Big minds, little board

Last night Maceo brought his chessboard down. Though I have played chess only a handful of times, I feel very comfortable in the presence of chessboards. I used to hang around at chess tournaments and watch my brother, Jake, compete. Or, more likely, play outside with the other little chess brothers and sisters. Despite Jake's efforts to mold me into a worthy enough opponent, I never did stay on the board long enough for him to practice the moves and strategies he read about.

He did get my Dad into the game, though. At the time, my Dad flew international flights for Delta Airlines and over the space of a few years Jake accumulated some 10 unique chessboards from maybe five or six different countries. As for my Dad, he stuck to the portable electronic boards in which you played against the computer. I remember he once told me, “Bets, flying is a breeze. After takeoff, I put the autopilot on and play chess until its time to land.”