My father taught me to play chess when I was eight-years-old. Often it was the only thing we could do that didn’t lead to a shouting match as I was growing-up. Some fathers and sons have baseball or football…we had chess. Now, I am teaching my 5-year-old to play.
I’ve read of several historical players learning from their fathers as well.
How many other people have had the experience of learning the game from their father? I think these stories can tell us a lot about father-son relationships as well as how chess could be promoted.
I also learned from my father, who showed me and my little brothers the moves, and then got me my first chess book. Growing up overseas, with Armed Forces Radio and TV on a limited amount of time, we passed the hour’s away reading and playing chess. Delving into obscure lines from our MCO, we would spring the lines we learned on our friends. There was always a set in the library or in a day room, which we would happily play against all comers. I taught my daughter’s and my nephew, who still plays me over the internet when he goes to Arizona for the summer.
I also learned chess from my father, at the age of 6. He knew how to play, but not well: he would invariably try for Scholar’s Mate in the opening. He would get his pieces out and castle, but rarely see two-move combinations. Funny how he would hardly ever play after I figured out how to beat him most of the time around the age of 10 or so (five years before I joined USCF).
It was one of the few good things he ever did for me. Without going into all of the details, we are now completely estranged, and I will not speak to him again for as long as I live.
On June 19, 1999, the day before Father’s Day, the Springfield (Ill.) chess club hosted the “Father’s Day Open”, in which fathers received a discount on their entry fees if accompanied by one or more of their chess-playing children. Only a few took advantage of the special, but turnout was still good. Much higher than any tourneys the club has had these last few years.
My older brother taught me when I was about nine; my father had already passed away. When my mother also passed two years later, my five siblings and I were adopted by a couple whose only son had been killed in Vietnam.
While my brother quit playing, I had fallen in love with the game and soon started going to the junior high chess club and playing it with a couple of my new friends. Only after my new father saw how much I loved the game did he reveal he was a strong player, had been the President of the Washington Chess Federation and had published the state magazine, a fine monthly still going strong today. That gave us an activity we could do together. As a preteen trying to adapt to a new family with four teenage siblings around trying to do likewise, this was a great source of stability for me. It helped me learn a lot about my father’s value system as well, and no, I don’t mean point count. Those values still guide me today.
I learned about the Chess world at the age of 19, my Dad rarely played. Many years later, I now have 4 kids and one, William, likes Chess. William renewed my interest in Chess and I became a TD to provide tournaments for him to play in. By my running tournaments, he got a free entry fee and I got “paid” to run the tournament. As I recalled, winning money at a Chess tournament was a rarity - so this arrangement was sweet. William’s rating jumped rapidly as I spent many hours studying with him. (Two of my other children are college graduates, and my youngest has other hobbies we share an interest in). Anyway, just turning 13, William has reached the top 10 in scholastic Chess in Missouri, and is close to beating me all the time, but not quite there yet.
My biggest problem is that Missouri does not have many masters, and I don’t think I can improve his Chess skills much further. Any suggestions? We visit ICC often. Does anyone know if it’s worth getting a coach over ICC or some other remote way?
Also, just to make a suggestion to someone out there, Saint Louis has a great club where we get to spend many hours. We would love to have a Master or two move on over here and make a living giving lessons, etc. Perhaps you’ll have an opportunity to visit during the 2009 US Championships.
