It is something that I intended to do from very early on. I dreamed that my son might one day not only play chess, but play it well. Play it better than me, in fact.
One can hope, right?
Of course, it starts off by beginning to learn the game, something that I have been meaning to do for some time now. What was infinitely more encouraging was that he actually wanted to learn how to play. That helped. A lot.
I had been meaning to try and teach him beginning somewhere around the time when he reached 6 or 7 years old. He is now 7 (he would correct me at this point, and let me know, as if I didn't already, that he is, in fact, 71/2 years old -thank you very much!).
So, the timing was right.
But there were some things that we needed to be clear on. Chess is not a video game, and it's not like playing with toys, or watching tv. Chess is for adults. Without trying to sound sexist, it can be said that chess is a man's game, meaning that it tends to be played mostly by men (although I have played with some females who love it, too). It can be a very serious game, and smetimes, it can stir very competitive juices, so it can feel deadly serious. I have played matches, as an adult, where I was nervous and tense the whole time. It is hardly the most stress-free activity that you can engage in, if you are even somewhat serious about it. Also, it is a serious game, played by adults. Children can play it, yes. But usually, adults play it, and they are usually serious while doing so.
In other words, chess is very different than anything that he has played or done before.
Still, I hoped he was ready.
When my parents got him a set for children intended to teach them the game of chess, that was the final clue. He seemed excited back then, and now, he is even more excited, if anything.
And without specifically meaning to make yesterday the day, it just kind of happened. Usually, I offer to take him swimming for summer afternoons like that, and I did yesterday as well. But thunderstorms were still a threat, and the lake is a bit of a drive. Also, I was not fully in the mood for it.
There was the possibility of taking him to see Superman, a movie that I was sure he would be excited to go see...even thrilled.
When I mentioned the idea, however, he seemed almost indifferent. Like he could take it or leave it. Apparently, he is looking much more forward to the Lone Ranger movie. He even let me know the date it was to be released....July 3rd! I remember a very different Lone Ranger from my own childhood, and I showed him an old action figure from the time of my childhood, when I loved the cartoon version of the Lone Ranger (my memory is not entirely off on this one, is it?).
Upon checking the movie times for when Superman might be showing, the movie started at 4:30pm. The problem? He gets out of summer camp at 4:30pm, and I have to be there to pick him up. There usually is a bit of a wait afterwards, because the cars are all lined up. So, scratch the movie. Maybe next week.
We were there in the apartment, and the idea suddenly dawned on me....maybe today would be a good day to teach him chess?
I spotted the "Stress Free Chess" set that he had recieved as a gift, and opened it up for the first time. He marvelled at it. The pieces excited him, understandably I remember being a small boy myself, and those pieces almost looked like fancy toys of some vague sort.
He liked the chess set itself, and liked the rules, the cards (like a card game, this particular chess set has multiple cards essentially explaining how each individual piece on the board moves). Most of all, again understandably (he is seven years old, after all), he liked the fact that this chess set was his.
So, I showed him how to set up the pieces. On his board, all the pieces are labelled, so I thought he might be able to do it on his own.
I was wrong.
Before too long, however, we had finally set up the board, and were ready to play. It was time to pick which color he wanted to be (I am letting him choose for the very beginning like this). He chose black, which was fairly predictable. Until I informed him that white always goes first in this game. Then, he switched his decision, and wanted to be white.
The first match began. He showed a decent grasp of how the pieces moved, all things considered. I mean, he made some mistakes.
Right now, we are at the point where I just want him to play a few matches, and get those under his belt, without being discouraged or anything like that. Mostly, he should know how the pieces move, and gain a basic understanding of the game, before we actually play with anything resembling strategy. I tried to explain these things to him, and tried to explain that, very early on, he could not realistically hope to be able to seriously win any matches.
I told him briefly about how, when I was his age, it was such a thrill to win my first match against an adult (my grandfather). It was a rush, a high! I still remember throwing my arms up in the air, and then running around my grandparent's house, telling everyone of my huge accomplishment. Usually, I cringe with this memory. But it is the memory I have, nonetheless.
We played two matches, and ironically, his grasp of how the pieces moved seemed to fall a little with the second match.
But it is not time to worry, or anything. He is still brand new at this, and will get better -hopefully, in every way. Not only was he not discouraged but, moreover, he seemed happy to finally have played, and excited enough that he asked me several times later that evening (just before bedtime) if we could ply again!
It was an encouraging sign, and now, I am glad as ever that I finally began to teach my beautiful son how to play this game that his dad, and his dad's dad, and his dad's grandfather, all loved to play before him.
I congratulated him when he took my first piece (with my assistance), as well as got me in check for the first time (again, with my assistance). The congratulations were more heartfelt the first time he did these things on his own. I was heartened by that.
And I told him that, hopefully, those were the first of many, because I plan to develop a real (friendly) rivalry between us!
No comments:
Post a Comment