Rowan decides after her gap year not to continue with her studies but to embark on the search for her dream job. While prior to her gap year she was the textbook definition of a perfectionist, she now wants to live her life more on the relaxed side. She even makes a point out of enjoying her quest. However that proves a lot easier said than done. This time she is not travelling all on her own, but in the comfort of her own environment and surrounded by family and friends that both have set ex...

On 30 April 2023, in Astana, Kazakhstan, Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren sensationally defeated Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi in a dramatic battle for the chess crown. Ding Liren not only became the 17th World Chess Champion, but he also won the hearts of chess fans across the globe with his incredible fighting spirit and disarming interviews. At the final press conference, the new champion said the match ‘reflected the deepest of his soul’.

Humble and almost vulnerable in his demeanour, D...

The Dutch Grandmaster Paul van der Sterren was a professional chess player for over twenty years. At the peak of his career, he qualified for the Candidate Matches for the World Championship – and was only four victories away from the World Title. In Mindful Chess, you will get his long and short answer to whether meditation or mindfulness will help your chess.

As a boy, Van der Sterren became fascinated by chess and became a gladiator at the chess board. To quote Theodore Roosevelt, he met...