Author: Paul A. Motwani

My name is Paul Motwani, but my colleagues, my students and their parents mostly call me "Mr. Mo"! My middle initial, A, stands for Anthony, because I was born on the official feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of miracles and of lost souls. I love teaching Mathematics and Chess, and giving fun-packed talks and shows in schools and clubs. The popular ingredients of Math, Chess, Mystery and Magic are my "Fantastic Four", and I give prizes too! I am an International Chess Grandmaster, and (loooooong ago!) I was the World Under-17 Champion. I am the author of five published chess books and hundreds of newspaper articles. I live with my wonderful wife and son in Belgium. I also love music, movies and puzzles. I blog at paulmotwani.com. My e-mail address is pmotwani141@gmail.com. You can find me on Facebook, too.

Blog Post #15: Mountains

Dear Readers,

Do you ever have the feeling that there’s a mountain of things that you would love to do, discuss and share with others, but may be wondering how and where to begin? I have had feelings like that for a while now, and today I am at the foot of the mountain, looking up. Continue reading “Blog Post #15: Mountains”

Blog Post #14: Brothers, Sisters, Children, Champions!

Dear Readers,

At the very start of one new school year, long ago, I had a class of 11 girls and 10 boys. When I asked my young students to look around and decide how many children there were in our class, one answer was particularly profound… Continue reading “Blog Post #14: Brothers, Sisters, Children, Champions!”

Blog Post #13: Differences

Dear Readers,

I once challenged a student to mentally rearrange the letters of C IN DETAIL to make a proper nine-letter English word. As a bonus clue, I said, “The number of C IN DETAIL people is zero”! Can you also now figure out the details mentally? Continue reading “Blog Post #13: Differences”

Blog Post #9: Beauty

Dear Readers,

In Blog Post #7, I left you with a super-sizzling summer brainteaser to enjoy tussling with during the month of July, as I didn’t expect to be writing more here before August. However, after seeing a very interesting new film entitled “2:22” at the cinema last night, and then waking up this morning with a fresh, fun “discovery” in my mind, I decided to share it quickly. Please do have fun with it, too!

Continue reading “Blog Post #9: Beauty”

Warm-Hearted, Generous and Unforgettable

Dear Readers,

This is just a small tribute to an extremely kind lady who was my boss for nine years, and is being shared with her family’s approval. Just four days ago, I learned that Johanna Bambridge, my wonderful former Elementary School Principal (from 2005-2014) at St. John’s International School, Waterloo, had died on the previous day, 6 July 2017, at the age of 65. Johanna’s family have been very moved by tributes from hundreds of caring friends, showing how greatly Johanna is loved.

Continue reading “Warm-Hearted, Generous and Unforgettable”

Blog Post #7: Gifted

Dear Readers,

Yesterday, I wrote a full article from my heart as a gentle tribute to a wonderful lady and dear friend who died last Thursday. My small tribute may appear here soon, but only with the clear approval of the lady’s family, and that is why I am not publishing without asking. Continue reading “Blog Post #7: Gifted”