which was enjoyable.’

‘Those evening walks we mostly took around nine, so now we simply started our preparation for the next day earlier. We loved to move on anyway. Once the game was over, we quickly turned our attention to the next day. What are we going to do? I like thinking about chess anyway. Just brainstorming about how to approach the next game. And sometimes I’d watch a movie.’

Do you select movies before a tournament?

‘I started the tournament watching Twin Peaks. For some reason, I had ended up amid older series. And then I discovered that I could watch ‘24’ with Kiefer Sutherland on Netflix. Action-packed, that’s what I like, not having to think too much. One episode every day or every two days. And I watched Lupin, the French series, and quickly finished it. Really nice.’

‘Of course it helped that I was doing well. Then it’s easy to say, great, on to the next one. If you lose, it’s different, also for me, then you don’t want to look at chess for a while. But if you keep doing fine, why not continue in that flow?’

While things are going well, there will be more and more people who will want to wish you well or simply get in touch with you. How did you deal with that?

‘I started getting more and more messages. At first I tried to reply to everyone, but that became impossible. Of course, I appreciate the reactions, but you have to keep your focus, and it can be distracting. Messages like, now you really have to go for tournament victory, Jorden. So I put my messages and emails on hold, and only replied to family, close friends and my girlfriend. The rest you have to keep for later.’

Last year you did very well in Wijk aan Zee, finishing fourth and gaining 23 rating points – a result that would not be easy to repeat, let alone improve on, many thought. What did you think?

‘Loek van Wely once said: You realize that you get better when your opponents start playing worse.’

‘Before a tournament there is always uncertainty. You never know what’s going to happen. When I played in the Masters the first time, two years ago, I didn’t do that badly. I lost seven games, but I also won three. And Anish (Giri), Erwin (l’Ami), Loek (van Wely), they all said, the second time is always more difficult than the first, because your opponents are going to take you seriously. So, for my second Masters I worked really hard, harder than ever before. And now, for my third edition, I believed that it would be even tougher. Every year I try to go up a notch, in my preparation and everything else. But you don’t have everything under control. Each year I started really well and that helps a lot. In 2019 I lost my first game but won the second. Last year I immediately won my first game, and this time I had a draw as Black against Caruana in the first round. A good start is a tremendous boost for your self-confidence, and that’s incredibly important… self-confidence. Everything goes much easier. If you start badly here, in such a long event… I once had a bad tournament here, and I can tell you, then it’s not such fun in Wijk aan Zee. You want to get out as quickly as possible’ (laughs).

‘You can see it even with the big guys. Look at what happened to MVL, even he got attacked all the time when it became clear he was playing below his level.’

What has improved in your game?

‘That’s always hard to say. Years ago I suddenly jumped from 2150 to 2450 in about a year, but I wasn’t playing differently. At some point something just clicks and why that is, I don’t know. Suddenly, all the information you have gels together. Before that time, it was perhaps all fragmented in your head, and now it suddenly all comes together.’

‘I remember that as a young player I read a quote from Loek (van Wely), who said that you realize that you get better when your opponents start playing worse. That makes sense to me. It’s hard to pinpoint what it is exactly. In my case, it’s perhaps getting older, getting quieter, less sloppy. I was lucky to get my openings, but that’s only a start; you also have to play a good game.’

You worked with Anish Giri a couple of times. What did you learn from him?

‘I learned an awful lot from Anish. To begin with about openings. He is one of the major experts, if not the opening expert in the world. He knows everything. Analysing many different structures I learned from him. And I played against him a lot, many blitz games. You learn a lot from playing such a strong opponent. His hard work, the discipline he has, working on chess for hours on end, that’s extremely useful, I think. And the conversations you have, with him and also with Erwin (l’Ami), during meals and walks, about what can be done better, the advice they give. Psychological tips, all very useful. They have such experience at world-class level; they know what it’s all about.’

Following the draw against Caruana, you also drew with Anish. Draws against two top-contenders; a welcome way to warm up.

‘Yes, I was very pleased with the result, but my play could have been better. I was lost against Caruana and against Anish I ended up in a highly unpleasant endgame. But I did manage to hold the draw against these guys from worse positions. That was encouraging.’

There followed two further draws, against Wojtaszek and Carlsen. In the latter game you were a pawn down. Did you get nervous?

‘Before the tournament, that was the game I was looking forward to most. He is also the person I am most afraid of, but I try to push away those thoughts. They don’t help. The first year I played against Carlsen, I had such thoughts, and as a result I could not see the wood for the trees. I could no longer focus on the board, thinking: I am playing Carlsen, I am facing opening preparation from his World Championship match… so I was shoved off the board. The second time, things went better, and this was already the third time. At some point, I went astray and had to defend a slightly worse endgame. Carlsen is not the opponent you want to defend a slightly worse endgame against, but for some reason he blundered… very strange… and I escaped relatively easily with a draw. I think it was indicative of his form here that he didn’t make the most of the slightly better endgames he had.’

Do you look at him during the game?

‘(Laughs) No, I don’t dare to. You start thinking all of the wrong things. I try to play the board; that’s what I have been doing for years. I often shield my eyes with my hands to make sure I only look at the board. Then it doesn’t matter that much who you are playing; you only see the hand that moves the pieces. Only when I have a bad position do I sometimes try to peek at my opponent to see how they are feeling. You can’t read those top players anyway. Carlsen has a great poker face, Caruana… they are not Kasparov. And Kasparov played so well that it didn’t matter what faces he pulled.’

You made another draw with Firouzja, and then you won your first game, against David Anton. It must have felt great when you played 28.e5.

‘If I had played that queen sacrifice, I might have been expelled from the ­tournament for cheating.’

‘That was actually the moment when I could have gone for a bizarre queen sacrifice. Max told me after the game, and if I had played it, I might have been expelled from the tournament for cheating! (laughs) So beautiful and so unlikely that I would have found it.’

When the final five rounds began, you were on plus-2, thanks to another win, against Aryan Tari. As Wijk aan Zee history tells us, that’s the phase when the going gets tough, the final kilometres of the marathon. Few players know how to go this stretch. Did you have the feeling that you had the length of the tournament in your system and that you were ready for it?

‘No, I was always afraid to collapse at some point. In Wijk aan Zee you can suddenly start losing games. I was never certain. Till that very last round, when I really felt trust and knew I was in with a shot to winning the thing. And I felt that even if I lost, the tournament would have been a success.’

You got to plus-3 thanks to a windfall against Harikrishna. He erred in the opening, but didn’t resign and stubbornly played on despite being material down.

‘Harikrishna often is slightly worse or in trouble, but he continues fighting even in the ugliest positions, saving so many points. In this game, a piece down for two pawns, he managed to cause me so many problems. I was never certain of the win until he resigned.’

With two rounds to go, you were in shared second place, half a point behind Anish Giri. Strangely enough, Magnus Carlsen was no longer in the race…

‘(Still incredulous) Very weird…’

But you were. How did you rate your chances?

‘In fact, I didn’t feel as if I was in the race for first place. I thought Anish or Caruana would take the title, or Firouzja. I saw a Twitter account with the odds. Chances that Jorden will win are maybe three per cent! (laughs). I only started thinking about my own chances before the last round, after I had drawn with Esipenko. I was a bit better, it was a complicated game, but in the end a draw was a good result.’

In hindsight, the tournament was turning at that point, when Anish didn’t convert his winning advantage and had to settle for a draw against Firouzja.

‘Grandelius wanted a fight. I could not hope for more.’

‘When Anish didn’t win against Firouzja, contrary to what everyone had expected, I started thinking what would happen if I won my last game. Anish would probably not win his last game as Black, and my chances to play a tiebreak were considerable. I was quite nervous and thought my chances to win against Nils Grandelius were perhaps 20 or 30 per cent. This wasn’t much, but I wanted to do everything to prevent the game petering out to a draw. I was ready to try a lot, but I didn’t want to lose either. I told myself to be objective in the opening phase. I wouldn’t have to take excessive risk in the opening. Nils had played the Najdorf in every game; that’s what he had prepared, he wanted a fight. I could not hope for more.’

You played a fantastic game. There was that one moment when he could have escaped, but that doesn’t feel too relevant, since probably only the computers spotted it. The way it went almost felt scripted, as if this had to be the finishing touch of your tournament.

‘True, it was as in the movies. I played one of the best games of my life. At the moment when it mattered most, it was a fairy tale. I got my complete opening prep on the board. That morning Max had told me that he might go for this. We can do this, there is a piece sac on b5, walking the king over to the queenside… Clearly one of my best games ever, especially given what was at stake.’

Still, Anish was the favourite to win the tiebreak, and it cannot be denied that in all three games you were in trouble or simply lost. But you didn’t lose, you didn’t break, where many would have collapsed. Did you feel strong?

‘Not really. I felt that Anish was largely to blame himself that he didn’t manage to win any of those games. I wasn’t playing well, but it was very difficult for both of us, to be blitzing after 13 rounds of classical chess. Of those three great chances, he should at least have grabbed one. Of course the Armageddon game was a crazy affair. I blunder a piece, he blunders a piece, neither of us was playing objectively anymore, and we were both panicking. He could have decided the game earlier on when he played 26.c6. He was dominating and had played the opening phase very well and I was pushed back all the way. But then he suddenly gave me that chance, and then I started believing in it again.’

Were you distracted by the commotion around Firouzja’s game when the tiebreak was about to start?

‘For a moment, yes, as I saw all kinds of things were happening, but I was focused on my own game again reasonably quickly. I heard some loud conversations backstage, but I wouldn’t let it bother me, as I had to focus on my game.’

These days, penalties are generally accepted as tiebreakers in football, even in the most important championships. Do you expect Armageddon games to get a similar more widely accepted role in chess?

‘Many are against it and many are for it, but it seems to be accepted more and more. It’s even part of the rules for the World Championship match. In the end, you need a winner. In a private tournament like Tata Steel, it’s up to them. If they want one winner, and I don’t think anyone is against that, I believe that Armageddon is a normal choice at the end of a blitz tiebreak.’

You win Wijk aan Zee, you cross 2700…

‘I never dared to dream of winning Wijk aan Zee. Reaching 2700 was my big goal (laughs). For some reason, reaching that goal was eclipsed by something much bigger, something I could never have expected. Winning Wijk aan Zee is something a chess player should not even dare to dream about, especially me. So if that happens, it’s wonderful. Very special to follow in the footsteps of those Dutch winners, with Jan Timman as the most recent one.’

Or in the footsteps of Kasparov and Carlsen…

‘(Laughs loudly) At the venue you have this portrait gallery of all the winners. For the past 15 years, there are Carlsen, Aronian, Caruana, Nakamura… And now I will be there, too. That’s really weird. I don’t think anyone can believe that.

‘From the reactions that I have seen so far, the tweet from Kasparov [his favourite player of all time] stood out for me. I liked that he said that the days when the Dutch players were seen as an easy target are long past. And what Timman said, that was heart-warming too (“This means we have another player for the world top”).’

In a first reaction you said you cannot imagine that you will ever top this. In sports you are always supposed to aim for a next level…

‘I find it really hard to see what I should do next. When Bobby Fischer had won the World Championship, he didn’t know what more he could do. Becoming World Champion is unattainable for me, but there remains enough to fight for. My main aim is not necessarily winning tournaments; it is growing further. And hopefully, in a few years from now, I will be able to compete with the best players in the world even better. For a long time I was uncertain if I would be able to reach 2700. Now I know that I can and that I can fight against the best guys, I feel I can continue with my life as a professional chess player.’