CHENNAI: Much like any sporting discipline, chess too requires its players to have physical and mental toughness. In a bid to keep the players in the best possible shape during the tournament, the England women’s team that arrives for the chess Olympiad --- starting on July 28 --- will be armed with their performance coach Benjamin Portheault. He has been a performance coach for basketball players in France and also worked with numerous chess players.
Interestingly, this is the first time that the England women’s team has made use of a performance coach’s expertise and players are already beginning to see the change. “I see the difference. It makes me feel mentally stronger. There are a lot of (sporting) disciplines that are using performance coaches. That’s why it is nice to try one in chess,” Jovanka Houska, the senior-most player in the line-up, told TOI. Jovanka’s teammate Akshaya gave an overview on Benjamin’s work. “He is a great addition to the team. Benjamin has been helping us with the more psychological aspects of the game, organizing pre-game routines and identifying common values amongst the team,” Akshaya mentioned.
Benjamin has introduced the team to certain breathing techniques that could come into play when they feel particularly stressed for a game or are otherwise too tired. Benjamin has majorly worked with chess players but this is the first time he has been part of a national chess team. “The type of players who come to me are the ones who feel they are lagging behind or need that extra push to get to the next level. I try to bring practices that are common in other sporting disciplines to chess which I think is lagging a little bit,” Benjamin told TOI.
Benjamin has been working with the team for the last few months. The 42-year-old feels chess players’ pre-match routine will see a big change with the intervention of performance coaches in the near future. “A lot of chess players don’t actually have a pre-performance routine wherein they get themselves in the right mental space --- seconds before the game. That’s something which is customary in the sport and performance coaches will help chess players to get there,” Benjamin mentioned. Jovanka feels Benjamin’s presence will come in handy to maintain optimum motivation levels in a high-pressure tournament like the Olympiad. “It’s a long event with a few days off in between and he could play a role in keeping us mentally tuned in,” she said.
