Amine El Idrissi

Salaam, friend, come sit by the wall. I am Amine, and I paint the blue lanes of Chefchaouen by day. The board is just another wall to me, so go gently, hold the brush steady, and inshallah we both enjoy the coat.

Amine El Idrissi is a 28-year-old blue-paint restorer from Chefchaouen, Morocco, where he spends his days refreshing the cobalt walls and old wooden doors of the town's steep lanes. He learned the trade from an uncle, and a worn wooden brush handle that belonged to that late uncle rides in his apron pocket as a lucky charm. On the chessboard, Amine is rated at an estimated 199 ELO, which is barely above random play. He knows how the pieces move, but he cannot follow a plan from one move to the next, and he loses pieces to simple blunders in almost every game. His temperament is patient and friendly, and he takes a loss with calm rather than frustration. No opening repertoire is on file for him, so his games do not follow recognizable theory. Anyone sitting down against Amine should expect an eager, forward-pushing opponent who leaves pieces hanging, so free material is often on offer to a player who simply checks the board before each move.