GMJustin

Updated: 10/3/24

Dear readers, I have high functioning autism. I've been around the chess world for a very long time but only recently discovered how much I love to give or receive brief friendly greetings. When greeting a new person I usually like to say my name and something simple like "good luck". I can be quite shy and introverted, so this works great for me. I never say I'm an International Master or anything about my chess, unless they ask me.

As an accomplished chess player with a disability, I've been through many ups and downs including moderate depression. I store my games in ChessBase, have good memory and pattern recognition, but struggle to study at home and probably don't train like other strong players. However, I seem to find positive energy and hope at chess tournaments, by virtue of my new greetings to youth, whose progress I take an interest in. My new approach to brief friendly greetings at chess tournaments has been a kind of narrow path to salvation. It has been heavily or entirely responsible for my improved results in slow chess in 2024, under handicaps. My story explains why I have to go out more, see people... and play, even if I'm not on top of my game. In person tournaments are a privilege. I live an hour and a half away from the world famous Marshall Chess Club located in Greenwich Village, NYC.

With a rising number of young talents I have continued opportunities to give a brief new greeting or two per day, and keep an eye out for future opportunities to congratulate a given player who I personally greet. This way I can give a small gift and be in young players' corners, without even teaching. I just care about briefly greeting or congratulating, no longer conversations. Due to my condition and difficulty studying in conventional ways, I find it hard to teach much at the moment yet am working around this handicap by giving in other ways to a new generation of rising stars.

** The reason I don't like to converse, despite being a detailed writer, is because I'm behind with a big project of trying to file and organize my chess career game records. One day I may write a book. Being behind with my personal work, which I treat as a full time job, affects my desire to interact much. However, this deficit makes me value brief greetings or similar friendly gestures even more.

While my story or mission is personal, I think other fellow chess players can take something out of it. Consider the following points: Talking too much to friends right before a game does NOT help your play/focus at the board. However, a brief face to face greeting or two may help you enjoy your time during the tournament and maintain a good mood. If you play "in person", think about giving a brief new greeting (especially to a younger player if possible), in a similar spirit as I described, followed by giving your opponent a traditional brief greeting just before starting the game. Please feel free to share your thoughts or personal experience.

As for my chess, I have as many as 4 GM norms but never made ELO 2500. I've played thousands of games and almost every opening variation at least once. Not the best speed player, but I play things like Titled Tuesday and US Chess Blitz/Rapids to practice and experiment. Thank you for reading this.