I’m what is called, euphemistically, a “senior citizen”. That means I have control over what I do most of the time. I’m no longer a wage slave. Being free to change my schedule at a moments notice has some real advantages. One of my grandsons, a 16 year old, dropped in on us the other day, unannounced and unscheduled. We ended up playing chess for the next several hours. He lost every game. He really doesn’t know much more than the formal rules of the game. He often plays with his father whose chess savvy isn’t very deep, either. But it was such a good feeling to have him come to see us, and to play game after game of chess. He didn’t mind losing. He just kept striving to do better. I loved seeing that spirit in him. I gave him a book from my small chess library for him to look at. it isn’t a beginner book, The book was “The Chess Sacrifice” by Vukovic. I still have a few books from when I was a younger. and more serious, chess player. Today he called to ask a couple of questions about what moves were being recorded in a sample game from that book. I was about the same age when I first started playing chess seriously. I would not be unhappy to see him do something similar, as long as it doesn’t interfere with his regular studies in school. But for now, I’m just happy to have been able to spend an afternoon with him over the chessboard.
Wetherhorn 