Bobby Fischer

When I asked Troy what he wanted to do today, he surprisingly went and got his chess board. He set it all up and asked me to play with him. He said he’d been playing on a set in aftercare with another little boy and his older brother. He was so confident that he was going to pummel me, so I asked him if he wanted any help or if just wanted to figure it out himself. He said he wanted to try by himself, so I left him to it.

Over the next thirty minutes, I systematically went about taking every single piece he had off the board before cornering his king and ending the game. To my continued surprise, he asked me to play again. This time I gave him some general advice, like not moving a piece unless he had a reason. He should always have a plan or strategy in mind. Or being watchful for attacks when moving a piece. A sacrifice should only occur if it sets up a better attack later on. Things like that.

To his credit, he played much better the second time. He even managed to take my queen when I wasn’t paying attention. That game was much harder on me. I still managed to prevail, but it was a battle. Maybe he’s got a future in chess. I’ve already been talking to my wife about signing him up for the chess club.