I’m always looking for inspiration. So when you’re more or less stuck in the house during a pandemic … and your eyes need a break from the screen … after awhile you start to look in old boxes that are just sitting around and that’s where I discovered Steve’s cache of chess pieces. I vaguely remember playing chess as a little kid but goodness knows I was never meant to be a Beth Harmon. I’m more into the zen of chess, as I am into the zen of fishing. The zen of fishing is tie a string on a stick, slip the string into the water, and then ponder the world about you. I’m not so into actually catching a fish just as I’m not so into demolishing my opponent across the board. But it’s nice to know how to do it. So … I had Steve set up the board. He picked these pieces up in Mexico years ago. I thought he’d simply tell me what I need to do … I know the basic moves. But he handed me a book! Starting Out: the Sicilian. Well, I moved my first pawn. We’ll see how this journey progresses.
