Ivanchuk's participation in the festival remained uncertain until just a couple of days before the event. His country was at war, and regulations required his departure to be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In times of war, it is difficult to make sense of the procedures. Despite delays and complications, Ivanchuk eventually made it to the island of Djerba. Chess is in his blood, and even though he is considered a veteran, he is still young enough to travel the world and challenge much younger opponents with enthusiasm. At the Prize Giving Ceremony, it was noted that the combined age of the top three finishers matched his own age at the time, 54. (A month later, on March 18, Ivanchuk turned 55.) Ivanchuk finished fourth, unbeaten, with one win and six draws in the seven-round, eight-player round-robin tournament. Full results here.

Vasyl, 4/7, tied for 3-4 place.

On the day of the opening ceremony, Ivanchuk arrived at the playing hall early. It was still empty, with only the arbiters and staff preparing for the event. He sat alone at a table near the edge of the hall, lost in thought, staring into space. We had met many years ago in Dortmund, where we had developed a congenial friendship. Would he remember me? I hesitated to approach, not wanting to disturb his quiet reflection. But, as if sensing someone was observing him, he suddenly turned towards me and greeted me with a warm, gentle smile. I stepped closer, and before I could say anything, he preempted me with a nod of his head and said, "It's life." I placed my hand on the table, offering a silent gesture of understanding and sympathy, which he gratefully accepted, touching my hand in return.

Vasyl Ivanchuk

This was his routine for the rest of the tournament: he would sit alone at a table in the open section, contemplating until the playing hall filled with players and it was time to take his seat at the board on the stage.

Vasyl, alone with his thoughts.

On the Masters' stage

Pacing during the course of a game

He could often be seen walking slowly through the hotel grounds, among the bungalows of the Fiesta Beach hotel. While he might seem aloof and distant, this is a misperception. If approached, he would readily offer a friendly smile and engage in conversation. Tunisian player Dhafer Ktita was lucky to discover this. One day, during one of Ivanchuk’s solitary walks, Dhafer humbly approached him with a copy of a book Ivanchuk: Move by Move by Junior Tay. Dhafer told Ivanchuk that he considered him his idol and asked if he would kindly sign the book. Ivanchuk, after glancing at the book, raised his eyebrows and said, "I wasn’t aware that such a book existed." The two continued their walk together, and Ivanchuk happily posed for a selfie with the delighted admirer.

Dhafer and Vasyl.

Later, during the tournament, Dhafer, who was playing in the Open section, was thrilled when he noticed Ivanchuk leave the stage twice to observe his game. And if that wasn't enough, after the game, Ivanchuk approached him and offered to analyze it! When Dhafer saw me later, he was ecstatic: "Ivanchuk analyzed my game! Ivanchuk analyzed my game!"

Such is the effect great personalities have on appreciative admirers.

Ivanchuk in his typical posture during a game

The tournament commentator, IM Houssem Meftahi, was equally overjoyed when Ivanchuk, the "living legend," as he referred to him, joined him in the commentary room to analyze his sixth-round game against Divya Deshmukh. Watch here. When asked, "How do you find the tournament's atmosphere?" Ivanchuk replied, "The atmosphere is excellent, the place is excellent, the organization is excellent. The only thing I’m not happy with is my play." Ever the perfectionist, Ivanchuk was always critical of his performance, but his presence at any tournament is valued and appreciated by all.

A still from the commentary room

While rushing toward the buses that were waiting to take us on a tour of the island, I bumped into Ivanchuk in the hotel lobby. "Don’t you want to join the excursion?" I asked. Surprised, he quickly responded, "Yes! But I need to go to my room first." "No problem," I said. "I'll make the bus wait."

We sat next to each other on the bus, and I stayed by his side throughout the excursion, exchanging brief notes about life and translating some of the tour guide's explanations for him. However, the distances were long, and the journey became somewhat tedious. I apologized for making him join. "No problem, it was nice," he reassured me. But after lunch, he decided not to continue with the second part of the outing.

Diana and Vasyl in front of the mural Biomechanical Butterfly in Djerbahood, the island’s open-air museum.

"I guess you’d like to get some rest before the blitz tonight."

"I don’t think I’ll play in the blitz tournament."

"But Chokri (the organizer) was hoping you’d play. Apparently, you told him you would."

"I don’t remember telling him that," Ivanchuk said, raising his eyebrows with his usual expression.

Despite this, Ivanchuk showed up for the blitz tournament that evening, much to the organizer's delight. By the sixth round, he had a perfect score of 6/6. In the seventh round, he lost to Aryan Tari, giving up first place, and finished second. Blitz results here.

Blitz podium: Tari (1st), Ivanchuk (2nd), Maurizzi (3rd).

During a couple of dinners together, I noticed that Ivanchuk consumed an unusually large number of oranges. He would take two or three, finish them, and then go get more. One evening, when he was off to get another round of oranges, the waiter, standing nearby, leaned in as if to share a secret: "He eats a lot of oranges."

When Ivanchuk returned, happily munching his probably fifth orange for the evening, I asked, "Is there a medical reason for this?"

"No," he replied. "I just like them." On Djerba, he had access to especially sun-kissed, juicy oranges!

Vasyl and his vice: oranges.