10/16-17/2006 - 8x8

Last weekend, my parents bought a set of checkers for my eldest. The reason is that a friend convinced me that learning checkers was the first step in learning to play chess.

Why chess? I don't know. I guess "people like me" learn to play chess. I did indeed. I never got any good at it, at least partially for lack of effort. But I played quite a bit, progressing to second board on my high school team and playing countless friendlies in college.

So there are chess sets about and my son has become interested in them. Grandpa taught him checkers last Sunday and we've played just about every day since.

Tonight, I was feeding the toddler when the eldest brought my chess set out.

"Let's play this."

Now he hasn't really learned to play checkers. If you give him hints he can take them, but he doesn't strategize, or even appreciate strategy. But he wanted to play chess and I let him. Tonight, we played a game I recall from my youth. I give him a king and two rooks and I take a king. The goal is for him to hunt me down.

Not much success, but he loved it. He has already requested that we play this instead of his usual TV show (over breakfast).

I'm beaming inside. I'm not entirely sure why.

32,300 gambits today. Cheers,

P.S. Happy birthday M.O.M.