‘Strategy is important in chess and tennis. Becker explains Bosch’s reasoning for teaching himĬhess, “‘Gunther thought that I would expand my intellectualĪwareness of structuring a point if I learnt to play chess,’ Becker Taught how to play chess as a teenager, by his coach Güntherīosch. Boris Becker won many titles in the Wimbledons, theĪustralian Opens and the US Open. Many tennis players also play the game of chess, includingįormer German former world No. “American tennis great Jack Kramer claimed: ‘To be a championship tennis player, you need the mind of a chess master and the endurance of a marathon runner.’” I’m 2001, at a Bonnaroo Music Festival, Abdul-Jabbar was caught reading “Chess Tactics for Champions”. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an avid chess player. However, basketball was not the only game he was interested in. Abdul-Jabbar was an amazingīasketball player with a great mindset towards the game. Greatest Players in NBA history, in 1996. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was honored as one of the 50 Won six championships as a player and then two more championships as anĪssistant coach. He wasĪwarded NBA Most Valuable Player six times, was a 19-time NBA All-Star,Īnd was an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team Member. Seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. You can read more stories here.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a former NBA player. Clearly, chess runs in the family.įor more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians - from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community - check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. "She is so, so supportive," he said, and laughs. He says his wife, a business analyst, supports him chasing his dreams. "That is my real passion, to be a true artist," Crooks said. The summer session for the classes is over now, but Crooks, who has also worked as a Mohawk College instructor and has a bachelor of education degree, has plans to extend the course into the fall.Īs for his dream of becoming a professional painter? He hopes, in two years, to study in France. I think it will help me a lot with other stuff, like in school," Adam said. "I learned a lot of strategy, tactics, openings. On this day late in August, the boys quietly watched as Crooks demonstrated a queen sacrifice and explained the traits of a poisoned pawn.Īdam had never played chess before, but started coming every day to absorb the game from Crooks. (Wayne MacPhail)Īdam Alsafadl, 12, and his older brother Yousef, 14, were two of Crooks's first students. He is now teaching kids in Hamilton to play. Israel Crooks' love of chess began as a kid in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He started with a few free ad hoc lessons and then, with the aid of a flyer his wife put together, more formal, for-fee (15 sessions, $225) Chess in the Park classes. "They asked me to teach them," Crooks recalls. His set ended up on the court and the boys gathered around to watch Crooks moving pieces in an intricate dance of intrigue. "I noticed the kids weren't playing strategically," he says. I told them we need to play chess. - Israel CrooksĪbout a month ago, he brought a chess set to a basketball game in the park. I noticed the kids weren't playingstrategically. Here, he honed his game even more, through hours of play at the Hamilton Public Library and between shifts at the city's factories. He deepened his skill year by year as he earned a degree in biochemistry and then moved to Hamilton in 2002 to join his wife, who had already arrived and settled in. (Wayne MacPhail)Ĭrooks was first exposed to chess at age 10 in Montego Bay. Adam Alsafadl, 12, shown in Hamiton's Victoria Park, and his older brother Yousef, 14, were two of Crooks's first Chess in the Park students.
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