Missive from a chess rock star

Who would have thought a column on chess would spark such a response?

Last week I wrote a piece outlining how much fun my eight-year-old daughter and I had at the SA Open and Commonwealth Chess championships that ended at Emperor’s Palace on Sunday.

The response was far-reaching and varied. Many of the replies to the column seemed to come from parents such as myself, who have marvelled at how their child’s focus and concentration appears to be sharpened through chess, and how their interest in and aptitude for maths-related challenges also improves.

One response was particularly noteworthy. But more of that later.

One of the main things that struck me, a complete chess greenhorn, after two visits to Emperor’s Palace, was how vibrant and thriving the game appears to be in this country. There seem to be so many people and organisations doing worthy things in the name of this time-honoured pastime. Unsung heroes, who work tirelessly to implement and maintain township chess programmes. Administrators who run the sport because they love it and wish to serve it, not because of any renown or reward that may be attached.

How refreshing, and what a lesson for other more sponsor-friendly sports codes.

From what I can gather, this country’s maths and science results at school level are somewhat less than stellar. I’m not saying chess will cure illiteracy in this regard, but if the game was a compulsory extra mural at schools from an early age, it may just be a nudge in the right direction. There are many people who feel the same way.

Which brings me to the intriguing message that popped into my in-box in the early hours of Monday morning.

If Bobby Fischer was chess’ wayward boy-child genius, whose meltdown was both painful and extremely public, then Garry Kasparov was the game’s first rock star. He was the youngest ever world champion, at the ridiculous age of 22, and was world number one for longer than anyone else in history. After giving up tournament play a few years ago, one of the initiatives he set up was the Garry Kasparov Foundation, which has as its global mission to spread the benefits of chess as a lateral- thinking learning tool.

For those of you who love the game, and are far more steeped in its intricacies than I ever will be, here is the message I received from chess’s rock star himself, which I pass on as inspiration to you and your chess-besotted youngsters:

Dear Mr. Davies,

I'm writing to express my appreciation for your column of a few days ago on the SuperSport website. Mickey Scheepers of the excellent 'Moves for Life' organization brought it to my attention and I'm very glad he did. The spark of enthusiasm for chess you got from your daughter is exactly what I would like to see replicated for kids throughout South Africa and the world. My own Kasparov Chess Foundation has ambitious plans.

The countless benefits of chess for kids that you described so well in your column will only become better known with effort from opinion leaders like you. As you pointed out, chess is still "something completely different" in most parts of the world, but I believe those of us who love the game can change that. I believe South Africa can become a leader in that movement, and why not?

Thank you again for the fine column and please keep in touch about the bright future of chess in South Africa.
Best of luck to your daughter in her budding chess career!

Warm regards,

Garry Kasparov
Moscow, Russia