I’m de Sousa Sheppard. Tiago de Sousa Sheppard.

I’ve been playing chess for TWENTY FOUR YEARS.

My brother and I began playing chess when we were little kids on a little board in our little apartment in São João do Estoril, Portugal whenever we were there visiting family for the summer.

I played chess through school and have been doing so ever since. Now, I’m a musician living in DC with my true love, Moa (she took that picture), and our two kids, Oshea and Alemayehu.

Quite simply, I am OBSESSED with chess. Seriously. It might be a problem.

Sometimes, when I should be rehearsing or mixing a song, you can run into the room and catch me on the computer trying to checkmate some random Swedish art history professor on the internet.

Why am I obsessed?

Cause chess is FUN. Chess is SATISFYING. Chess is a game that lets us take the same skills that we use to navigate the complicated challenges and emotions of every day life and use them to succeed in a competition where the patterns are easy to recognize and the choices are black and white.

I have spent a long time practicing and studying the art of chess and figure it only makes sense to use my knowledge and understanding of the game for good instead of evil. Although I did consider using it for evil.