FEATURE
THE MIND BEHIND THE MOVES
Three-time SA chess champion and sports psychologist Dr Denise Bouah unpacks the powerful link between elite sport and mental performance, drawing on decades of top-level competition and athlete insight.
Dealing with pressure, executing with precision, and mastering the ever-present weight of decision-making are what make a great chess player. That same set of demands also embodies almost all elite sport in its purest form.
Few understand that better than Dr Denise Bouah, a multipletime South African women’ s chess champion who has spent almost three decades competing at the highest level, while simultaneously building a career helping other athletes navigate the mental demands of performance.
Originally from Pretoria and now based in Cape Town, Bouah’ s journey into chess wasn’ t a straightforward one. In fact, it started with a string of losses.
Coaching the national women’ s team of Grenada at the World Chess Olympiad in 2024.
30 www. modernathlete. co. za