Chess by Bruce T. Holmes

Chess

My teenage son, Chris, will shoot me for mentioning this, but when he was four years old he saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles playing chess. "Dad, I want to do that."

So I found an old chest set stored in the attic. Since I didn't have a chessboard, I drew one on a sheet of paper. And I started teaching him what little I knew about chess. He became fixated on the game. When I wasn't around he'd play himself. When I was around we'd read through chess books. Actually, I was the one who read since he didn't know how. When we played, I was better, at least for the first month. And then one day I found myself battling desperately to save my king from this four-year-old, only to fail. If you want to understand the shame of it, rent the movie Searching for Bobby Fisher.

Chris began playing in tournaments and bringing home trophies. I started a chess team at Oakton School, the local elementary the Chris attended. With Chris's help Oakton Chess won the state championship a couple of years in a row. It was a magical time in our lives. And I learned a fair amount about chess in the process.

It truly is a fascinating game and great exercise for the noggin. It also teaches patience. If you want to find the best move, you need to be willing to sit there with your seat glued to the chair and think. That discipline is worthwhile no matter where you are in life.

There are all sorts of great books on chess, but the greatest aide these days is the computer. You can buy software or even a computer driven chess board that will allow you to play endlessly with whatever level of opponent you would like, from beginner to very good indeed. Chess software typically includes lessons and guidance in addition to a worthy opponent. So you can make great strides as a player before you venture forth to do battle in the real world.

In the real world you will find friends who might be willing to share an evening of chess with you. For more intense competition there are coffeehouses frequented by chess fanatics. (Don't expect to win many games there right off the bat.) You can also enter tournaments. Tournament play is both fun and nerve-racking. Going up against another player is tense. There's nowhere to hide and no one to lend a hand if you're in trouble. After playing in a tournament myself I had a lot more respect for the kids of Oakton Chess. Tournament play typically requires membership in the United States Chess Federation. Benefits include a monthly magazine and a rating. Ratings are figured out by comparing the people you played with how you did. All the veterans you play in a tournament will already have a rating that tells how good they are. If you win against someone who's rated higher than you, your rating goes up.

I have such memories of the kids of Oakton Chess: Cinnamin, Tyler, Stacy-Ann, Chelsea, Jessie, Dave, Tim, Scott, Mark, Jack and all the rest.

If they fell in love with chess, maybe you could too.