It doesn't matter where João Gonçalves drives, he always has a chess set with him

Two kings, two queens, four bishops, four knights, four castles, 16 pawns and a chess board – that's all João Gonçalves needs to switch off from the stresses of his daily job. That, and an opponent, of course! João's love of chess is so great that he sometimes even plays against himself. "I try not to cheat and try to play just as well for both sides," he says smiling.

João lives in Viana do Castelo, a small town in northern Portugal. His neighbours know all about his hobby. Sometimes, they improvise a chess tournament with which they surprise João when he comes back from long tours. He's even taught his two children – 13 and 11 years of age – how to play chess. "It's a game suitable for all ages. You just have to know the rules and be able to think strategically," says João.

 – João Gonçalves, Actros driver from Portugal

White is his lucky colour.

When he makes a break while on the road, he searches the rest area for colleagues who fancy a quick game of chess. "You can play chess against one another even if you don't speak the same language," he says.

Despite logic and a cool head being important in chess, João is a little superstitious: "I feel like the white pieces bring me luck." Before each game, João has a specific strategy in mind: "I focus on the middle of the board in order to strengthen the defences around my king."

He often gets asked whether he also plays chess on the computer. João confirms that he prefers real figures and real opponents. "Maybe I'm too conservative in that respect, but I don't think there's anything better than physically removing your opponent's king from the board and saying that magic word: checkmate!"

Photos: Begoña Tremps