On Sports
Jun 10, 2025
Here are some thoughts on the few sports I watch and play.
Chess
The video of Magnus Carlsen banging the table after losing to Gukesh Dommaraju in Norway Chess Round 6 got a lot of news (my brother shared it with me too). I don't know exactly what people are saying on Reddit or YouTube about it, but most probably don't like it, given chess is generally a quiet sport and chess players don't show their emotions much (remarkably, most players analyze the game with their opponents right after it ends).
Magnus immediately apologized and shook hands with Gukesh after, so all is well.
When I play chess online at lichess.org, even for an amateur like me, it can get very intense. My heart rate goes up to 125 bpm (same as when I do medium-intensity cardio exercise). I can't even imagine the pressure and intensity the pros must be going through.
Of course, Carlsen doesn't lose much, and his first loss to the current World Champion Gukesh must have upset him 10x.
I followed most games of Norway Chess 2025 and it was interesting until the last round. Magnus won the tournament but it was close (Gukesh could have won it; Fabiano was close too).
Chess is my favourite sport now. It's also the only one I play.
Hockey
Before chess, (ice) hockey was the sport I followed very closely, but since I started with chess in the middle of last year, I have not followed it as much. My favourite (hometown) team, the Maple Leafs, made the playoffs and lost in 7 games in the second round. It felt inevitable they wouldn't go far.
The team that beat them (Florida Panthers, defending Stanley Cup champions) is now in the Stanley Cup finals again, playing the Edmonton Oilers (again). The first two games were both decided in overtime (1:1), and they were both very good games. Both teams are the best in the league.
The Florida Panthers won the third game comfortably and now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. The Oilers have McDavid, so we know they will push back (last year's final between these two went to the 7th and final game).
I will watch every game, time permitting.
Formula 1
Another one I follow closely and play the simulation game on Xbox. It's the only one I also have a fantasy team in (GridRival).
After four years of Max Verstappen and Red Bull, there is some competition for the driver's championship this year, so that makes it more interesting.
The Canadian Grand Prix is this weekend, so my Sunday morning is booked. I will also try to get some practice laps on the Xbox.
Tennis
The last time I watched a long tennis match live was the Wimbledon finals (2019, I think) between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Federer had match points in the fifth set but Novak saved them and went on to win. That was an epic match between two of the best players in tennis history (Rafael Nadal is another one).
I wouldn't be following tennis again if not for Carlos Alcaraz. He plays every point as if it's a highlight reel point. It's a lot of fun to watch.
When I watched him lose the first set after starting off well, it looked like he wouldn't be able to match Jannik Sinner's consistent, low-fault, and powerful shots. Then he lost the second set.
I had to go make burgers for lunch so couldn't follow the match live. I was 100% certain no matter what Alcaraz did, Sinner wouldn't lose two sets and Sinner would win his first French Open and his third Grand Slam in a row.
During lunch, my son gave me an update that Sinner was up 5-3 in the fourth set. I was 1000% sure it was over.
After lunch, I didn't even check the live game, but went straight to the French Open website to read about Sinner's win but saw nothing! I quickly opened up the TV app on the iPad and, to my pleasant shock, Alcaraz had just won the fourth set (after saving three championship points!).
From there on, I was glued to the iPad till the championship-winning forehand pass down the line from Alcaraz. My heartbeat was way above resting for most of it. Wow!
These two are just 22, 23, so I am looking forward to many more of them.
Baseball
I still don't know most of the rules of baseball, but when Shohei Ohtani made the news for his jumbo contract with the LA Dodgers, it got me interested and I watched some highlights and eventually started watching playoffs on and off.
Last summer, I went to a ball game with my brother Raymond to watch the Toronto Blue Jays and that was quite an experience.
I haven't watched a full game yet but have watched highlights as Ohtani continues to hit home runs. Hope to see him pitch.