Growing up in a bustling household was so much fun- it was a blessing. My parent's place was never empty. My family shared our home with my visiting cousins every day. The environment was constantly filled with laughter, chuckles, and random screams from children. From morning till evening the house danced with sounds of kids playing football, video games, or other fun activities.The house was never silent during the day. Kids were always rumbling and tumbling.
The first time I set my eyes on a chessboard was when I was in secondary school. The moment my eyes sighted the chessboard, it felt like my world shifted. It was a well-crafted wooden chessboard. Old, but well maintained, with the pieces well carved and designs intact and neat. My big cousin, a high school teacher and chess guru had brought it home. My fascination with the game kicked in the moment he showed it to me. It was love at first sight. I loved the way the pieces were carved. The chess board was my big cousin’s most valued possession. It was obvious in the way he handled it and cleaned it after every game. He was obsessed with it.
Every Friday, when my big cousin paid his weekly visit, he would always teach us things about the board game. It was like a weekly appointment for my cousins and I. Not so many people paid attention to his teachings because they saw the game as too “difficult and complex.” Unlike other kids, we were determined to master it. Me, my brother and also a few of my cousins paid attention to him. We were always eager to see him every Friday when he came around.
My brother learnt the basics quickly, swiftly learning the arrangements, movements and basic tactics, while I was still learning how to arrange the pieces on the board. After about 3 weeks, my brother became a little better. His skills started to surpass my own. As our big cousin’s visits continued, his attention increasingly turned to my brother, who had become a promising chess player in just 3 weeks. He focused on teaching and playing chess with my brother while the rest of us watched them.
Despite the fact that my big cousin focused on teaching only my brother, somehow, I learnt how to arrange the pieces on the board. I also learnt the basic moves. The Knight became my favorite piece. The knight is not the most powerful piece in chess, but I enjoy playing with it because of its unique movement and its interesting design.
As I got admission into high school, my love for chess grew stronger and I finally had the opportunity to fully dedicate myself to the board game. My high school had a chess tutor who trained us to play chess. Since I already knew the basics, he focused mainly on training me. I soon understood that this was the reason my big cousin focused on training my brother and neglected the rest of us. I realized that chess trainers prefer to focus on those who already know the basics. However, my chess tutor was good at balancing his attention so other students wouldn't feel left out.
My passion for chess increased as I progressed through high school. By my senior year, my skills in chess had greatly improved and I started representing my school in inter-school competitions. Looking back, my chess journey has been a great and fascinating one. It all started with my big cousin’s wooden chess, and I've continued to explore the game, playing chess in different places. In 2020, my interest in chess reached a new level when I downloaded Lichess (without a doubt, the best chess app.)
My most exciting victory was when I finally defeated my brother in an online game. For many years, my brother found pleasure in defeating me in every game. He'd been on a winning streak since my secondary school days. But 2 years ago, I turned the tides and finally defeated him in a game and since then, I’ve been beating him game after game.
This is my submission to the Inleo prompt suggestion for the month of April. The topic is: Today is for all games, video games, and sports, and even clothing and articles related to games and sports!
Note: All images in this post are mine.
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