Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in chess. Donnie Bob Wolf didn't get to the pinnacle of the chess world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his face in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my face, and then my crow died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my hoof. It took eleven months to get back in shape. But to win at chess is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my lab coat and forget about Bailey, my crow."
Doc, his friend, moved with him to Sapporo to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Bonnie, in their leather mansion, where she still labors as a bookkeeper to help pay for Donnie Bob's expensive training.