Teaching tomorrow’s Grandmasters

>> Chess instructor says love of the game,
not women or wealth, lures clients

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Elias-Axel Pettersson

Age: 27

Occupation: Chess/music instructor

Bio: This erudite Côte-des-Neiges resident arrived here from his native New Mexico last summer to study piano performance under celebrated musician/professor Paul Stewart at UdeM. “Musically, Montreal is just a great town to be in.” Looking to earn a couple extra bucks while pursuing his Ph.D, Elias has started offering group and private lessons in not only music, but chess, a game he started playing at age five and has been kicking ass at since middle school, where he was among the top scholastic players in his state. Recently returning from the World Open in Philadelphia where he tied for fifth place in his division out of hundreds of other chess geeks, Elias says he hasn’t taken an IQ test since he was nine years old, and can’t remember exactly how high it was, but recalls it was good enough to get him into a school for gifted children.

At chess tournaments, is it sometimes hard to concentrate over the excited roar of the crowd and all the groupies flashing their tits for attention? “Um, it’s extremely silent and no, there aren’t any groupies—although the top players do have fan clubs.”

Are there any chicks whatsoever at these competitions? “It’s true the game is overwhelmingly male-dominated but there are programs for females as well, with some women even making top 10 in the male leagues.”

Are the leagues separated by gender because everyone knows women are too stupid to compete against men? “I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because women haven’t played as much historically—although more are playing now, with some really strong female players coming up. Chess has this nerdy stigma attached to it and, you know, women aren’t supposed to be like that. But so many kinds of people are into chess. I’ve competed against hoboes and homeless people in Central Park who were really good players. And that nerdy stereotype is false—most players I know aren’t really like that. Still, there’s a stigma attached to it. Like, in high school, if you tell people you’re on the football team or on the chess team, well, it’s just not the same thing, is it?”

Is there big money to be won at these tournaments? “Not really. In the end, it’s pretty bad unless you’re Garry Kasparov or a top Grandmaster who gets paid a lot of money just to attend. Most chess players have to do something else to pay their bills, like teach.”

What it’ll cost you to develop your game under him: Roughly $25 an hour, less for group lessons. Contact him via gmelias2863@yahoo.com.

Does one need a certain kind of brain to excel in chess? “People who are good in science, math and music tend also to be good at chess, so there’s a relation somehow. A lot of it’s focusing your concentration for long periods of time and pattern recognition. There are several instances of certain inner-city kids, who by most standards wouldn’t be considered that smart, who are extremely talented at chess.”

Last book read: The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand.

Musical preferences: Rachmaninoff, Medtner.

Words of wisdom: “Persevere and it’ll happen, it will work out.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net