HL's New Game

Several months ago, HL saw a LEGO brand chess set in one of his coveted magazines (which he carries around till they’re in tatters, by the way). This sparked a great interest in chess for him. Unfortunately, none of us had ever played chess and we figured it was a little much for him to learn anyway, so we just pretended to play it with him. Have you ever tried to play a complicated game with a four year old who is constantly changing the rules on you? No? Well, it’s not frustrating at all, oh no, not one teensy bit. Ha! Well, at my family’s celebration the day before Easter, HL’s Uncle sat down and taught him chess. HL caught on right away and picked it up without issue. And, he even won his very first game!! That’s right, he beat his Uncle C! Okay, to be fair I must tell you that he, of course, had help from not only his uncle, but also his two aunts… And, we kinda let him win so that he would enjoy the game. But anyway, the point is that he learned the game of chess. The next day, we went down to celebrate Easter with Hubby’s side of the family where there are lots of kids HL’s age that he loves to play with. But this holiday, instead of running amok with his buddies and joining in the revelry of four-year-old games, I found him here: watching two of his much older cousins playing a game of chess. When they finished, he convinced me to try a game (my very first). It was fun! Of course, he won. Again. (With his daddy’s help.) Watching him play chess makes me very proud. He excels at paying attention to what may happen based on the choices he makes. He is careful to think through his moves to make sure that they don’t put him in jeopardy. It seems chess is a game of consequences, and is teaching my son to think ahead. A skill that I believe to be very important in life.