We have decided to continue our blog ‘About Juniors, For Juniors’ due to its popularity. Over the next few months we will be featuring Australian and International juniors that we meet along our travels and find out what makes them tick and what makes them love chess.

 

Today we meet Nathan Darjana from New-Caledonia. As some of you may know, chess coach Sylvain Giraud from New-Caledonia coordinated a trip for four junior chess players to Adelaide in October. In order to qualify for the trip, Nathan played in a long rated and rapid tournament and came first in both! In the Adelaide Hills Open Nathan played some amazing games and finished equal second in the U14 age category. So what does he like about chess and who are his role models?

Chesslife: What is your current rating?

Nathan: My current rating is 1740 elo FFE( Federation Francaise des Echecs )

Chesslife: Where are you from and how old are you?

Nathan: I am from New-Caledonia which belongs to France. I’m 13 years old

 

 

Chesslife: How old were you when you learned how to play chess?

Nathan: My mother taught me play chess when I was 4 years old and since then I started to play in the only chess club in Noumea. I was the youngest player at that time.

Chesslife: How much chess do you practise and study during the week?

Nathan: I practice and study chess 2 hours per week

Chesslife: What is your favourite chess resource/book?

Nathan: My favourite resource is Diagonale TV (http://www.diagonaletv.com/). They explain and analyse many openings and games in French.

 

 

Chesslife: What was your first International Tournament?

Nathan: My first International chess tournament was 2013 New-Caledonia’s international chess tournament at the Meridien Hotel.

 

Chesslife: Who is your favourite chess player?

Nathan: My favourite players are Kasparov and Carlsen. They are incredible. Kasparov is an aggressive and offensive player. Carlsen is a little bit different. He is playing safe. He always wins in the end game and this is amazing. This is why they are my favourite players.

Chesslife: What is New-Caledonia’s Junior Chess League like?

Nathan: NC’s chess league is quite friendly and it’s open to everybody. It’s fun and the teacher is very nice. They are many tournaments organise by the League (1 per month) so it’s very entertaining.

 

Chesslife: What has chess taught you?

Nathan: Chess taught me concentration, but also how to manage time and stress effectively in different thematic areas such as: school, sports etc. Moreover, chess has probably helped me to develop my own mathematics tools during my childhood.

Chesslife: How do you think chess has helped you socially, mentally and at school?

Nathan: I met different people from many places in New-Caledonia when I played chess so it’s why chess helped me to socialize. At school, playing chess is a way of training memory with all the game positions you have to remember. I trust more in myself since I began playing chess. This is why chess is a very good friend in life when you’re child. This is why I love and I continue playing chess.

 

Chesslife: What is your most memorable game?

Nathan: My most memorable game was with Mrs Vivian Smith. It was a long game (the game last for 4 hours) but very memorable. She was the Female New-Zealand’s champion at that time.

Click on the board below for an analysis of Nathan’s most memorable game.

Chesslife: What advice would you give Australian Junior Chess players?

Nathan: The most important in chess is playing with pleasure!