The Game of Chess

I don't know how, or when, it first happened, but a few years ago Lucas took an interest to chess. My mom bought him his first chess set and he was so excited to start playing.

Thank goodness Joe knows how to play, because I know nothing about the game of chess except the name of the pieces!

There were some tears and frustration in the beginning as Joe, not one to just let Lucas win, would win every game. But Lucas hung in there and that first time he beat his dad in a game of chess was pretty thrilling. He still didn't win too many games against Joe, but they kept playing and eventually he started winning more and more until Joe said they were pretty evenly matched.

Lucas joined the chess club at his school last year and then the library started a chess club which he joined as well.

He went to his first chess match with his school and finished 8th out of 18 players.

The library's chess club had an informal tournament and he placed second.

The kids and I went to Wisconsin for my grandmother's funeral and I took him to the basement of my grandparents' house to see what treasures we could find.

There was the Frisbee that we took outside until the bugs and the darkness that got the best of us, there was the Etch-a-Sketch that prompted Lucas to ask for one for Christmas, and then there was the jackpot: the chess set. Two chess sets actually. He brought one upstairs and thankfully had some willing competitors in his great-uncles and second cousins. I'm glad these memories were made because I know he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

And he's finally stopped asking me to play chess.

"I don't know to play, Lucas!"

"I'll teach you!"

Chess doesn't make sense to me. Maybe I just don't have the patience to learn it!

I'm glad that he's got his dad, and his chess clubs, to keep him sharp with the game though.