Hello everyone!

Today, I will begin the text by taking you back two weeks in time. Before we move on to the main topic, let's revisit the Valentine's Day Contest hosted by BlogChamps. This amazing competition received 16 excellent entries, and you can check the results by clicking on the image below.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated once again, and also to invite my readers who are not yet familiar with the winning bloggers to read their work. Links to each of them can be found below:

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Gold: Valentine's Day: This Bishop Knew his F8 by @JustGettingThisOffMyChess

Silver: Puisqu’Amour Le Commande Et Veut by @Alberthepirate

Bronze: Sixty-Four Places of Serendipity by @AstroTheoretical_Physics

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Congratulations to them! It was a real pleasure to organize such an event, and I am delighted with its success. Despite the well-defined theme, I was most surprised by the huge variety of topics, points of view, and approaches. It was fantastic!

If you would like to take part in the next one, please note that we will be hosting an April Fool's Contest on 1 April. Feel free to join!

Ok, now it is finally time to start today's blog.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Back to Top

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1 - Question #1

2 - Question #2

3 - Question #3

4 - Question #4

5 - Question #5

Conclusion

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Introduction

As the title suggests, this post is a special interview with the man who taught me chess. My avid readers will know that I am talking about my 78-year-old paternal grandfather, who introduced me to the game when I was seven during one of my holidays in Dunedin.

I asked him five relevant questions about his chess journey. They go from its beginning until the moment he decided to teach it to his hyperactive granddaughter, hoping it might calm her down.

I’ve been willing to publish interviews with chess players for a while, so who better to be the first than my mentor and favorite one? The idea is to test the format to see whether it is well-received by the audience.

If so, this probably won't be the last one I conduct, and I will gradually interview some more friends on this site, other bloggers, and even titled players (share until we reach Magnus Carlsen!)

Therefore, in fact, except for the introduction and conclusion, most of the words you will read here are his. I have only adapted the text to summarize it or make it easier to understand. Yes, he is quite long-winded.

I hope you enjoy it!

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Question #1

How did you first discover chess, and what made you fall in love with it?

I learnt to play chess when I was 11.

My best friend, sadly no longer with us, was moving house with his family, so his father asked us to help. It was nothing too complicated; just the kind of small tasks you would expect children to do: putting things into boxes, checking nothing was left behind, and carrying some of the lighter items to the truck.

One of these boxes was full of old books that his father had kept on the shelf but never read. Inside, we found one about chess. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name, but it was not famous; just a basic beginner guide with so few pages that it would not scare two children.

We had obviously heard of the game before and knew that it was for two people, but neither of us had any idea how to play. So, we decided to 'steal' this book during the move. In an era before computers or smartphones, this could provide us with entertainment on rainy days.

One day, he brought that relic to school, and we started trying to learn, despite not having a board or pieces. Incidentally, I forgot to mention that his father only had the book; he didn't even have a chessboard.

Fortunately for us, a PE teacher found out and gave us an old set that he must have had at home or in the school storage room.

From that day on, we gradually and naturally learned, without any pressure. A few months later, we discovered the Otago Chess Club and started going there occasionally. Neither of us was ever a particularly strong player, but we enjoyed it immensely and even encouraged other friends to take it up.

Interestingly, the day we stole this book was the same day as the 1958 World Cup final*, although the news only reached New Zealand newspapers the following day.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Note from @VOB96: From the way he tells it, I seriously doubt that this whole story is 100% true. It sounds like one of those innocent little white lies or exaggerations that older people love to tell about their youth. However, I never bothered to investigate, and I prefer to believe that it happened exactly as he describes.

*The score of that game was Sweden 2–5 Brazil, in Stockholm.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Question #2

What was your proudest or most memorable moment in chess?

Oh, there are a few, but if that is OK, I would like to mention two in particular. One is just a funny story, while the other is something I am really proud of.

The first one happened when I was in my early 20s. Your grandmother, who was my girlfriend at the time, had argued with me, and I was feeling a bit down. One cold, very snowy Sunday morning, I woke up early and decided to go for a walk in the park to clear my head. My mistake? Not telling anyone. Not even leaving a note.

At that time, I was still living with my parents, and they knew that I wasn't coping well mentally. When they woke up and saw all the snow outside, they were worried about not seeing me at home. As there was no means of communication, they thought I might have done something stupid and started asking people around the town if they had seen me.

A few hours later, someone gave them a valuable clue: 'I saw a crazy guy playing chess by himself in Unity Park.' They must have breathed a sigh of relief. It could only be me. And it was. But, in my defense, I was not playing alone; I was trying (and failing) to create some compositions.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

And the moment I am most proud of was drawing former world champion Max Euwe in a simultaneous exhibition at the Otago Chess Club in 1972. I remember my hands shaking and my body sweating when I found the draw line.

Below, you can check the position that still makes his hands sweat, even 50 years later:

After the game, he congratulated me and jokingly said that he had seen the perpetual check but didn't think I would find it. I lied, saying that I had studied some similar patterns the days before. But the truth is that it was pure luck.

Being underestimated by a chess legend is a source of pride, isn't it?

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Note from @VOB96: Dear reader, you are reading this for the first time, but he has obviously already shown me this position and this line dozens of times before. It never changes, and I have already fact-checked the story with my grandmother and some of his friends, who all confirm it. This is probably true.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Question #3

Was there a moment when chess felt frustrating? What did it teach you?

Of course, there were small moments of temporary frustration, such as losing important matches in local tournaments, being checkmated in a winning position, or being defeated by my friend who would never let me forget it until I won again. But these were minor, short-term issues that never really bothered me.

What really shook me was when, like almost every chess player will one day, I realized that I had stopped improving and that my reasoning was no longer as quick or accurate as before. This happened around the age of 50.

As I said before, I was never a great player, so achieving an extremely high level was never my goal or a cause of frustration. However, I could not accept the reality of no longer being able to perform even at my previous best.

I took good care of myself, still played basketball with colleagues, and felt physically fine, so I didn't feel like I was getting old, even though I knew it.

Chess was probably the first activity in my daily life where I noticed a decline, clearly showing me that time catches up with everyone. Not necessarily in terms of results, but in the realization that it took me a long time to find a line that I would have seen in seconds a few years earlier.

For a while, I clung to the idea that I just needed to train more and solve more puzzles, or that it was just a bad phase, and my best would soon return. But gradually, I was forced to admit that my chess peak had already passed.

However, this also taught me something important. Nothing lasts forever, and at least I had the satisfaction of having enjoyed the game to the fullest when I was playing my best.

Furthermore, it made me accept that this is not a disaster, let alone the end of the world. I could continue to have fun, playing and learning, even knowing that my brain was no longer the same, and there was nothing wrong with that.

There are many other ways to enjoy and get involved with a game, which don't always involve constant improvement or performance. For example, teaching someone else, as you know.

There is only one way to avoid growing old. So be grateful if you do.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Question #4

What impact do you think chess had on your life?

Learning to play chess was one of the best decisions I have ever made. As a child, I had difficulty concentrating. Not always the most disruptive kid in the classroom because I was introverted, but also completely absent-minded.

While the teacher was explaining about the digestive system of cows, I was thinking about the cake I was going to eat that night, or which sticker to put on my bike.

Chess really helped me to focus on the task at hand: trying to find the best move. This development in concentration was carried over into other areas. I am not saying that I became a monk, but the improvement was significant.

As a teenager, many of my friends were people I met through chess, and I even had the chance to travel to other cities. The first time I visited the North Island was for a tournament in Auckland, which the club paid for. My family probably couldn't afford it.

What's more, that was also my first long trip on a big boat. I enjoyed it so much that I didn't even mind my disastrous performance afterwards.

When I finally became an adult, chess helped me to unwind from my responsibilities. I could spend hours analyzing interesting positions in a book, completely forgetting about unpaid bills or the fact that your father had failed to do his homework again.

Later on, in my old age, chess became a great way to spend pleasant afternoons in Marlow Park. It was also thanks to the game that I first came into contact with computers. I was amazed by the possibility of playing against anyone in the world, which made my natural stubbornness and aversion to new technologies dissipate.

Most of all, I had the chance to teach it to my grandchildren. I am very happy that one of them enjoyed it so much that today she is writing to the whole world about her passion for the game.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Note from @VOB96: He does not mention this in his reply, but my grandfather is remarkably lucid for his age. I am sure playing chess has helped keep his mind healthy to this day.

Unfortunately, two of his brothers suffer from dementia today. Perhaps it is just a coincidence. Still, it makes me grateful that chess was a source of mental activity in his life.

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Question #5

What was it like teaching me chess? Did you think I would stick with it?

Teaching you chess was, above all, a desperate measure by a grandfather who would have collapsed from exhaustion if he had tried to keep up with your childhood games. First, you wanted to play cricket, then tag, then football. It was impossible to keep you still. Not even cartoons would work.

Someone approaching 60 doesn’t have much energy left. I had to find a way to entertain you quietly, otherwise you would never want to spend your holidays in Dunedin again. Initially, I doubted that someone who loved moving around so much would enjoy chess, but decided to give it a try.

At first, what you liked the most were the pieces themselves. I had a beautiful set with well-polished wooden figures that caught your attention just by their shape. The next step was to convince you that it would be fun to play.

I took you to the park and promised that, once you had learned, we could play other games. Much to my surprise, we ended up spending the whole afternoon there, and you were much more entertained than I had imagined.

In fact, you were so engrossed that you didn't even notice the time passing or ask to play Frisbee.

Once you understood enough, we finally played our first game. I was not sure whether to let you win or not. Losing could have demotivated you, but I risked a victory anyway. You were amazed by the simple checkmate position, which brought me great relief.

From then on, you really started to enjoy it, always asking me to play whenever you came to Dunedin. I considered giving you a chessboard as a gift. However, your mum convinced me that you would value this hobby even more if it could only be played here.

I still remember your first tournament. You didn't want to take part and thought you were too bad or that the other children were too clever. But I insisted, and you came second, making us proud. I took you to eat ice cream to celebrate.

Seeing you today, though, with a rating that I could never reach, and watching you teach me new themes and ideas, gives me the most pleasure. Without a doubt, the apprentice has surpassed the master, which just proves that I did my job well!

  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Conclusion

Recording this conversation meant more to me than I expected, and I hope you enjoyed the interview! It was a huge pleasure to conduct it with my grandfather, and it feels so good to have his most important tales, which he always used to tell me, now fully documented.

Furthermore, should he ever decide to make any slight changes to these stories, this article can be used as clear proof that I misunderstood him and that the new version is definitely the true one. That could always happen, you know.

And with that, we reach the end of this special post. If you have any chess stories involving older members of your family, please share them with me in the comments section below. I would love to read them.

Take care and enjoy spending some precious time with your loved ones while you can. See you again in 15 days!