Over the years, I have attended many universities and earned multiple degrees. I've learned to play checkers, Canasta, croquet and even pickle-ball. Yet, I somehow missed learning to play chess. I am pretty sure the husband taught the kids to play while I was either doing dishes or laundry and was too exhausted to add anything to my short-term memory storage facility. There was an after school club that met right next to my classroom for years and I thought about going, but there was always paperwork or lesson plans calling.
So when a grandchild did not accept my I do not play statement and exclaimed, "I'll teach you right now," I swallowed my fear that this was going to be hard and allowed an eight year old to teach me the basics. It was pretty hard, at first, and those horses who hop and jump as if they were real stallions cost me my first game pretty fast. The second game lasted a bit longer until I got shredded by that queen whose wrath I underestimated!
I found myself later that night checking out chess basics and creating my own study guide before wasting an evening on the porch playing an online version ONLY so I can be a better competitor for someone who was in pull ups not that long ago. I'm still listening, growing, and still learning!
7 comments:
Anita,
This is the best slice! zI love that you’re learning chess from a child. They sound precocious! And super smart. Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.
Good for you. Learning something new. As a kid, I enjoyed playing chess. However, the thinking five moves ahead is way beyond my capabilities. Have fun learning and playing. arjeha
Anita, good for you. This is a great slice of life in our precarious times. I'm so glad you said yes to letting your grand teach you! I have to tell you that Duolingo has a great program for polishing those skills, and I find it to be fun. They match you up with people with the same ability level to play real games too.
Anita, i laughed at your humble and hilarious line about opening yourself to learning from someone who was in pull-ups not so long ago! But, we do know our grandchildren are smart :) And if we are honest as you are, we do know the importance of saying, yes I will play, as well as the importance of learning something new. I agree!
Great slice! I love that your teacher is your own grandchild. Teaching Grandma to play chess will become a core memory.
I loved the line about pull-ups! And here's the thing about chess - you have a play to get better :) If you want to treat yourself to a summer TV binge, check out The Queen's Gambit. Chess is the star of the series, in so many ways.
I'm so impressed that you are learning chess! I, too, remember "trying" to learn and build some chess skills, but I didn't play often enough to internalize the rules of the game. And so blessed you are to have a grandchild to teach you! What a beautiful moment and sweet way to spend time together.
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