Pokemon: Poker Meets Chess. Also, There Are Dragons

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Apr 17, 2026 · 9m

Pokemon card game competitive play has a world championship, a global tournament circuit, and kids making tens of thousands of dollars. Most adults still think it is a cartoon with some stuffies attached. Both of those things are true at the same time.

What is it like to grow up being the kid at the card store every Saturday morning and realize twenty years later that was the beginning of a career? Ciaran Farah has played tournaments on five continents. He coaches now. The kids he works with are earning real money in prize pools while playing a game that is, in the simplest possible terms…