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Of all the lessons LeBron James tried to teach Kyrie Irving during their time together in Cleveland, the one that probably never came up is the one that could be most helpful today: Either you control the narrative or the narrative controls you.

I know Irving as well as any reporter can because I was with him longer than anyone. Thats not to say I know him well. Irving keeps everyone on the outside at a distance. Thats his right. But I was one of a select few media members who witnessed the lottery drawing the night the Cavs won it in 2011 to draft him first overall. I was the first one to ask him, that same night, about following LeBron as the face of the franchise in Cleveland (he always hated that line of thinking/questioning).

I was with him in Indiana when he missed a potential game-winning shot his rookie year and was visibly shaken, not because he missed the shot, but by all of the grown men standing around his locker waiting to talk to him while...

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Irving's trying to play chess while ignoring useful pieces - The Athletic

Over-the-board chess has returned in impressive style to Moscows historic Central Chess Club this week. The building and its elegant playing hall, once the hub of the Soviet chess empire which dominated the game for half a century, is hosting the Russian mens and womens championships and the emergence of a new teenage star.

Polina Shuvalova, aged 19, won her first six rounds in the womens championship and is set to battle for the title in Tuesdays penultimate round with the current world No 2, Aleksandra Goryachkina, 22, who is unbeaten but 1.5 points behind. So far Shuvalovas best game has been her tactical slugfest with Alina Kashlinskaya, top woman at Isle of Man 2018.

Shuvalovas performance has a wider significance for global womens chess, which has received a huge status boost from Anya Taylor-Joys role as the fictional Beth Harmon in The Queens Gambit, plus the much acclaimed online commentaries by Judit Polgar, who is already established as the best woman player of all time.

USSR/Russia was No 1 in womens chess for 45 years until China took over in the mid-1990s, while Polgar played only in open events against men. Hou Yifan, 26, the all-time No 2, was at the top for a decade but recently became a university professor and now plays less.

Hous comeback at Danzhou last week featured a smooth win where her bishops and central passed pawns outwitted the runner-ups rooks, but two defeats marred her overall result.

Chinas Ju Wenjun is world champion, though ranked only No 4, while Indias No 3, Humpy Koneru, favourite for the womens Grand Prix at Gibraltar next month, is also in the mix. Yet Shuvalova, the youngest in the top 20 and already a triple junior world champion at under18 and under20 levels, looks the player to follow. Dominance in womens chess tends to last for decades, so the early 2020s could see Russia back on top thanks to its young duo.

What of Magnus Carlsen? The world champion was online at 5pm on Friday as the Norwegian, whose 30th birthday birthday celebrations on 30 November were marred by his loss to Wesley So in the Skilling Open final, took on Frances world No 5, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, in a semi-final of the chess.com speed championship. The format was 90 minutes of 5/1 blitz, 60 minutes of 3/1 blitz and 30 minutes of 1/1 bullet.

Carlsen suffered a shock defeat as Vachier-Lagrave, who had beaten the No 1 at blitz previously, took and kept an early lead in the blitz sections, and even extended it in bullet, where Carlsen is notably strong. Very late in the match the world champion won three in a row to keep his chances alive in the final game, but the Frenchman, whose internet handle is LyonBeast, won that for a final 13-11 margin. In Saturdays final Vachier-Lagrave will face Hikaru Nakamura, who narrowly defeated So in a semi-final watched by a record audience of around 40,000. It seemed ominous for Nakamura as it was also his birthday, his 33rd, but he squeezed past his US rival by tieing after the two blitz sections and winning the bullet.

Hungarys Richard Rapport won the mens event in Danzhou ahead of Chinas world No 3, Ding Liren, and was also the beneficiary of an offbeat record. Veselin Topalov and Rapport were in the process of halving out quickly with two rounds to go, until the Bulgarian, planning Qd8xQd1+, instead landed the queen on d2 where it could be taken by any of Rapports queen, bishop and king!

The Danzhou incident echoes Carlsens mouse slip against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the first round of the Skilling Open. Players do not enjoy winning through such an accident, and it could be time for a special rule for elite tournaments that allows, say, one takeback per game and a maximum of three per tournament where the arbiter is satisfied that a mouse slip is the reason. Additional safeguards like no takebacks with less than a minute on either clock would be needed, but it seems to be a simple and workable innovation, an online version of saying jadoube before adjusting a piece in an over the board game.

Meanwhile Michael Adams, the England No 1, will be top seed for the online British Championship, whose qualifying rounds start on Friday evening. Entries are accepted until 7 pm Friday.

3701: 1 Ra3! b4 2 Ra4! b3 3 Rh4! Kxh4 4 Nf3 mate.

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Chess: Polina Shuvalova shines as over-the-board play resumes in Moscow - The Guardian

Goodchess players are master strategists and problem solvers. Alexandra Botez has one more unlikely skill in her arsenal: insults.

My dad is a huge troll, the chess influencer, 25, told The Post of her father and former coach, Andrei. He would always trash-talk me when we were playing so I had to survive and learn to trash-talk him back. I think he gets very disappointed if I am not good at it.

Alexandras withering repartee like ripping Norwegian grandmaster Jon Ludvig Hammers hokey Hawaiian shirt between moves has helped her attract 450,000 followers on the gaming platform Twitch, where she livestreams games and personal content with her sister, Andrea, 18.

Her numbers have shot up this year in January, she had just 61,000 fans on Twitch as the pandemic forced people indoors without many competitive sports to watch.She also has more than 250,000 followers on Instagram and more than 25 million views on her Youtube channel BotezLive.

Now shes gotten a second boost from the hugely popular Netflix show The Queens Gambit, a period drama about a female chess prodigy (played by Anya Taylor-Joy).

I think everyone in the chess world agrees that this is the best-ever portrayal of chess on the TV screen, said Botez, who holds the prestigious International Chess Federation title of Womens FIDE Master. Chess-set sales on eBay have soared over 130 percent. Its had a big impact on girls interest in chess.

The same could be said for Botez herself. Born in Dallas, shes the daughter of Romanian immigrants who fled communism and sought political asylum. The family moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada, when she was very young, and her father, an engineer, began teaching 6-year-old Alexandra to play chess on a wager.

My mom only plays a little. So he made a bet that he could teach me to play and that, in only two weeks, I would be able to beat her, Botez said.

She did, and her dad realized he had a special talent on his hands. Two years later he began taking her to local parks to hustle old-timers (albeit with no cash involved).

Hed say, Is it OK if my daughter tries a game? They would make room for me to play but be annoyed, Botez recalled. But annoyance would turn to confusion once she beat them. They would say, Who is your daughter?

Afterthe family moved to Texas, she won the US Girls National championship at age 15. At Stanford, where she studied international relations with a focus on China, Botez was the first female president of the universitys chess club.

She also co-founded CrowdAmp, a now-defunct social-media company that utilized artificial intelligence for more personalized communication.

The self-described workaholic began streaming chess matches on Twitch and in 2019, when her startup folded, she decided to make the game her main gig.

Some of my advisers said things like, You should go work at a startup and try to start a company again. You arent going to learn much being a chess streamer. It wasnt the best reaction, so thats partly why I moved to the East Coast. I wanted a fresh start, Botez said.

She moved to the East Village in September 2019 and devoted herself to streaming and producing content forchess.com. She also didnt have a backup plan: I was really determined to make it work.

Then COVID hit.

Chess exploded on Twitch, and I was one of the top streamers. I remember being so excited, I couldnt sleep. I was so high on adrenaline, Botez said, comparing it to the Eminem song Lose Yourself, about seizing the moment.

She even won over her parents, who initially didnt understand her pivot to streaming.When people asked what I did, my mother would say I worked in venture capital. Now my parents watch on Twitch. They sometimes stream with us, Botez said.

For high-ranking influencers and streamers, the earning potential is thrilling: Twitchs No. 1 streamer, the video-gamer Ninja, has 16 million followers and is reportedly worth $15 million. Most streamers earn money off sponsorships, but their primary income comes from subscription and advertising revenue.

Botez and Andrea, who is taking a gap year after graduating from high school this past spring, are soon signing with an agency that represents top e-sports athletes. They also just moved to Austin, Texas, where the income tax is a lot better, Botez noted.

I want to make the game more accessible to the average players. I think my sister and I have done a good job of explaining ideas clearly, she added.

And while being a female streamer in a male-dominated world does come with drawbacks like online sexual harassment, Botez handles it with her trademark cool.

Theres always going to be some bad actors. I am tuning that out at this point, she said. Their opinions dont matter.

Photos by: Yvette Velasquez; Hair/Makeup: Kylie Sallee

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Alexandra Botez is taking the chess world by stormlive on Twitch - New York Post

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.

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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