by Miles Richard Hoffman

Created on: May 27, 2009   Last Updated: May 31, 2009

As I grew up with a rather strict father there was one thing that might have brought us a little closer together. That was the chess board and the box that went with it of rather charming chess pieces. The knight or horse figure. The bishop and so forth. 'Do you want to play some chess 'Dad''. Okay go get all the pieces set up on the board and call me when you are ready. Then we'd sit across from each other and solemnly start the moves. Of course it was always a pawn move for us. We weren't the experts that could do otherwise.

I can't quite remember where they were ever purchased but they were of exquisite beauty. Highly polished sort of like enameled. The white which was not really a white but more of a gold or yellowed nature. And the black of the darkest ebony. The first pawn move would start us going. Then his pensive thoughtfulness, perhaps a knight move with its rectangular four square move or perhaps the wise bishop with his diagonal move.

If I was careful and watched myself the moves would go on for longer that just several minutes. And as we went further into it the board setup became quite complex. And I would think to myself , 'aha' now I am getting somewhere. Then out of nowhere his Queen popped up and I'd lost my knight or even the bishop. Okay, if I was lucky or fortunate a Stalemate would occur. That's where neither side makes the winning move and a tie game ensues. But most of the time out of nowhere he would mutter something like Checkmate and his win would be explained to me. And of course I would meekly retort, 'shall we try another one 'Dad'. And he might reply okay 'just one more I have some things to do for your Mother'.

And another time it might be 'no not for now some other time maybe. I'm quite busy right now.' I think my Mom his wife might have been some of our getting along difficulties. She was quite a beauty and he'd wrestled her away from a number of other suiters. And he watched over her like a hawk as the expression goes. But then again the chess games. That was our one time of togetherness perhaps a half hour or more sitting across from each other competing for the win. That was the closest I would ever get to my 'Dad' and I was glad for those precious moments together. Yes, Chess was a plus for me in those difficult years of growing up with a rather stricter Father than I would have bargained for in those oh so formative years.

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