Chess

Yesterday, Shusli and I were discussing a personal issue in which I was feeling completely defeated. In her sweet and wonderful wisdom, she had given me a few ideas that take little effort in which I might gain some footing into my issue. A few tools that don't take a whole lot of effort to use with consistent pressure and I might just find myself in an advantage.

I have bought two computer chess games in which I am just starting to play. One is a handheld in which I am starting at the lowest level and getting my chops back. So far, I've won the four games that I've played, however, that doesn't really mean much, and I know it, as I found that I was surprised that I had won. The moves that I made to win were not intended to win as much as to defend a certain piece. Winning was a surprise. My brain wasn't stretching and strategising to find the defeat in which I gave my opponent. The defeats came as a surprise to me.

In having a discussion with Shusli about a personal issue last night, and continuing to think about it this morning, I realize that although I have ways in which I can see patterns throughout many areas of life, I have little knowledge of how to strategize and use the tools at my disposal to further that knowledge into something workable.

When I finally figured out how to play the computer on the Deep Fritz computer chess game I bought, I played at a very low level, but not the lowest, and in four games...I GOT MY ASS HANDED TO ME IN EACH ONE! That was when it hit me!

Yeah, sure, I can recognize patterns. I can recognize the patterns that go with the working poor in reading Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed." I can recognize how people feel utterly defeated in mere attempts at survival. MASSES OF THEM! And I surrender to the idea that I can do nothing to change that. What a crock of f***ing sh**! What I think I will do is learn to recognize the tools I have and how to use them. Like in my personal issue, I have given in to utter defeat without playing the pieces I have on the board in which I choose to play.

Chess is a very important game to me. I haven't played since I was in junior high when I realized that I could recognize the patterns and strategize on the board to hand defeat to a handful of my fellow chess players back in the day. Sadly, all those three decades ago, for some reason, I gave up the game until a few years ago when I played Felicia some. I bought the book, "The Complete Chess Course" by Fred Reinhold (1953), and Felicia and I worked through some of the beginning chapters. But after a while, she didn't want to play anymore, even though she handed me my ass a few times, 2 of the 8 or 10 games we played. Again, I lost interest, and the book.

I decided to buy "The Complete Chess Course" again, as well "Play Chess: Deep Fritz Grand Master Deluxe" chess game for my computer, and Saitek's "Mephisto Travel Chess Computer" (a sweet little hand held), and have decided to REopen my mind to ideas and strategies I had completely IGONORED that I have.

And I take back what I said about Coos Bay not having chess players. In reading my chess book at work, I was surprised to discover that a fellow who works in maintenance played chess and wants to get back into it. Another fella, a resident, also wants to play a game or two. And when I bought coffee, I ran into the other fella I knew who played chess, though he doesn't reside in Coos Bay, and we had a few discussions about the game. SURPRISE!

In other game news, Shusli is an excellent Scrabble player. She has a great mind for words and is good at startegy in playing the game which has also undoubtedly exercised those tools in her mind that create strong thinking patterns. She is thinking of organizing a Scrabble Tourney in the area.

All this thinking about playing games has brought me to the importance of what it means to play games. Games are exercise of the mind. In this, the beginning of my rethinking Chess, I have already come to a new thought pattern in exercising my mind. I am a limited thinker. Sure, I can recognize patterns, but I could not recognize the simple tools at my disposal and how to use them that Shusli offered to me in her advice on my personal issue yesterday. And this morning, in recognizing patterns and remembering the importance of play (remember when you were a kid, if you aren't one right now), I have come to a new understanding of the importance of games, thanks to the game of chess and my sweet wonderful wife, Shusli.

Don't forget to play, folks. Playing and having fun is very important, useful, and GOOD! Don't worry about winning or losing so much. Afterall, it's a game, and you're gonna win and you're gonna lose. The most important part, in my opinion, is that you are exercising your mind. I've noticed that there isn't a whole lot of playing games going on in my neighborhood, and I think it is time to change that.