By Ian Williams
In a move that would impress most grand masters, David and Sabrina Koetsier are turning a love for chess into a thriving business that’s attracting hundreds of new young players.
The Dutch couple both played chess as children and since arriving in South Australia 10 years ago have been inspiring local school students to take up the game.
They started chess coaching business Chesslife five years ago and have also taken senior positions on chess organisations at the state and national level. Now they are organising an international chess tournament in Adelaide in December which will attract some of the world’s elite players.
“David has a passion for chess and it just couldn’t be stopped,” says Sabrina. “About five years ago he started coaching some friends and then that moved to a school and it just kept growing.”
David Koetsier runs chess classes in more than 20 Adelaide Hills and city primary schools
David eventually gave up his job as a medical nuclear physicist to launch Chesslife and Sabrina, a medical scientist, expects to become full-time in the business in about 12 months. She’s currently an assistant chess coach and Chesslife operations manager.
The couple run chess classes in more than 20 Adelaide Hills and city primary schools from their Bridgewater base, teaching the intricacies of the game to about 500 students a week.
As a result of their efforts, the number of players in the South Australian Interschool Chess Championships keeps increasing. In January they helped organise the Australian Junior Chess Championships in Adelaide which attracted a record 260 of the country’s best young players.
“We just want to grow chess because of the enormous benefits that it can have for children,” said Sabrina. “I think every school should have a chess club because it helps improve concentration and teaches forward thinking and strategic thinking.”
Sabrina Koetsier is currently an assistant chess coach and Chesslife operations manager
The couple use a Dutch system of chess training that consists of six steps and allows students to pick up the skills at their own pace.
“We’re not approaching this to generate grand masters but rather focusing on the benefits that students will gain simply from learning how to play chess,” says Sabrina.
But while that may not be the principal aim, their students are still succeeding at the highest level.
One of them, 15 year-old Oscar Herrmann, was recently selected to join a junior elite training squad for 30 of Australia’s top junior players. He’ll be attending a five-day intense training camp in Sydney in July hosted by grand masters and international masters.