Chess is a complex intellectual game, but if you want to develop, do not look for a better way to improve logic, patience and strategic thinking. Oleksiy Weber has been in love with chess since childhood, but right now he has used this amazing tool for self-improvement and development

“My grandfather taught me to play chess, and it’s a pretty interesting story. When I first saw the chessboard, I asked, “What is it?” He told, and I asked, “Teach me to play.”… We didn’t have pieces, but we had a chessboard and buttons. We first played checkers, and when my grandfather and I got tired, we decided to play chess. Because the buttons were multicolored, we had to memorize their color by associating it with the figure. For example, a big green button is an elephant. It got to the point that they played the game on the machine and did not think. That’s how I learned to play”

“At first, my grandfather yielded to me, like all adults. But the main thing when learning is to interest children, because if you constantly lose, it’s hard to want to play more. In this way, my grandfather motivated me to continue playing chess”

“Chess is like life: you can play a game very well, but you make one wrong move and lose. The same in life: you can do everything right, but one step aside can leave you with nothing. For me, as for any chess player, the most favorite moment is when you win the game: you bet or make your opponent give up”

“… I once had the idea to create a blog “From amateur to master of sports or grandmaster.” I understand that the way to the grandmaster is very difficult and not everyone can get this title, but it is possible to become a candidate for master of sports. I am close to the first category, and if you train with a specialist and work, you can achieve this title”

“Recently, I took the position of vice president of the Chess Federation of Zhytomyr Region and I still can’t say what I feel. But it is definitely not as interesting as playing chess, because it is necessary to engage in organizational activities: to administer tournaments, to solve various issues. However, I understand well how everything happens from within”

“Chess is an intellectual game, and like every game, it has some particularly interesting moments… As one famous chess player said, it is a game of the mind”

“Life is cyclical: very often what was in trend 20, 30, 50 years ago comes back again. An interesting experience of chess promotion in the States. They now have a chess boom. Tournaments are held there regularly, but they are more commercial – the organizers gather a large number of participants who make a financial contribution. There is a great prize pool, and many people play chess professionally, because you can earn several thousand dollars for one tournament that lasts a day or two. Unfortunately, there are few such tournaments in Ukraine. One of the ideas is to make chess more popular so that more people can join the game”

“Sport is useful for anyone, and especially for chess players, because the intellectual game is exhausting. To recover quickly and keep a constant concentration on the board, you need to play sports. Many famous chess players included other sports in their training: swimming, tennis, etc. To keep fit, I run, I love basketball. There is a basketball court near my house, and when possible, I practice a variety of ball throws”

“Zhytomyr is comfortable to live in, you don’t have to spend a lot of time on the road here. I love the city for the comfort, friendliness of its inhabitants, architecture. I like Mykhailivska Street, or as I call it “our mini Khreshchatyk”

“There is a desire to revive chess in the Zhytomyr region, to reach at least the level that was 20-30 years ago. I want to make this sport popular. The main thing is that people do not perceive the game as a hobby. It is better to perceive it as a sport that can not only make money, but also develop and feel happy”