Fitting Chess into a Disabled Life

There is a beautiful story written by Jamie Duif Calvin (pictured, left), located in the ChessBase archives. It describes her early chess success, followed by limited chess activity due to demanding family and career obligations. She was soon shocked, however, to be struck with a rare, debilitating illness. As she writes:

"Becoming disabled isn't a graceful transition to a new stage of a journey. Instead, it's more like falling overboard in the middle of the night into a dark, cold, choppy sea."

Confined to a wheelchair, she desired to return to the game she loved, but found that simply moving the chess pieces was too physically demanding for her. But then a conversation with IM Jeremy Silman pointed her in the direction of computer/internet software that not only allowed her to return to chess study, but ultimately led to her return to over-the-board play.

This touching photo essay can be found here. It's well worth the time to read. Do you have a disabled friend or family member who struggles with normal day-to-day activities? Have them read it as well.