Chess and Father's Day

JACOB'S CHECKMATE





My dad taught me to play chess when I was 5. I am teaching Jacob now that he is 5. In fact, I just got him his very own chess board and he is very excited about it.

My dad taught me the basics and a few simple traps. I apparently angered my grandfather on my mother's side when I beat him after he stumbled into one of my memorized taps. My dad described the look on my face as I sprung the trap and won. By all accounts, grandpa didn't take it well.

Well, I got a taste of the other side a few weeks ago. When I play Jacob, I talk him through it and ask "are you sure about that move?" when he is about to make a mistake. I do not allow myself to castle, but I encourage him to castle early. I leave myself vulnerable, but I do not expect him to see the possibilities.

Well, he unloaded some applied knowledge on me and checkmated me in a move I literally didn't see until he made it. G5 to C1 if you are scoring at home. My king was vulnerable and he went for the kill.

We love playing together and I can't wait to see him develop. Every time chess comes back into my life, I wish I hadn't let it slip from my routine. I want to play regularly again and I'm going to find a way. All the while, Jacob and I will be playing together.

On Chess and Bobby Fischer

From this:


To this:



I just finished Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - From America's brightest prodigy to the edge of madness, by Frank Brady. It involves two of my favorite topics: Chess and unstable people.

Bobby Fischer's singular brilliance on a chess board was fascinating. And the ungodly amount of time he put into mastering that game left enormous holes in his social development. The result was a brilliant but moody and unstable chess prodigy who reached the peak of world chess domination and then disappeared into seclusion only to emerge decades later spouting conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic venom.

It's just odd.

The first thing I took from the book was complete appreciation for what Fischer accomplished in Chess. Fischer's contribution altered how the game was played and created a new generation of chess players worldwide.

A few highlights: He was the youngest grandmaster in the history of Chess (13); he won a completely unheard-of 20-straight games on his way to qualifying for the World Title match with Spassky; he won two consecutive US Championships without losing or drawing a single game (11 victories each year); and he so thoroughly scared the Soviet chess machine that seven of the nation's top Grand Masters were assigned to find weaknesses in his game (Including "master of endgame," "master of openings," etc.).

There was also this: He expected to be treated like a king at all times and required all demands (no matter how ridiculous or inconvenient) be met 100%. Moody and fragile does not begin to describe his obstinacy. I came away believing that moodiness was not an intentional strategy of psychological warfare as much as an accurate reflection of his personality.

He won the title, made such ridiculous demands for his first scheduled-defense of that title against Karpov in 1975 that he resigned the title without a game (leaving millions of dollars on the table) and disappeared for about 20 years. He became a vagrant, literally went into hiding and "wandered" Los Angeles with a new beard to hide his identity.

He surfaced only to play a game against Spassky in 1992 in violation of international sanctions in Yugoslavia as it was being torn asunder by war (he posed with Milosevich). That led to him hiding in various placed all over the globe and surfacing only enough to spout hate-filled rants. Apparently unsatisfied with being merely allowed to travel despite his status as a fugitive from the law, he then applauded the 9/11 attacks, thus provoking the repeal of that passport.

After being arrested in Japan, he renounced citizenship and negotiated Icelandic citizenship. He died in Iceland a bitter and ranting victim of too many perceived slights to count.

Unfortunately, 1950s US policy helped create "Crazy Bobby" because the CIA had 750 pages worth of file on his mother because she attended protests and tapped his childhood phone because he frequented a Russian bookstore to study chess. In other words, its easy to believe in conspiracies when your phone is tapped from an early age and you are followed and approached by agents in black suits and sunglasses. I'm not saying it makes his later paranoia logical, but it sure didn't help. I have yet to discover one positive impact of Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunts.

I recommend the book highly as both fascinating and educational. It's a great read and a sad, sad story.

I started playing chess at age five and have started teaching Jacob how to play this year. Its a game I too-often stray from and always wish I could play more. It set me once again to search for a local chess club. Once again to no avail, but I'm now going to find a way to play one way or the other.

Bobby Fischer is an example of how not to raise a promising-child, but the greatness of the game benefitted from having devoured his sanity.

June is My Month

WATCHING THE NUGGETS IN THE PLAYOFFS

AT JK GRADUATION

June is my month, and it bears repeating. Birthday, Father's Day and my Anniversary (12 years this year!). I get a special "June gift" for all the occasions and that gives me more leeway on price. Sweet!

So, generally, I like June. Some of my best memories were formed in June. I got married; walked the Normandy Beaches on my birthday (anniversary of D-Day!); set off for New York to live for a summer; traveled across Germany and France and visited Moscow (one does not travel across Russia... ask anyone with an army); and I've enjoyed many nice and warm days.

Today I became eligible to run for president. That means from here until I turn 67, I have only Social Security eligibility to attain with my age. Of course, by then I may have to wait until I'm 77. So, really, let's just say I'm not going to think too much about that.

I still have no complaints. All is pretty good for the most part. And although I now CAN run for president, that doesn't mean I will. I prefer to keep my options open. In other words, I won't be doing that.

I pretty much work, read and hang with the family. It's a pretty uneventful routine, actually. And, I'm reading some great books this year. With my birthday as an excuse, I bought four more books. I like my pace and I legitimately can't wait to start each one.

Jacob graduated from Junior Kindergarten. I then immediately had him start Kindergarten this month. He tested really well, so he's a go. Summer break? We both work so that's out. But, Summer break is actually way too long and encourages our laziest inclinations.

I toyed with the idea of holding him out of graduation because... well, he was going to graduate unless he were to have killed a few kids with scissors, so it's kinda like "congratulating" him for aging. And, since that's essentially what we celebrate with birthdays, why not? Actually, he would have had to sit out all their program practice and preparation and so he would have worked less if I held him out. See how evil I am?

I actually gave this subject a lot of thought. I don't remember "graduating" before I started Kindergarten and I do kinda have this problem with our overly-coddling society, but that's just my way. I'm surly like that.

My parenting philosophy may not be what one would call "widely accepted" or "considered healthy by most people," but that's OK because our "average" kid these days could do a lot better.

I was scared to death of disappointing my dad and it worked. But we were also close. I managed to figure out that he could both expect a lot and love me anyway. We too often don't expect enough from kids. They will surprise you if you let them. Jacob shocks me regularly.

As you can see above, he likes me. I figured out pretty quickly that I could cement a love of going to games with dad by letting him gorge himself on foods that are forbidden at home. So, he had candy, pop and a hot dog (the last one not so forbidden). Throw in a souvenir and I essentially bought him out on a lifetime contract to games with dad. I call that a win.

Now, he gets to keep going to those games so long as he makes with the 4.0. What? I keeeed, I keeeed! Well, I kind of kid.