Relearning a lost art...

I've always enjoyed a good game of chess; not only is it an excellent brain teaser, but it grows with you. As you become a better player, more and more moves become obvious to you that just weren't obvious before!

I once put a man into checkmate in just four moves, and was thrilled with myself...until I found out the move was also called "fool's mate" and that the reason it was so named was that only a fool would fall for it.

Later I learned of "gambits," "forks," "timed games," "timed moves," and a lot of other chess terms. Not only was I growing as a chess player, but my confidence grew as I did!

I began to recognize what stage of ability a player was in by some of the remarks they made during play.

Some players rely heavily on their Queen (the most powerful player) while others would gladly sacrifice their Queen for a lesser piece.

I've learned to play with or without the Queen, and delight in trading Queens with a player who relies on theirs!

Chess is the brain teaser of a lifetime - you can play it as often as you like, and each game is different; all in all, playing chess is not only an excellent way to sharpen the brain...it's an excellent way to interact with others.