By Philipp M., Grade 9
“I wanted to have a chess club here in Germany, so that students could always have an opportunity to play chess,” Math teacher Mr. Collier explained.
Mr. Collier started a chess club after school activity because he felt he did not get enough opportunity to play it when he was younger and therefore wanted to provide students an opportunity he did not have. Already in 2008, four years before he came to MIS, he had a chess club when he taught in Thailand, Bangkok.
Which specific skills are necessary to be successful in chess?
Students play during chess club on 18 October, 2023 (Philipp M./The Buchhof Bulletin)
Patience and critical thinking are most essential to be successful in the game, according to Mr. Collier. Additionally, he suggested reflecting on mistakes made during games and learning from them. He finds delight in chess because of its complicated and interesting positions, where you must think carefully before every move.
Mr. Collier enjoyed chess most if he can find intriguing moves which can put him into an advantage over the other player.
“It’s not very exciting when you’re in a losing position and like every move you make puts you in a worse position, that doesn’t feel very good.” Mr. Collier said with a small enthusiastic laugh.
Does chess make people more intelligent and why are not all intelligent people good at chess?
Mr. Collier explains chess puzzles at chess club on 18 October 2023 (Philipp M./The Buchhof Bulletin)
Based on Mr. Colliers chess experience, he declared that he thinks that playing chess does not increase someone’s intelligence. Additionally, he is convinced that some intelligent people are not good at chess because they are not passionate about it, hence they won’t play it often. The key thing is to practice, he said.
The role of a timer in chess
In Mr. Collier’s opinion, a timer is necessary, otherwise some games would take too long. He finds that blitz games are more instinct-based, while in rapid, 10-minute games, people who memorize, and concentrate, will do better.
A life that led to chess
Mr. Collier has worked across the world – in Korea, Thailand, and of course, Germany.
“I like Germany the most since I stayed here,” Mr. Collier said. “It’s good weather, good nature. The air is clean, so, a lot of the Asian big cities which I lived in were very dirty, so I would get sick more often. I’m healthier since I live in Germany.”
The math teacher already had a chess club when he was teaching in Thailand.
“In Thailand there’s lots of interaction,” he explained. “There are like 70, 80 international schools. So that was a lot of fun. We could actually have tournaments really easily. I haven’t been able to do that so much.”
Mr. Collier’s other interests are playing darts, pool, doing long bicycle rides, watching TV shows, and playing a lot of video games.