GM Wesley So in physical training

(IN PHOTO: GM Wesley mates a treadmill in a gym in Canada as part of his physical conditioning. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Leny So.)

A sound mind in a sound body.

Every great athlete knows it. And they do exceptionally well to attain and maintain it.

It is good to know that at the early age of 17, GM Wesley So is already doing something to have it in his system. The earlier, the better.

Of all sports, chess perfectly fits in to this time-tested adage. The ones who heeded to it have remarkably reached the acme of success in their own respective ways, many of them still in shape up to these days.

There was a story that the legendary former world chess champion GM Bobby Fischer prepared for a chess match the way football players do. He even wanted to work on his wrists, with a goal of squeezing 100 pounds using his palms! He played tennis (with our very own GM Eugene Torre as his partner), and indudge in the pool for extended time, even late at night.

A chess friend told me that GM Eugene regularly visits a gym somewhere in Libis, Quezon City to maintain his physique - a self-discipline beyond compare. At the age of 59, GM Torre served as the cornerstone of the Philippine Men's Team that won the historic Silver Medal for the country in the 2010 Southeast Asian Games.

In his 1985 world championship match against GM Anatoloy Karpov, GM Garry Kasparov trained like he had to fight Mike Tyson in the ring. He went running barefoot on beach shore. He also regularly engaged in swimming - at sea - in addition to cycling and football.

Sixth world chess champ GM Max Euwe did a lot of cycling and shadowboxing.

GM Vladimir Kramnik called GM Mikhail Botvinnik the first true professional in chess, becuase of the inclusion of physical training in his preparation. Let's listen to Kramnik: "Botvinnik definitely represented a new era in chess. I would call him the first true professional. He was the first to realise that chess performance was not only dependent on chess skills. He developed comprehensive preparation for competitions which consisted of opening studies along with healthy sleep, daily routine and physical exercises. He was a pioneer in this field."

Women know it, too. Former women world chess champ GM Alexandra Kosteniuk even participated in a 5K marathon which she finished in only 22 minutes and 42 seconds! She loves regular jogging and recommends it to chess players who want to have a good balance between chess training and physical conditioning. (See related post HERE).

In the following game below, GM Kosteniuk showed why physical training is a must in competitive chess - she also needed to do a marathon over the board, in this case a game that lasted for 237 moves!!

GM Fressinet vs GM Kosteniuk
Villandry Rapid 2007.10.21
REQUIRES JAVA