“Never Played Me Again”: Will Smith Reveals How He Defeated His Father at Chess When He Was Just 12
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A lot of celebrities are hooked on chess because A- it’s a wonderful pass time and B- it’s the most amazing mental exercise you can include in your lifestyle. Superstar Will Smith is one of those personalities who adore chess and, in fact, is a chess enthusiast. His love for the game is revealed in this throwback video.
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The reel life Genie reveals he was taught how to play chess by his father during his early childhood years. When he was 12, he defeated his father for the first time and after that, his father never played with him. Early teachings of chess taught him a great deal about controlling one’s mind.
The actor is so fond of chess that he even took lessons from the Jamaican-American Grand Master, Maurice Ashley, who has had a significant influence on his chess journey. Will often implements some of the chess principles he learned then whenever he feels stuck in a situation.
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Will Smith talks about chess
Smith believes that the lessons by Grand Master Maurice Ashley were like motivational advice for him.
He said, “My father taught me how to play chess… I was probably 8. He trained me for 4 years and I was 12 the first time I beat him at a game of chess and once I beat him, he next played me again. A Grand Master, Maurice Ashley, the first black Grandmaster, got him to come and teach me for three days.”
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He added, “So he taught me this thing he said so listen he says ‘when you look at a chessboard here’s what I want you to do he said in your mind when you look at a position put the pieces wherever you want them pick them up in your mind and put them where you want them where do you wish they were. All right and I was like, ‘well yeah, but he can’t go.’ He’s like ‘that’s the trick of your mind.'”
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Maurice Ashley is glad that he met Will Smith
The first African-American Grand Master feels that chess is the best thing that ever happened to him. He was truly glad to meet the actor, Will Smith, and it was all made possible because of chess. Ashley is now a chess coach and is a renowned commentator for various mega chess events.
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The popularity of the game is growing with each passing day. From a king’s pass time game, it has transformed into a worldwide phenomenon. Every day, more and more people are getting indulged in the game.
Whether you play it as a hobby or just a game or a mental exercise, one thing is for sure: chess is never going out of the fashion.
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