Wednesday, July 07, 2004
the greatest game ever invented
i learned to play chess about 10 years back. ever since, i have been addicted to the game. every time i play chess, i discover something new about the intricacies of the pieces, moves, their interactions, everything. it is a game that i love to play. over the last year, while in and out of hospital, i played a lot of chess. mostly with only a few mates. not everyone is interested in playing the game, something that i cannot fathom why. most people don't play because they don't know the rules, but once you do know the rules, the games is simple...yet so complex.
what really got me interested and hooked on playing was, not long after i learned, i came home and asked my little brother if he knew how to play. shit, can that guy play. he whooped me nearly everytime for years. it was frustrating to get beat by my brother all the time. so i kept playing hoping he would slip up, yet, learning the game for myself.
i finally got my revenge about six months ago when i last saw him. we had planned on playing chess, it has become a habit when we see one another. this time, however, i was the one to suprise him. i had been playing so much over the last year that i was planning my game 4 and 5 moves ahead. the look on his face was one of shock. but i knew that he was also pleased with the challenge of the competition.
since, i have found others to play and enjoy the game when the opportunity presents itself to play. i am not bragging of my skills, because i know they are limited. there are some real chess geniuses out there. about 2 months ago, i found myself in the city on a frequent basis, and i would wander down to hyde park around lunch time to watch the old men play chess on the giant chess board in the park. it is a board made up of large tiles in the grounds with huge life size pieces. i would be pleasantly entertained for ages while watching these old men, most of them drunk, play one another while getting into the regular argument mid-way through the game. it is a fantastic spectacle to watch.
today, i am just having this strong desire to play a game of chess, but can't find anyone to play with. so that is my reason for writing this. maybe tomorrow i will have a game.
what really got me interested and hooked on playing was, not long after i learned, i came home and asked my little brother if he knew how to play. shit, can that guy play. he whooped me nearly everytime for years. it was frustrating to get beat by my brother all the time. so i kept playing hoping he would slip up, yet, learning the game for myself.
i finally got my revenge about six months ago when i last saw him. we had planned on playing chess, it has become a habit when we see one another. this time, however, i was the one to suprise him. i had been playing so much over the last year that i was planning my game 4 and 5 moves ahead. the look on his face was one of shock. but i knew that he was also pleased with the challenge of the competition.
since, i have found others to play and enjoy the game when the opportunity presents itself to play. i am not bragging of my skills, because i know they are limited. there are some real chess geniuses out there. about 2 months ago, i found myself in the city on a frequent basis, and i would wander down to hyde park around lunch time to watch the old men play chess on the giant chess board in the park. it is a board made up of large tiles in the grounds with huge life size pieces. i would be pleasantly entertained for ages while watching these old men, most of them drunk, play one another while getting into the regular argument mid-way through the game. it is a fantastic spectacle to watch.
today, i am just having this strong desire to play a game of chess, but can't find anyone to play with. so that is my reason for writing this. maybe tomorrow i will have a game.
