Chess has no boundaries. That’s the message former champion Evguenia Charomova lives by every day, as she teaches those with neurodiverse conditions how to play the “game of kings”. Mitchell Hageman hears how chess is helping enrich lives and unlock opportunities in more ways than one.
Silence, a wry smirk, then the realisation I’d messed up. It sounds scary on paper, but in essence it was the most engaged and calm I’ve ever felt.
I’m playing my first ever game of chess - learning which squares to move my pawns to, while at the same time figuring out patterns and how to calculate one step ahead. It’s mentally stimulating, and for a moment I’m lost in my own little world, free of embarrassment.
Speech therapist and former chess champion Evguenia Charomova sees reactions like mine daily, teaching chess in schools and in the community with the goal of fostering inclusivity, friendship, and positive environments.
After settling in New Zealand from Russia with her parents at a young age, she became an under-16 champ, and then later a New Zealand women’s chess champion.
“I enjoy the strategy around it, and the creativity that involves,” she says as we play a game of cat and mouse.
“I definitely find that if I play in tournaments, it helps me focus a lot better. If I don’t play for some time; I find my concentration gets worse.”
There are multiple studies that cite the positive correlation between chess, psychology and neural pathways. Charomova says the big things she notices are “concentration, the improvement in focus, and the ability to strategically plan”.
The game has also been proven to have a positive impact on those with neurodiverse conditions and ASD (autistic spectrum disorder).
Charomova, who works at Parkside Specialist School in Pukekohe, says part of her work has been collaborating with students as part of the international Infinite Chess Programme to learn more about the game, especially those with autism and other neurodiverse conditions.
“[The programme] was started by three women who were passionate about chess. I think their story is inspiring because they had this vision about teaching autistic children chess [to] see if they will enjoy it.”
Infinite’s main goals are to use chess as a medium to improve communication, thinking, self-esteem and overall quality of life. It also undertakes research on the links between ASD and chess, as well as promoting initiatives to create further accessibility.
It’s not only decision-making and self-regulation benefits Charomova has seen in her ASD students, but also social ones.
“I ask them ‘how do you feel chess has helped you?’ and they say, oh that’s a way for us to make friends. It’s also helped them develop leadership skills as well,” she says.
“I also had a student who started playing chess and then he wanted to teach chess, which I thought was amazing because teaching chess takes a lot of skills.”
She’s speaking about 20-year-old neurodiverse Parkside student Wrylee Shawn Pennycook. His eyes light up when we talk about his experience in the programme and his passion for the game.
“I like having fun with chess,” he tells me. “It makes me really happy to play.”
His mum, Kim Pennycook, says the positive impact the programme has had on Wrylee has been “mind-blowing”.
“It allows him to think more than one step in advance, and allows his brain to settle, make conscious decisions, and plan ahead, something he hadn’t really been able to do in the past,” she says.
“He’s gained confidence, he’s gained new skills, he’s more open to new opportunities, whereas before he was quite closed off and withdrawn, and wasn’t confident in himself.”
Kim says in the past she’s noticed people were not prepared to listen to her son and others like him, who are on the higher end of the neurodiversity spectrum, or would write off their answers, owing to stutters or a lack of coherency.
“Through chess, he’s found the confidence to be able to say he has an answer. It opens up so many doors,” she says.
“It’s given him so much confidence he’s even been able to apply for part-time jobs, which is something we never thought he’d be able to do. He’s just thriving in leaps and bounds, and I can’t wait to see where it takes him next.”
Charomova says she’s also seen benefits in ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and Down’s syndrome students as well.
“Research around kids that have ADHD who play chess showed that it does help with the concentration. Even my experience, when I would teach kids, I could see that they could focus a lot better,” she says.
For Charomova, chess doesn’t always have to be about winning, but about your own learning journey.
“I think it is as intense as you want it to be because everyone plays at different levels. I do enjoy winning, but for me it was more about the journey and getting better myself,” she says.
It is also rewarding to see the personal wins and realisations in her students.
“It’s seeing the gradual change.”
In October, in partnership with the NZ Chess Federation, she will be running the inaugural Chess for Champions of Determination at Parkside, a free event for people with physical disabilities as well as those with ASD, Down’s syndrome, ADHD or cognitive delay.
And for those families wanting a first taste of chess on a large scale, Charomova encouraged families to check out Auckland’s Aotea Square’s massive “Checkmate” installation as part of the We The Young Festival until September 28.
“I think there has been a lot of stigma around chess, for example it’s too late for people to start. What we’re trying to bring is chess into the communities and make it more accessible.
“It’s a great way to see how chess and art is connected. The kids can even play hide and seek among them.”
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.