Was first shown chess from my father at age 8. We would play on a regular basis for the next 2.5 years before I would earn my first draw. At which point he started playing with his queen on the board. LOL. Another 1.5 years would go by before I beat him the first time. Although I truely love the game, I have never had any real chess coaching. The little chess theory I have picked up has been mostly self taught through trial and error. Hard lessons have been learned, sometimes quickly, most of the time sloooooooowly through being destroyed when a "good idea" goes bad. I look forward to playing here on red hot pawn, both for new competitors and new lessons on the board. Let's have some fun and together we can enjoy this ageless game.