Tag Archives: chess

Playing Chess With Sloan

Posted on by
1

Check mate. ♟️

I have told the story before. When I was in sixth grade, my teacher had the ingenuity and patience to teach our class chess. I had no idea how to play the game when I entered Mr. Jared Hoadley’s classroom but when I left for the summer I knew how to navigate a chess board with confidence and basic strategy. What a gift!

The game has come in handy over the past 27 years. Chess is truly a universal game and I have been able to play with many people over the past few decades. In fact, lately I have found myself face-to-face with a truly formidable opponent: my daughter.

We enrolled Sloan in Chess Club at St. Mary (Spokane Valley) and it has opened up another opportunity for me to bond with her.

We enrolled Sloan in chess club at St. Mary. Every Monday for just an hour after school, a professional chess coach from the Inland Chess Academy visits the campus and gives a lesson. After he finishes his lesson, the enrolled students play each other.

So far it has been a great experience for Sloan. She has found that she enjoys chess and looks forward to the weekly lessons. The enthusiasm doesn’t just extend to Monday afternoons—she likes to play at home too.

As part of the enrollment fee, the Inland Chess Academy gave her an oversized chess set to bring home. So far it has received a lot of use as she challenges her old man. Yep, Sloan and I are playing chess on pretty much a nightly basis.

It has been fun to match wits with my daughter. At this point, my skill level is still above hers, so I have tried to do more coaching than just trying to achieve check mate in as few moves as possible. However, I know for certain that the day will come when she will wipe the board with me. To be honest, I don’t think that day will be too far off.

Sloan isn’t just playing me in chess. With Sidney’s parents in town from South Carolina, Sloan has went head-to-head with my father-in-law.

A year ago, I ran into Mr. (now “Dr.”) Hoadley at a high school football game. I told him how much I appreciated the effort he made to teach my class chess. He responded in a very interesting way. His main goal for teaching us chess wasn’t what I envisioned. Although critical thinking and strategizing were both reasons for helping us learn the game, there was something else that drove him to teach us chess. You want me to tell you what he said?…

He told me it was to give his students an outlet to be social with each other.

As Sloan pleads with me to play chess with her, I remember Mr. Hoadley’s motivation for helping us to appreciate the game. Although it is fun to compete against Sloan and teach her maneuvering/tactics, at the end of the day she views it mostly as a way to spend time with her dad. That’s something I can’t take for granted. Don’t Blink.

A Dying Game

Posted on by
1

In sixth grade, my class was taught a unit not mandated in any curriculum you will find. In fact, the unit centered on a game. In my last year of elementary school, I was taught chess.

My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Jared Hoadley, taught our whole class how to play the strategic game of chess. I can still see him sitting up front in class holding different pieces and telling us what they could do on the board. Before long we knew that the horse piece was called a “knight” and that your queen was the most powerful piece in the game. Soon, we were all playing matches against each other. Mr. Hoadley was making nerds of us all.

Well, not really. There is a perception that chess is played by antisocial brainiacs but the reality is that the game is played by all types of people across numerous countries. What is true, however, is that the overall number of people playing and learning chess is declining. But honestly, is it really a big surprise? With electronics and the culture we live in today, folks don’t necessarily want to learn a complex game and then sit down and devote an hour to playing it.

Never mind the fact that chess can be played on any iPhone or computer, the game itself (perception and complexities included) just seems to turn people off these days. Heck, the game seemed to turn most people off before I even started playing it around 17 years ago.

So why even play it? Come on Brent, just because you are getting all nostalgic about your elementary school days does not mean we should start playing an outdated game. I understand what you are saying, but…

Today I talked to someone who was on fire for the game of chess. He had just returned from a major tournament and is climbing his way up to the Chess Master level. Even though I am as amateur as they come with regards to chess, I was still able to chat with him about the game. It made me miss it.

We should play chess because it is a classic, thinking-person’s game. It is based on strategy. Every war and every sports metaphor is relatable in chess. If you like competition, if you like the idea of matching wits against someone, if you like locking yourself down for a battle of intellect then chess is your game. Patience and aggression are both key. If nothing else, at least learn how to play.

Do you play chess? If you do, I would like to know. Also, if you have ever taught someone to play it before I would like to know. Until then, check mate. Don’t Blink.