Mark Bowen of Chess Ninja's Dojo conducted a very interesting interview with Jamaican National Master Mark Holness. This interview takes a refreshing look at Jamaican chess, a bit of its history, Holness' evolution in chess and prescriptions for the advancement of chess on the island.

In the interview Holness emphasizes the importance of psychology in chess and states that in many cases it plays a primary role in chess success. He lauds Garry Kasparov's ability to master this element in his career and his ability to stay atop a field of hungry lions until retirement.

On interesting remark was make about Holness' ICC handle "drancro." He admits that it is related to "John Crow," a Jamaican bird that seizes an opportunity and achieves success by unlikely or extra-ordinary means. Upon first seeing "John Crow," a positive symbol in Jamaica, a careless American may mistake it for "Jim Crow," a set of codified laws design to subjugate Blacks during the 50s and 60s.

Holness stands as the Jamaican Chess Federation Vice-President of the Cornwall Region.  His goal is "to have formal chess activities in every Parish in my region. Which can sustain itself without my intervention." The interview was quite interesting and provides a bit of insight on the scene in Jamaica and hopefully we will continue to get more of these interviews and more Ninja articles. Bowen's "Lateral Thinking in Chess" stands as a favorite at The Chess Drum.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 27 December 2005