Coronation Street youngster Sam Blakeman has been in a fight with dad Nick Tilsley since he banned him from playing chess.
And now fans think they’ve worked out a devastating reason behind Nick’s fury with Sam’s new obsession.
Sam took solace in the game along with Roy Cropper after losing his mum Natasha in a fatal shooting.
And the youngster, who refused to speak after his mum’s death, was slowly drawn out of his shell again by Roy and Brian as they taught him the game.
But Sam quickly spiralled into obsession, staying up into the early hours and falling behind in his school work in an attempt to learn new chess strategies and beat his opponents.
Recently, Nick discovered Leanne and Sam had been going behind his back to carry on playing the game without his consent, and was left fuming.
But now fans think Nick could have another, more heartbreaking reason for the ban than just wanting Sam to connect more to the world around him.
Taking to Reddit, one fan suggested it could be a health issue after Nick suffered a devastating brain injury which occurred after a car crash involving him and brother David Platt in 2013.
The damage to his brain left him with uncontrollable mood swings, and he struggled at the time to formulate his thoughts after ending up in a coma when an oncoming truck hit their car.
And one viewer who battled a brain injury in real life said that it affected his chess playing ability.
(Image: ITV)
The Reddit user penned: “As a dude with a brain injury, I wanna believe that chess is something that Nick just can’t do (I can’t) and this doesn’t allow him to connect with Sam.
“I’m hoping there will be a big moment of clarity where Nick tells Sam that he’s doing things Nick just can’t.
“Saying, ‘Son, you are a better man than me’ would be one of those themes Corrie should push.”
According to various scientific studies, chess can prove beneficial to those rehabilitating from a brain injury – helping to improve cognitive function in older adults and even decreasing the risk of dementia.
However, the initial traumatic brain injury can mean the game needs to be ‘relearned’ – which may not be possible in all cases.
Chess addiction, conversely, can be detrimental to physical and mental health – and that’s what some fans are sure Nick is more worried about.
One pointed out: “He was worried Sam was obsessing with it to the exclusion of everything else and that he was taking losing games too hard.”
Another said: “It’s the obsession that Nick’s worried about. Not sleeping, missing school work. Instead of banning him, it would be better to use chess as a reward for when Sam has done the things he’s supposed to do.”
“I don’t get Nick’s total ban. Let him play one game a week if he keeps his school work up. Poor Sam’s going to be so happy when he gets to a school with a Chess Club!” someone else echoed.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
