Esher chess player, a Kingston University student,
thanks Wimbledon Buddhist centre after becoming king of Surrey
By Louise Robertson »
A chess player with mental health problems is celebrating after being crowned chess champion of Surrey.
Esher resident Julian Way, 41, was recruited to play for the Surbiton section in the Slater-Kennington competition to “make up numbers”.
But the Kingston University student, who started playing chess at the age of seven, went on to win the whole thing after winning his own section and triumphing in two other regional sections to take the crown.
He described his success as the result of three outrageous swindles and said: “You could say that I rode my luck, but sometimes chess is more a game of nerves than skill.”
He also said he was indebted to the Dorjechang Buddhist Centre, in Wimbledon, which helped him overcome his crippling anxiety.
