Steve Bo Keeley

Chess and Sport Steve Bo Keeley

Is chess a sport? Chess today is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee, and after deep analysis The NY Times (2009) answered 'Maybe, Maybe Not'. After a lifetime in sports, including professional racquets, my answer is that chess is the headquarters of sports. This book describes the myriad applications of chess to sport, and in particular to my forte racquet sports, where I was six-time national paddleball champion, and the #2 ranked racquetball pro for many years. However, my better sports were judo, football and hiking. My credentials in chess are the Junior Chess Champ of the Michigan farm community of Jackson, and the founder of various clubs and winner of many tournaments for which I carved the trophies, as I did a three-dimensional chess set at age ten. This is how chess guided me into sports. I saw everyone on the court or field as pieces on the board. Anyone who wishes to learn how to play chess in sport may well become conversant in positions where the players are, were, and will be. Chess opens the eyes to a sequence of moves in sports, and to identify those action frames, lock on one, and alter the fate of play and championships. All sports are sweaty chess.