Over the last 7 years, I've met and interacted with a lot of chess players and the counsellor and coach in me can't help but make comparisons between the National Juniors and the rest.
My observations lead me to the conclusion that its not a difference in IQ or even technical disparity. It is something else. Maybe that is best described by the word fighting spirit. And yet that is not enough. Their attitudes are different. There is an aliveness about them. Although they are not "angels" there is an openness about them. They are willing to share and to learn.
Have you been around people who drain you? 5 minutes with them and you are trying to get away? A negativity pervades their entire being.
Spend time with the National Juniors. They do just the opposite. They recharge you, reinvigorate you. There is this energy around them, in them. This is a gift; a gift to the Nation. We owe them a duty of care.
Do not let this crop of juniors become what has happened to the seniors. We cannot do anything about the past now. But we can prevent our current crop from becoming beaten down.
Next posting. What does leadership, pathfinder, visionary and strategy have in common? How does this relate to chess?
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