"If you can't make a move, make a stupid move"

(Sung to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it.")

So this is about Miguel's latest thing.

Two Saturdays ago he started attending the SECOND Ateneo Saturday Chess Clinic. What happened to the first one, you may ask? Well, that was offered some time in the first quarter, but he was already had an activity during Saturday mornings. So when the second one was offered, he begged me to let him attend.

You've gotta hand it to the boy; he knows what he wants.

So for the past 2 Saturdays, we've been trooping to the Blue Eagle gym for chess lessons. To my surprise the place is filled with (by my estimate) fifteen young, noisy, active boys who are truly excited about chess. They relish the challenge of a game and have a lot of energy. I don't know what goes on inside that chess room during clinic hours, but I got to witness Miguel playing against a classmate after hours. With them, a game of chess is not at all quiet, but punctuated with a lot of animated conversation, side comments and antics.

I've discovered that there's a lot of etiquette involved in chess, and they will learn the rules eventually. But right now they're just having a lot of fun while learning.

I knew that he had an interest in chess, which is why I brought home a beautiful chess set from China last year (pictured above). But I never suspected that he would really take a shine to it. Well, at least for now he does. I daresay it satisfies his intellectual curiosity.

Checkmate

Miguel hit the jackpot this weekend: 2 Superman movies, trips to Powerstation and Egg, coming-home gifts from my bro and his wife, plus his latest object of fascination - a chess set that he coaxed out of my sister-in-law G.

While we were eating a post-movie merienda he took his tita's hand, ostensibly to show her the baby grand piano that was playing on its own. Then I saw them heading for the arcade and the toy store, and I knew that my beloved sis-in-law was about to be hijacked. Or rather, held up.

They were in the toy store by the time I caught up with them, and sure enough, G had asked him to choose a toy. Well, she did miss his birthday so it was a kind of belated gift. He pointed excitedly at wooden box that had sported a chess board. I suggested that he get the classic "barrel of monkeys" instead. But he liked the box because it read "5 games in one." In other words, he wanted something for 2 or more people.

G gladly bought the set, which contained pieces for chess, backgammon, checkers, dominoes, and pick-up sticks. He was so excited that the moment we got home we played a game. Surprisingly, he was quite good for a first timer. And not surprisingly, I made a lot of mistakes. Much like my billiard and bowling games, I'm lousy at chess. But I discovered that it's so much nicer when you're playing just for fun.

I won in the end; it was probably the first time that I've ever won. But it was a good game. I've never really had an interest in chess before, but with Miguel's new fascination for it, I'm already looking forward to the next game.

63/100