Aaron Reeve Mendes started playing chess as a hobby a few years ago. The 12-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., recently became the youngest Canadian to win an international master title after coming first at the 2024 North American Youth Chess Championship that was held in Dulles, Va. last month.Jennifer Mendes/The Canadian Press
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…