NWT musician Leela Gilday has created a chess tournament in her late husband’s honour, describing him as an avid player who “deeply loved the sport and played it all of his adult life.”
The Darrel Mack Memorial Chess Tournament will take place on Sunday, November 8 at the Yellowknife Aquatic Centre. People are encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations.
Registration for adults begins at 10am with games starting at 10:30am. Registration for the youth tournament is at 1pm. Advance registration by email is encouraged but not required.
From 2025: Darrel Mack, a fighter in life and a family man, is remembered
The tournament’s first year was in 2025 and had 50 participants, Gilday said.
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“It is really open to anybody who just is an amateur chess player, all the way up to our more experienced and rated chess players,” said Gilday.
Gilday said she and Darrel only played against each other twice, describing him as a “very ruthless opponent and he did not let me win.”
When Darrel went with her on tour, she said he would find chess players anywhere, including in Central Park, Times Square and around Europe.
“It’s woven into his life story,” said Gilday, adding that he would play chess at the correctional complex when he was a corrections officer, and even named moves after some of his opponents there.
Gilday said non-perishable food will be donated to the Yellowknife Food Bank, speaking to “the food insecurity [Darrel] experienced as a young person and how he always wanted to take care of people.”
