Jamaican chess coach Troy McKoy has written a concise, easy-to-follow book called You Can Play Chess. The book is designed to equip adults and children with the skills to play the game, with some examples of strategy, and covers the rules of engagement, how to move, attack and defend the chess pieces, how to checkmate the king and the importance of this. After coaching children for years, McKoy said he hopes to reach a wide audience to spread his love and knowledge of chess.
McKoy’s book came after the Carifta Chess championships held in Jamaica in April 2017, in which his children were involved. Arielle, then 10, placed fourth in the under-12 category and Aaron, then five, won the under-8 prize. This experience convinced him to help “raise up other players like themselves” at an early age.
McKoy believes anyone can learn to play the game, regardless of age, and hopes to attract wider interest among chess enthusiasts. Self-published, the book has an ISBN 978-976-97055-0-0. In addition to coaching, McKoy is a software engineer and has over 17 years’ experience working on IT projects in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
