Chess player no match for blindfolded Matt

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Imagine playing five games of chess simultaneous, blind-folded.

Sound difficult?

Not for 12-year-old chess prodigy Matt Dumas of North Bay.

"It's definite not easy," Matt said shyly. "It's all done by memory. You visualize the board in your mind.

"I like the game most because of the challenge and strategy. You never know what your opponent will do next."

When playing many games simultaneously he has his strategy all figured out. He concentratges only on the board he is playing at the time, "throwing away" the previous board.

"It's a tad difficult, but it's good towards the end. More pieces get off tyhe board and then there ae less pieces to concentrate on."

Matt has been playing chess since he was four years old, when his father Deorge Dumas, formerly of Batchewana First Nation, taught him the game.

"I used to watch my father and then he asked me one day if I wanted to try it. That's when it started," he said.

"I'll probably play chess for a long time, but I don't think of it as making it my career," hje sai. "I'm thinking of becoming a doctor."

It he does, he;'ll be following in the steps of Ammanuel Lasker, who was a great world chess champio, mathematician and philosopher and Matt's chess hero. Despite his extraordinary talent, Matt is just a normal kidd, He wears glasses, T-shirts and jeansand is a shy little boy.

"I like baseball a bit. We usually lay soccer and football at recess," he said. Bowling and other sports are also on his list. "Math is my favorite subject; science too," he said.

"He's not one-dimensional, that's for sure," said his father George.

His great memory comes in handy when preparing for tests.

"It's pretty easy to study. I'm pretty good at remembering dates. After five minutes (of studying) I remember most of them," he said.

Matt doesn't win all the time but he definitely gives his opponents a run for their money.

"Playing five games at once is really something for a person his age," said his dad. "I'm still amazed when I see him play blindfolded. He has surpassed me in a lot of areas of chess."

During a recent session, while playhing five boards simultaneously, Matt said there ws a stalemate on #2 board. His father chedked and found he was corret. This was particularly amazing because that was his father's board. Even blind-folded, Matt had a clearer understanding of the game than his father, who could see the board.

Matt's mother, Karen, a memver of the Sokis First Nation, is equally impresed with her son's avbility.

"I'm so proud," she said, "I don't know a lot about chess. He can beat me in five moves," she added, laughing.

Matt's twin sister Melissa also plays chess.

"When they were smaller, kids would ask them to play checkes, but they didn't know what that was. They just played chess," mother Karen says.

Matt's parents are happy with his achievements no matter what they are or when they happen.

"A lot of people think we push him to perform; we don;t, says his father. "We go by what Matt says. We don't force him to play harder than he can."

As Matt's fame grows, so do the pressures on hime. Television commercials now are veing discussed, said George, and interviews with newspapers and rado have added to his recognition as a chess player.

Matt has three trophies under his belt. He won first place in chess and math tournaments at his school in 1993 and '94 and has received an honorary trophy for top player under 16 at the North Bay Chess Club.

The North Bay Chess Club has also been a great help in polishing Matt's talent. Club members Ken Robinson, reigning chess champion for the last 11 yeares, and CXerek Bessette are helping Matt with his blindfold technique.

"I'm really impressed by what I'm seeing done blindfolded," said Robinson. "He has great intutition, with love and passion for the game."

Bessette said Matt's chess future is up to him.

"He could become overconfident with his success and stop studyhing, but if he continues to analyze his past game and to study grand master games, he could become an A-class player."

For now, Matt wants to win the provincial championship.

"That's my big goal for now," Matt said.