Soccer Dad

Beating abba

I don't remember exactly when I was able to hold my own against my own parents in games. But there comes a time in every parent's life when his children are able to compete against them.

About 2 years ago, I reached that point with my oldest daughter when we played Boggle together. She loves the game and for a while she persisted even though I'd win most of the time. But as time went on, she would come closer and closer. Now when we play it's no longer a given that I'll beat her.

Our second child has finally reached the point where he can outrun me. I'd love to see what would happen if we'd run further than just about 50 feet, but I don't think I could keep up with him.

With number three I've finally reached that point with chess. It used to be that I'd win most of the time when I played my sons. (Not all of the time.) But it was mostly trading captures until someone got a tactical advantage and checkmated the other.

But Tuesday night I played him. I felt the whole game as if I had blinders that prevented me from seeing the whole board as he took off piece after piece and I didn't see it coming. He said that he learned how to look at the whole board. Clearly he's reached a level that I've never been able to achieve.

I played him again last night. The game was a little closer. (I wasn't nearly as careless as I'd been the previous night.) I had an advantage in the endgame, but I wasn't able to checkmate him. In time. And he got to me first.

I've been bothered that I've never been able to get better at chess. But I've realized that getting better meant really changing how I played and learning to develop a position. I might never get there. But one of my sons has, even if I couldn't teach him that.