Young and old to match wits

Chess tournament a chance for young and old to match wits
Published Saturday August 30th, 2008
By CHRIS FOX

A 60-year-old professor at St. Thomas University who plans to compete in a chess tournament in Fredericton this weekend says the game knows no age.

“Chess goes the entire range. When I go to tournaments, you can pretty much guarantee that there will be at least one 10-year-old, but at 60, I am nowhere near the oldest either,” Roland Chrisjohn said.

“Chess really keeps your mind active, and there is all kinds of evidence that if you play chess you won’t come down with Alzheimer’s, so really it’s the worlds greatest hobby for everybody because it’s both cheap and it keeps you sharp.”

Chrisjohn, who has been playing chess for 50 years, is one of an expected 15-20 competitors for the Philippe Brunet Memorial chess tournament this weekend.

The event, which will be staged at the Fredericton Inn from Saturday through Monday, is in its eight year. Each competitor will play six games against opponents of a similar skill level.

Tournament director Charles Graves said Friday the tournament’s atmosphere can’t be beaten.

“You can’t really understand until you have competed the intensity of this tournament,” he said.

“There is just something about playing competitive chess that is quite intense. And there is just so much adrenaline because if you slip once, you know you are going to waste four hours of your time, so everyone here generally does there best to stay on the top of their game.”

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