Whether you think of chess as a sport or a hobby, it is a readily accessible activity for people of all abilities to participate in. At Chesslife we cater to a wide range of players, including many on the Autism spectrum, whom chess has been shown to benefit. In our blogs we love to talk about the players who have come to chess with different abilities, so this week we interviewed 15-year-old Connor, a regular at our Campbelltown library-based club.

Connor, rated 1495 on chess.com, has been playing chess for four years, at least two of these with us at Chesslife. Through chess, Connor has learnt determination and persistence which has trickled through to other areas of his life including school.

Connor tells us:

“I plan, at least when I’m older, to keep playing because I might make some friends with it… Every school holidays there’s at least one tournament so I play there”.

“I’ve got no vision in the right eye, that’s completely blind due to glaucoma as a baby. In the left eye I’ve got limited peripheral vision so I can see, I think, quite a bit. But compared to people with usual vision I see quite little”.

The size of the chess pieces assists Connor to play and he has no problem bringing down his opponents with the provision of suitable lighting and adjustment to his chair. Connor is a great contributor to The Chess Centre and chess community.

Campbelltown students admire Connor’s dedication to the game and at Chesslife we are proud to have seen him grow as a player. His aggressive but cautious play has seen him do well amongst adult players at local tournaments, something he intends to keep doing throughout his life.

Connor admits his favourite part of chess is the competition: “I’m definitely not shy. Other kids at my school did sport and they were always too nervous to take part in competitions. I like playing against other people”.

The team aspect of playing chess at Campbelltown also appeals to Connor: “I like a feeling of competing with other people, so if I could play say soccer for instance, I would like that feeling of being part of a team”.

When we asked Connor what the most important qualities for a chess player are, he told us, “Definitely calm. You can’t be one of those sports people who if they lose they start yelling and screaming. If you win just say, ‘good game’“.

Some wise words from a player who is always growing from his experiences. “If I don’t win, I learn from it”, he said.

Chess is an activity that allows students with all abilities and from all backgrounds to socialise and develop their minds through strategic thinking. Everyone should be given the opportunity to play and organisations like the International Braille Chess Association, which boasts over 60 member countries, support participation by students with vision impairment. The organisation regularly sponsors the Blind Chess Olympiad, this year’s event to be held in Macedonia.

Competition and being part of a team are valuable skill sets and are certainly two things Connor receives in plenty when he attends Campbelltown Chess Club’s advanced classes for one hour each week. He readily admits that the community spirit as well as Chesslife’s in depth coaching has allowed him to develop as a player.

“At Campbelltown, it’s organised”, he said.

“I would say the biggest thing is the level of teaching, it is just a lot more in depth. Here it will actually go into how you connect the rooks for example, how to open”.

As for the biggest lesson he has taken away from Head Coach David and the Chesslife team at Campbelltown: “At the beginning I used to move the pawn in front of the rook and I always did that. I didn’t know how to improve. For a while I experimented and I came here and here I changed the opening”.

Connor is on Step 4 Extra in the Step Method and has found the books invaluable in helping him work through difficult positions that come up in his games.

During our interview, we learnt that Connor doesn’t just enjoy the teaching at Campbelltown Library. Chess has helped to shape Connor’s outlook on the game and on life, as it does with many of our students.

“It’s fine to make mistakes, if you lose a pawn or a couple of pawns it’s fine. It just shows you that usually to gain something, to get out of a position, you’ll have to lose a piece. Nothing comes completely for free”.

Connor has a rich life outside of school. He is also a member of the Malacalogical Society of South Australia. He loves to collect shells and learn about ‘benefiting the environment, shell shows, shell auctions and what’s been happening around the world in terms of shell news.’ Connor’s own collection sits between 800 and 900 specimens, many locally bought.

Click here for more details on the Campbelltown Library Chess Club.