im not sure , mebbe my dad ... at least i remember my parentalunits having a beautiful onyx chess set :p
... the lack of chess in most US public schools in my time was lamentable, there were chess clubs, but it was not integrated into other disciplines; math/english/logic/sports ... : {
in my more energetic & mobile youth, i really didnt have the patience for chess. nice topic
Great topic, GB.
My did taught me the game when I was about 8 or 9. I was fascinated and we played a lot, for about a year or two, then he started traveling for work and wasn't home as much. Then about a year later, when I hit puberty, I became an unholy terror (like the kid in the laundry detergent commercial, "You washed my jeans? why?? My life is over!!!" ), and so my parents used chess, which I had come to love, as a way to calm me down and derail my tirades. Once I started beating my mom, I moved back to my dad and when I started beating him, I was ready for high school and so I got into the chess club there, where I learned so much more about openings and phases of the game. (Nerds are such great sources of knowledge, and they're always willing to share that knowledge with pretty girls. 🙂 )
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Originally posted by SuzianneWell, of course - we don't get the opportunity nearly often enough. Pretty girls who want knowledge shared with them are so rare...
I was ready for high school and so I got into the chess club there, where I learned so much more about openings and phases of the game. (Nerds are such great sources of knowledge, and they're always willing to share that knowledge with pretty girls. 🙂 )
My grandpa taught me to play around age 5. (No my rating doesn't reflect that because 95% of my losses are due to timeouts/abandoning my account.) It is also one of my fondest memories of him and growing up. Someone asked about teaching children... My daughter is almost 2 and I hope to teach her as soon as she is able to comprehend the game. She already shows signs that she is above-average analytical so I look forward to teaching her.
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Originally, my grandfather. Got serious when school teacher in lunchtime chess club offered £5 to anyone who could beat him (at age 13). No one did; but the lure of the £5 note displayed on his desk certainly generated enthusiasm. A man who in spite of his 2" thick glasses (having been near blinded by a firework as a child) inspired us to use our brains. Thanks, Mr. Roscoe. That was in 1964, when my father assured me that men landing on the moon would sink in 40 ft. of dust! I'm still playing Chess: he's under at least 6ft. of it.
