British chess champion: equipped for life at the top

British chess champion Jonathan Rowson has followed Nick Clegg and William Hague in speaking about how Transcendental Meditation had equipped him for life at the top of his profession.

The three times UK chess champion told Indian newspaper The Deccan Herald during a visit to Delhi that he maintains a strong interest in Transcendental Meditation as well as yoga and Indian spirituality. Aberdeen-born Rowson, 33, learned Transcendental Meditation in 1998 while a student at Oxford University and says  he owes his first-class degree to it.

“It was by far the best thing I learned at Oxford, “he told a Scottish newspaper in 2007. “I suddenly had more energy, concentrated better and felt warmer towards other people.”

Rowson, who also has a degree from Harvard and is also a widely read author and columnist, added that he would never dream of playing a serious game without meditating beforehand.

“After meditating I feel calm, centred and ready to compete - but, more importantly, the technique allows me to "just play" and enjoy the game without worrying about the result.”

Read more from The Herald, 23 April 2007: Meditation: for old hippies or a better way of life?