- What you actually know may help others.
Chess is a cross-generational activity – new players learn from older players. They learn tenacity and honesty. They learn to fight. They learn to respect the journey as much as they respect the result – no one moves from Class D to Class C, B, A, to Expert and Master without earning each step along the way. One of my favorite stories is World Correspondence Chess Champion John Purdy’s last OTB game. He collapsed at the board. When his son came to his side, Purdy said, “Son. I think I have a win, but it will take time.”
Purdy died with his clock running.
A perfect gentleman and former Australian OTB National Champion, Purdy served as a model for generations of players.
2. Chess is a disease – or a blessing – that has to be passed across the board from one player to another.
Experienced players are essential to keeping the circle unbroken. They are our bridge to the chess past, and what they remember and what they know can nurture and guide new talent. Someone has to remind bright new stars that they don’t know everything, yet. Chess is one of those rare pursuits where adults and kids compete on equal footing. They need us, and we need them. In chess – like everywhere else – mentors matter.
3. Even today, in the Age of the Internet, with rapid, almost instantaneous connection, Bobby Fischer is right – “Nothing is more important than a human touch.”
We need each other.
4. Chess friends last almost forever.
Today, with so much on the verge of slipping from my mind, ‘long lost friends’ from 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago are reaching out to remind me that my life matters, that what I have given has been received, and that chess matters to those of us lucky enough to find ourselves hooked.
-Don Maddox