Gifted and talented

Despite occasional evidence to the contrary, I have persisted in the belief that the ability to play chess well indicates a powerful intelligence. Goethe wrote that chess was a touchstone of the intellect, while Pascal called it the gymnasium of the mind. Arthur Koestler romanticised the mental power of chess devotees, writing: ‘When a chess player looks at the board, he does not see a static mosaic, a “still life”, but a magnetic field of forces, charged with energy — as Faraday saw the stresses surrounding magnets and currents as curves in space; or as Van Gogh saw vortices in the skies of Provence.’
 
Conversely, anyone with a strong intellect should be able to rapidly grasp the essentials of chess. It has been my pleasure in recent weeks to observe the particular mental skills of Sharon Daniel, winner of the Channel 4 ‘Young Genius of the Year’ award. She is a Mensa member, has a stratospheric personal IQ and a line of chess trophies on her shelf at home.