Getting Beaten By A Kid At Chess
Learning chess as an adult is tough!
If you’re an adult taking on the new hobby of chess, expect to be beaten by kids.
I’m a pretty keen online chess player with over 17,000 games played on chess.com but I have discovered that I still have a lot to learn. When I joined a FIDE-rated chess tournament in my local area, I spotted around 10 adults, including myself, among what appeared to be around 100 kids. Apparently chess tournaments are riddled with 3- to 4-foot geniuses, adorable on the outside and ruthless on the chessboard.
I defeated my first two opponents reasonably well. My first game was against a young Indian girl who appeared stern and was great at intimidating me with one look. I asked if it was also her first time playing in a chess tournament and she nodded no without returning a smile. Chess is a mind game and this girl was messing with my mind.
I played the only opening I semi-know, the London system, and she responded swiftly. She knew what she was doing. Soon after, she pushed a pawn in front of her king, winning one of my pieces but opening up her king. I calculated and re-calculated. I couldn’t help but spell out my entire plan with my eyes and head movements. I could have sworn she was reading my mind. Then, in the words of Levy Rozman AKA Gotham Chess,
