Laurens Goormachtigh, Scion scientist turned full-time chess player and coach.
In the past 18 months, Laurens Goormachtigh has made two of the biggest changes in his life so far.
At age 26, the materials scientist moved from his Belgian homeland to Rotorua last January, to take up a new job as a researcher and developer in renewable resources at Scion.
About six months after his move, Goormachtigh rekindled an old love for the board game chess.
Laurens Goormachtigh, Scion scientist turned full-time chess player and coach. Photo/Stephen Parker
He played it competitively until age 12, but after a 14-year break, he laid his pieces on the board again.
"I was playing and I realised time was flashing by. I was thinking 'I really love this game, why did I ever stop?'. I could not come up with a good reason."
Goormachtigh started teaching chess in his spare time.
"The first time I went to a school for a chess session ... The feeling that I got from the kids, the enjoyment in their eyes, the sparkle in their eyes, I felt I really want to pursue this. It's amazing."
The sense of satisfaction reminded him of his past experiences teaching children to swim.
"I loved it. In Belgium I taught one particular 8-year-old who was very fearful of the water. For him, 90 per cent of learning to swim was psychological, just getting over the fear.
"It is also like that in chess. Once you believe you can use certain skills and strategies, you're halfway there. My job as a coach is to foster that belief that a player can win. I keep on asking questions to draw the answer out of the players so that they can identify the solution - the best move."
Laurens Goormachtigh playing chess. Photo/Suppied
Goormachtigh decided to turn his teaching hobby into a fulltime occupation and finished working at Scion last week.
"I reached a point where I knew I could not really combine both anymore."
He is now self-employed and is launching his own coaching business called Chess Minds, and a website http://chessminds.co/.
"Some people think it's a bit crazy but I just know I have to do this. The next few months will be extremely exciting. This is just what I love so I owe it to myself to do it."
He said his Scion workmates were understanding.
"They know I love it. Most of them thought it was brave. It was not an easy choice but they respected it."
They gave him a chess piece as a goodbye present - a 3D printed king chess piece made out of a biocomposite material.
Laurens Goormachtigh's chess piece gifted by Scion. Photo/Samantha Olley
Goormachtigh won his age group competition multiple times at the Flanders chess championships as a child.
He went on to play at the youth world championships in Spain, three years in a row.
"That was when I first saw the strength of diversity in chess. Sex, ethnicity, language - it does not matter. Some of the best players in the world now were in my birth year."
He has started playing competitively again in New Zealand.
"I have won a few tournaments and increased my rating rapidly," he said.
"Good chess players focus on the process of getting an advantage in the game rather than being blinded by the trophies. The prizes are merely a side effect of playing good games, it is process over outcome. It is the same with anything in life. One step at a time you know.
"There is no life lesson that I cannot see reflected in the game of chess. You not only improve at calculations, but also other life skills such as decision making. Every move you're making in the game, everything changes after that. Life is the same and every game is different."
Sarah Carter's 10-year-old son Joseph started coaching with Goormachtigh in the middle of last year after he enjoyed a competition at Kaharoa School.
"Apart from improving his chess and his confidence in the game, he has improved in other areas I never expected," she said.
"He has more patience, he is better at managing emotions, he has gone from being quite good at maths to very good. He is just much more motivated."
She said Joseph spends half of each lesson laughing.
"People think that chess is boring but they have a lot of fun ... Laurens' enthusiasm is contagious."
Chess Club: Where: Rotorua Water Sports Centre (Yacht Club), 1 Mataiawhea St, Ohinemutu When: Sundays from 3pm to 5pm Cost: $5 contribution Note: Pictures taken during the chess club meetings will be posted online.
