Grandmaster opens chess centre
SIMON MAUDE
The country’s one and only chess grandmaster will soon be nurturing up-and-coming talent in an old church hall in Auckland.
Murray Chandler has just opened the National Chess Centre in Devonport on the city’s North Shore and is about to teach youngsters all the tricks that helped get him to the top of his game.
It’s a business venture – kids pay for the privilege – but Chandler reckons there’s a big market for it.
“Once you get some proper guidance, you can improve very quickly,” he says.
“There’s a huge interest in schools, but they’re not getting serious training.”
Chandler became a chess grandmaster after winning several major tournaments and has also represented England. He’s published 200 books on the game and says he “doing quite well” on the pro circuit since returning to New Zealand in 2007.
He bought the old St Paul’s Church hall in 2013 and says it is the first centre of its kind in the country and ready to host the 122nd New Zealand Chess Congress next year.
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz
Fantastic.