Chess Club

Got home, napped for a bit, then headed off for a few games with the folks at the Wicker Park Chess Club. Met up with Will, and saw a few of the regulars (I’m slowly learning names). And guess what – tons of people tonight! Usually, there are about 6 people, sometimes 8 playing at a time. Tonight, it was up around 10 or 12.

Two girls were among the new players, to boot. It’s a rare thing to see female chess players. Well, at least in the limited circles where I play. Very cool though. I hope this trend of more people showing up continues. I’m trying to get myself into more of a routine, so that I’m attending this thing regularly, once a week. Lately, I’m going maybe every other week. Which is a shame, because I always have a blast when I do go.

Tonight, I played two games against a guy named Grayson. We switched colors, but he beat me both times. Both games were really interesting, and I think he’s an exact match for me, as far as skill and strategy go. Neither of us really knows textbook openings (and if he does, he’s hiding it), and we both made some pretty major mistakes in our gameplay. But move for move, we’re remarkably similar. Looking forward to more games with him in the future.