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Introduction

The effects of ASD and the severity of symptoms vary, but autism is a lifelong condition. However, many children diagnosed with ASD go on to live independent, productive, and fulfilling lives. You canread all about ASD here or watch the 2010 movie"Temple Grandin," one of the finest depictions of autism I have ever seen.

Recently I was in touch with a young man, 22 years old,who had Asperger's-Autism and was interested in chess. I learned that he had a Windows notebook, which he operated expertly. For me this was a clarion call: I immediately instructed the office to make ChessBase, Mega, Fritz and a Fritztrainer available to him. The deal was that in return he would write an article for me describing what it is like to live with ASD, and whether chess was something that helped with social interactions that are normally so difficult. Also I wanted to know how he could use chess software to improve his intellectual skills.

A couple of months later I got an article that exceeded all expectations. The boy described his ASD condition openly and frankly, and how chess had become an important part of his daily life. Initially we were going to publish the article under his full name, but then decided otherwise. He explained the reason for this:

"I would like to use a pseudonym, not out of a feeling of shame or anything like that. But I do not know what consequences using my real name would have for me. I am currently in the process of gaining a foothold, professionally, and there is a lot that is still uncertain about my future. If I already had a job and knew what kind of employer, colleague, etc. I had, it would be different. I would probably have no compunctions about using my full name. But when seeking a job the employer will google me, and I don't want the main association with my name to be Asperger's and autism."

He decided to use the pseudonym Simon. So without further ado, here is part one of the article Simon sent me Frederic Friedel.

I am an Asperger's autist and have asked myself the question what is the connection between autism and especially Asperger's and chess. I would like to share my thoughts on this with you.

What does the term "Asperger'sautist" mean? It is an autism spectrum disorder, though I don't like the word "disorder" at all, because of itsnegative connotations. Aspergers are people who often have many interests, whereby one or two of these interests usually stand out. They are called "special interests", and Aspergers tend to devote all their energy, passion and fascination to those areas. In my case my special interests are clearly defined: natural sciences and, surprise, surprise, chess.

Aspergers are often said to have difficulties in social interactions with others, and in the interpretation of gestures and facial expressions, i.e. interpersonal signals. I can confirm this, whereby I would like to emphasize that one Asperger is by no means like the other. For this reason I also like the saying: "If you know one Asperger, you don't really know any". We are all very different, just like people as a whole, and yet there are many similarities and character traits that are significant in the area of autism. Furthermore, it is often difficult for us to adjust to new and unknown situations, which often comes with stimulus satiation.

Enough of my little digression about us Asperger's-autistic people. In the following I would like to establish a causal connection between chess and Asperger's in order to be able to illustrate to what extent my "special effects" can be used to productively improve my chess, and how this is reflected in my games. So let us proceed to the heart of the matter...

There are studies in which a relationship between chess and autistic people has been established. For example, it is said that it is very good to use chess to train thesocial skills of autistic children. It encouragescontact with others. They can decide, at their own pace, to what extent they will seek contact with others. In this way a gradual approach takes place, where they can adjust the level of interaction themselves. This ultimately leads to a widening of their circle of communication and, as a result, to the development of new friendships.

I can only agree with this and would also like to mention that it was initially anything but easy for me personally to get involved with new people in a new environment, one that was primarily characterized by chess interactions. After about a year I had gotten used to the people and the whole situation around chess, and I slowly but surely started to have fun.

I would like to briefly discuss the abilities that are influenced by autism, abilities I have noticed that make some things easier for me than for others. An important factor is retentiveness, which is usually highly developed in autists. It helps me to memorize long theoretical variations quite easily. And that, happily for me, is one of the key competences in chess. Furthermore the great passion that generally arises in any area of special interest. However, I have to admit here that I do not know to what extent this is induced by my autism.

One thing is for sure, namely that the so-called special interests of Asperger-autists certainly contribute to the fact that they will deal with any chess-based matter in a very meticulous, focused and in a very motivated way. For me, for example, this is expressed by the fact that I simply love to peruse chess books about openings, the middlegame, the endgame, chess culture in the form of biographies of world champions of the past and present, or the psychology of chess. I am also fascinated by the role of engines or generally artificial intelligence in chess. But also simply discussing chess topics with friends and acquaintances, or having such a nice time together playing blitz or bullet (mostly 1+0), is exactly to my taste. A quotation from Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch comes to mind: "Chess, like love, like music, has the ability to make people happy".

In short, I just love to, whenever possible, spend hours on chess, and do this for many reasons. It would be interesting to know if I would, to the same degree, be enthusiastic about chess if I didn't have Asperger's and the accompanying special abilities. Of course this is not possible, as I am aware. I assume that I would probably still be interested in chess, but I think one could speculate how great the fascination would be.

In any case, I strongly assume that it is an advantage or at least a favorable factor that my perceptive faculties are well developed. In chess this means that it is relatively easy for me to reason from one position to another. As an example take the very profane theme of suffocated mate. If I see a position which has a lot in common with the original position I remember, and the moves that led to mate, I can transfer my ideas from one position to the other position, quickly and surely. Seen in this way, it is a chess-related transfer. In short, I can state that I am good at recognizing the similarities of different positions with each other, and in the course of this I can quickly find solutions, because and here again retentiveness comes into play I can reliably retrieve similar positions and relevant motifs in front of the mind's eye. I am quite good at transferring ideas and plans from one position to another. I should mention that my way of observing things is part of my personality, andare of benefit to me in chess on the one hand, but also when it comes to studying scientific facts and phenomena.

I would like to give you an example of some situations that can be observed within the chess cosmos, in order to be able to open your eyes a little more to autism in chess. I have spoken about a high memorization ability, paired with a good power of perception and observation.

As you all know, there are many different structures in chess that are more or less characteristic of certain openings. Furthermore, in every structuredecisively defined by the position of the pawns, there are typical ideas, plans and recurring moves (key moves). In my thoughts I can also get from one position to another quite well by constantly recalling the relevant ideas, plans, characteristic moves, typical motives etc. from related positions. This enables me to get into the "consciousness" of a position in a short time, and ideally to really understand it, i.e. to know which structures are to be treated in whatway, which variants are relevant, which pieces I should like to exchange, which ones I want to leave on the board, which short-term and long-term plans I can envisage, on which side of the board (queenside/center/king wing) I should be looking for play. In general the basic dynamic/static nature of positions.

I hope this short outline has properly described my view on the important connections between autism and chess. In the further course I will talk about my own experiences in tournaments, and shed some light on my recent use of chess software to nurture the basic skills that my condition has given me.

Continued here:
Autism and Chess (1) - Chessbase News

Illustration by Drew Shannon

In January, 1994, I turned 10 while playing my last round in the National Russian Girls Chess Championship. I was in Yaroslavl, Russia, some 850 kilometres away from my home in St. Petersburg. My mom was unable to come with me and I felt lonely without her.

If you win this game, Olya, you will be in the Top 10 finalists in this tournament, my temporarily assigned chess coach said. And if you start taking chess seriously, next year I am confident that you will be in the Top 3.

Being in the Top 3 in Russia (for each age and gender category) pretty much means you are Top 3 in the world in that category, or at least the Top 10. If I won this game, I knew I could go home happily.

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I miss performing Nutcracker melodies for the National Ballet

I made my first move pawn to E4, and pressed the chess clock. I looked at my opponent and sensed a victory. Ive always had an inner fighter and a strong drive to win. But more importantly, that moment I was feeling the it. That is what I call this special energy I have that somehow changes my brain chemistry and sets it up to look for wins. Sometimes this energy arises within me on its own, but other times I have to bring it to life by entering into a deep state of concentration, believing in myself and thinking positive thoughts. Of course, it doesnt always work. Chess knowledge and experience are also important.

As the game wore on, I gained an advantage. I captured my opponents knight; I lead materially and positionally. But something was wrong. My head hurt, I felt dizzy and I could hardly breathe through my nose. My opponent made her move. I looked up and saw her eyes lit with fire. I could tell shes got the it too. She will fight me to the death, no draws this time. Normally, this would not bother me, but at that moment, my it had started to fade and I had no strength to bring it back.

Several moves later, I blundered and lost the game.

I will take chess seriously, I promised myself on the way home. But fate had other plans. That would be my last tournament in Russia and for the next three years of my life until I started competing again in Canada.

The train ride home was painful. I sweated one minute and shivered in the next. When I got home, I collapsed on my bed. I had a high fever and a bad sinus infection.

When I recovered, my mom told me sadly: I wont be taking you to the chess club any more. I didnt understand then, but I do now.

The recent fall of communism had turned Russia and its people upside down. All of a sudden, some families became very wealthy, while others lost everything. Stories of crime and murder circulated on a regular basis. On the other hand, for the first time we heard Beatles songs, we watched Disney cartoons, we wore jeans and drank Coke and Pepsi, while munching on Snickers and Mars bars.

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But the changes also broke my family. As communism fell apart, so did my father. Dad had held a good position in politics. He was loving, happy and well respected. If he wasnt at work, he was at home playing with us. But he lost his job and with that, his income, his status and his identity. He became withdrawn. Days would go by without me seeing my father. Occasionally, he did make an appearance but as he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek, I breathed in a strong dragon breath of alcohol.

My mom had to work longer hours and assume full responsibility for running the household. She was exhausted and could not possibly take me to the chess club. My father was no help. I felt like I had been given a candy, which I ate halfway, only to watch it being ripped from my hands and thrown in the garbage.

In 1997, I boarded a plane to Canada with my mom, sister and stepfather with a no-return ticket.

Within a week of my arrival in Kamloops, I signed up for a local chess tournament held at a high school across the street. But where are all the girls? I asked myself. Of roughly 30 participants, there were only two of us and the other girl barely knew how to play chess.

I won that tournament and it was the turning point in my chess life. It brought back all the memories of how exciting chess was and how much I love the game. I felt as if I had never quit. And I was happy to find that I still had my it after all these years on hiatus.

From that point on, I buried myself in chess books, studying strategy, openings, middle and end-games. I continued to compete on a regular basis in Kamloops, where I was the only girl among older teenage boys and men in the tournaments. And while I couldnt quite fit in at school with my peers, I felt like I was a part of a brotherhood when I played in tournaments, like I was right where I belonged.

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A year later, the Chess Federation of Canada invited me to play at the World Youth Chess Festival in Spain, in the Girls Under 14 category. I was the top-rated player in that category in Canada.

The trip to Spain was fascinating. For the first time in my life, I saw an amazing cultural diversity of players from over a hundred countries, all under one roof, united by their love of chess.

In the spring of 2001, I won the third annual Canadian Girls Chess Championship and was one of the Top 10 female players in Canada. Shortly after, I retired from competitive chess to focus on my studies and career. But every now and then, my love for chess lures me into playing speed chess, slow chess, blindfolded chess, etc.

Life can be full of surprises and unexpected turns. In 2009, at my workplace, I raised money for the United Way by playing against 15 players at the same time. I won 13 games and drew two. During one of the games, I met the love of my life. Yes, over the chessboard! John signed up to play against me and asked me out on a date right after the event. Three years later, we were married.

Today, my chess journey is far from over as I am now passing my legacy to my two little daughters. And who knows, I might get to relive my chess adventures once again through their eyes.

Olya Kaye lives in Toronto.

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First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide.

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I was a female chess champ, too and still love the game - The Globe and Mail

Still from The Queens Gambit. Picture credit: Phil Bray/Netflix

Yet while acting on impulse can get you into trouble, taking a considered approach must not come at the detriment of taking opportunities when they present themselves.

If you are looking ahead, and acting with logic and rationality, then you will see openings that you can take advantage of. At times, these will deviate from your broader, long-term strategy, but having the adaptability to capitalise on these is crucial.

This rings true in trading too, where you must be able to react to what the market is doing or telling you. To be inflexible is to cut off your options.

The greatest chess players put their egos aside when they play. Games of strategy can be perilous for those who become arrogant, and often the moment you think you have learned all you can, is the moment you start to regress.

Over the course of time, a chess player needs to study and grasp new methods to play more challenging opponents. Even the most avid players require a more advanced step up to add new and strategic openings and analyse unexpected scenarios.

Learning to make decisions in real-time based on whats unfolding in front of you, and identifying where your theory or trading call may be wrong, is all part of the process. Unfavourable circumstances are unavoidable on the board and in markets, but those who learn how to turn this state of play to suit them will come out on top.

Since trading requires funds, a trader can test and nurture his ideas on a demo account to prevent non-essential losses. That way, new knowledge can be executed once developed without spreading your wallet thin.

Markets are uncertain, and you have to analyse, adapt and learn to roll with the punches, in exactly the way you can learn from brilliant moves your opponent might play in chess.

These underlying similarities between chess and tradinghave led to an alignment of financial service providers with the game of chess, and also the gameplay of grandmasters, in an effort to better communicate the value of the disciplines that can make one great in each of either or both of these fields.

Michael Kamerman is CEO of Skilling, proud sponsors of World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, and the Skilling Open, the worlds first fully online Champions Chess Tour.

Disclaimer: Skilling Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under CIF license No. 357/18 (the Company). 62 Athalassas Avenue, Strovolos, CY-2012 Nicosia, Cyprus. Skilling Ltd is authorised to operate via its UK Branch by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), under Reference Number (FRN) 810951.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.

Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.

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Five ways chess can help you buy and sell shares better - Interactive Investor

Grandmaster Sam Shankland 14, winner of the U.S. Chess Championship in 2018, is one of Americas top chess competitors, currently ranked sixth among active players in the United States and number 44 in the world, and working on his third book on chess strategy.

Chess Grandmaster Sam Shankland 14 reported on the recent online chess Olympiad in the November issue of Chess Life which featured a cover story on The Queen's Gambit.

Photo Credit: US Chess

Sam Shankland14 at a chess tournament prior to 2020. Shankland had to adjust to playing international tournaments online this year.

Photo Credit: David Llada, International Chess Federation (FIDE)

With interest in chess currently on the rise with the popularity of The Queens Gambit on Netflix and a pandemic-induced boom in online chess and sales of chess sets, Shankland was invited by the Brandeis Alumni Association to share his perspective on the chess scene.

He gave his thoughts on Netflixs No. 1 show, on what its like to play an international tournament online and on how his Brandeis experience has shaped his path.

What did you think of The Queen's Gambit? Do you feel the series accurately captured the feel of high-level chess play?

I liked The Queen's Gambit. It certainly took some creative liberties it is fiction after all but it did a much better job of portraying the chess world than I have ever seen in any other mainstream film or book. The main protagonist, Beth Harmon, goes through a lot of the same struggles top players go through today. I wasn't around in the era the series is set in and modern chess certainly looks very different, but in a lot of ways, the writers really managed to capture the atmosphere of chess in the 60s.

You recently played for Team USA in an online chess Olympiad. What was it like playing an international tournament via Zoom? Do you look forward to getting back to playing face to face?

It was certainly different playing on Zoom. I've never been much of an Internet player, and I can't visualize the pieces and calculate variations nearly as well in my head when looking at a 2-D screen rather than a 3-D board. There's a whole plethora of reasons that classical, face-to-face chess is a vastly superior game to online chess, and I am really looking forward to playing again when the time comes. All that said, I think that the organizers behind these online events are doing a tremendous job to pick up the slack in a difficult time.

Something you likely never did during a face-to-face tournament: dealing with a broken-pipe plumbing crisis in your home while at the same time playing a high-level international chess match on Zoom. What happened, and what was that like?

This was quite a funny incident! But this is the kind of thing that can happen when you are playing from your own home as opposed to going into the de facto coliseum to play your games. One of my best traits as a player is my ability to hyperfocus on the board in front of me with absolutely no regard for anything else (prize money on the line, whatever is going on in the world or my life, even who my opponent is) and find the best move. I certainly could not reach this level of hyperfocus when I heard the homeowners association groundskeeper banging around in the downstairs bathroom trying to fix the leak! It turned out to be nothing too serious, just a broken toilet that was flooding through the floor and onto the carport below, but of course I did not know this at the time. I managed to play reasonably well on the day, drawing with Greece and beating Italy.

Did your Brandeis experience shape your current path in some way?

Brandeis shaped me and made me a more complete person. I am a happier man for having completed my education. I also am not convinced that it really hurt my chess career to have taken some time off. There's a lot of really brilliant minds out there that were fed nothing but chess from age six onwards. I don't believe those players ended up any stronger than those who had a more balanced upbringing. But they do strike me as less happy.

Published On: December 7, 2020

Originally posted here:
Grandmaster Sam Shankland '14 on The Queen's Gambit and Chess Today - Brandeis University

Chessis the brainchild of ABBA stars Benny Andersson and Bjrn Ulvaeus, telling the story of two Grandmasters battling it out during the Cold War.

It has thrilled audiences since its 1986 West End premiere, with an iconic score featuring songs like Nobodys Side, Someone Elses Story, and One Night In Bangkok, the shows underlying political message could not be more relevant than in 2020.

Producer Adrian Storey is so excited to finally be bringing this production to audiences, having planned it for years with Director Tyran Parke. The pair are gearing up for the exciting concert performances of the show in both Melbourne and Perth next year.

The incredible score! Chess the Musical is one of the best diverse rock/pop-opera scores written for the stage. Chess the Musical was written at a time when British musical theatre were the kings of Broadway and, as a teenager, I immediately fell in love with the wonderful score. Testament to this is having two #1 hit UK songs plus a plethora of other hits worldwide. This production aims to celebrate that score.

Tyran Parke, the director, and I have been talking about presenting this show for six years. The difficulty was that the UK/Swedish rights holders wouldnt allow it to be presented whilst they re-worked parts of the show. After a series of attempts and arm twisting, we eventually obtained the professional rights and are delighted to finally bring Chess the Musical to Perth. Our production is six years in the making and now our dream becomes reality; we cant wait to share that with you.

Strangely enough it is not one of the more popular songs like I Know Him So Well, or One Night in Bangkok, it is You & I. For me, this song represents the heart of the show. Sung by Florence and Anatoly, it demonstrates the scale, depth and diversity of Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderssons song writing.

Were going to keep it simple! Numerous attempts at presenting this show has included over-complicated technical scenery and technology that ultimately detracts from the story and score. Partnering with the Perth Symphony Orchestra, we made a very firm decision to present the score as it deserves to be heard. This combined with our incredible cast, which shall be announced in February 2021, promises to be an incredible night out.

The pawn. They are such humble, foot soldiers and sacrificed without a moments thought. I think they are the bravest pieces on the board.

StoreyBoard Entertainment presents CHESS THE MUSICAL

Music by ABBAs Bjorn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson and Lyrics & Book by Tim Rice

For tickets and more info visitwww.chessmusical.info

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Producer Adrian Storey chats CHESS | Features - Aussie Theatre