If you haven’t watched the Netflix limited series The Queen’s Gambit, I highly recommend that you do so. It’s a compelling series about a young female chess prodigy that features fantastic costumes, great writing, and superb acting. As I watched each episode, I began to realize how complex and involved the game of chess can be. My own experience of the game was as a child. I had no idea what intricacies were involved, but still had fun playing anyway!
I learned chess at an early age by playing the 1988 DOS game Battle Chess on my family’s IBM computer. It had terrible graphics by today’s standards and was surprisingly violent (knights usually chopped off limbs, for example, and the sound effects were brutal). After playing against the computer for a while, I graduated to a new opponent, and that’s where the real fun began.
Even as a child, I could tell that my dad was really good at chess. Looking back, I understand how his analytical engineer’s mind was able to strategize, plan, and execute. In the evenings after dinner, we would fetch the chess set from the hall closet and sit on the brown carpet in our family room to play. The games were lighthearted and fun.
However, more often than not, I got stuck and became unable to see possible moves on the board. When that happened, I would ask Dad for “a grace,” which was our code for “I need you to help me with my next move so I can have a miniscule chance of beating you.” Dad would then offer a suggestion which would make the game last a little longer. He explained why the move would work, and suddenly I saw everything more clearly. He would eventually win, but it felt more like a fair fight.
I won’t spoil The Queen’s Gambit for you, but there is a tremendous sense of relief and triumph during the last episode. As the series ended, I teared up as I remembered my chess games with Dad and how much I appreciated having “a grace” on multiple occasions.
In later years, I found that I could count on receiving “a grace” from him when it really mattered in life. If I was having a tough time in a situation, he offered suggestions for my next move so I could have a better chance at moving forward and being successful.
Thank you for all the graces, Dad, in chess and life.
