learning chess

Yesterday's newspaper featured an article about young chess players and the popularity of the game. It reminded me of when I first learned how to play:

As I recall, I first learned how to play back in fourth grade. The teacher had arranged for a guy to come in and teach us - I can still picture what he looked like (imagine a slighter Eddie Money). Anyway, he taught us how each of the pieces moved and the basic rules, probably up to castling but short of en passant. What he didn't emphasize, probably because he didn't think he needed to, was that pawns can't move backwards.

I remember our first foray into playing games - my classmate and I would move a pawn a square forward and on our next turn, move it back again. Ah, those were the days. Non-aggressive, non-obtrusive, so peaceful. Nice, neat and tidy. Move a pawn forward, then move it back; then maybe next time, move a different pawn forward, then move it back again. I loved it.

Then that teacher guy happened by where we were playing and he broke the news to us: pawns only move forward. How horrifying! Looking back, that change to the rules, to the correct rules, ruined the game for me. There was no more retreating; the game became so much more, well, war-like. There would be no more peaceful co-existence and live and let-live platitudes.

I'd rather go bird-watching.