I have been playing chess since I was 13. I played competitively throughout high school and colllege but quit that route after I realized that I needed to pay the apartment rent, buy food and clothes, pay the cooling bill (I lived in Houston), and, maybe, buy my first car (a used 1976 Chevrolet Impala with 4,632 miles on it; yes, I have records)……….. little things like that.
Just before I started blogging in 2007, I spent most of my free time playing chess at Game Knot, my favorite chess site…. There are online tournaments, puzzles, forums…. everything a chess enthusiast could want, except, perhaps, actual people sitting across the chessboard from you.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I stumbled upon a chess table at the San Diego County Fair:
See the little guy in the picture? Here he is:
How nice to see a young child playing with something other than an iPod or iPad…….. just saying.
I watched him for about 30 minutes — he’s good. Real good. I wanted to play him but then I realized that I was at the Fair to, uh, see the Fair, not to play chess. That realization allowed me to leave with my ego intact.
There was even a larger chess set for those who don’t like to sit around:
Over in the succulent garden, however, I found my BFF chess set:
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Russel Ray Photos 
Ha ha, you’d be like a pig in s**t!
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I have no idea what you’re talking about. lol
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So, you chickened out from playing that kid, he was going to whip your 57 year old a**! 🙂
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I had to go see the chickens. Priorities…………
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🙂 Ha,ha
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Ok, Does my computer have a glitch where Zoey the cat’s ID is up side down or is there something more sinister going on here? My second daughter used to play chess with my youngest son. When she saw that she could not win the game she would just reach out and turn the chess board up side down sending my son into uncontrolable laughter. Both were good chess players and I’ll bet that you are too!
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My brother, two years older, used to do that to me. What he didn’t understand was that I loved chess and was playing competitively. He thought that he should be able to win simply because he was two years older.
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Got it with Zoey from another comment. Yes she was older; he was the baby of the family but he did not upset the board when she was winning!
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Zoey the Cool Cat likes to be the center of attention, so she was just testing everyone to make sure they were still watching her. lol
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I enjoyed this post very much and I too wonder what’s up with the upside down sign.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Each day I play around in CorelDRAW. It’s a fascinating program. Zoey the Cool Cat’s approval posts are done in CorelDRAW and I always try to do something different with each approval graphic, not that I always to. Sometimes work gets in the way of play for the day.
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That little guy looks like a force to be reckoned with. 😉
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The interesting thing is that he was beating people yet he took very little time to make his moves. He has the gift to be a Grandmaster at a very young age.
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Great post. Nice focus, too. Oh, and Zoey? Thanks for the practice at using the other side of my brain. ;P
I taught all four of my kids to play chess. We started with pawns and the King and Queen. I like the game and will still play with the computer online every once in a while. Question is –
do you play cribbage, Russel Ray? hint, hint….
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I played Cribbage and Bridge when I was in high school but only because my wise old grandmother played. She taught me. I liked chess better.
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Way too funny with the plant holder chess set. 😆
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Love the succulent chess set. Very clever.
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Such prickly fun!
“.”
Cat
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I love that last chess set!
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Hi,
How wonderful to see the young boy playing chess, and what a great variety of chess boards as well, I just love the last one, that is incredible. 🙂
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Little Guy looks serious. I wouldn’t fool with him. Loosing to someone that was probably born when I turned half a century would be embarrassing! Good move, moving on to Fair Gazing. 🙂
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I’ve never played chess. I just can’t sit still that long, but I might change my mind if I had a set like that BFF set you photographed. Wow!
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Mr. Ray, I want to play the life-sized chess game! I enjoy the game, but am not very accomplished at it. My strategy is pretty much to keep from being eaten alive.
~Lea~
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Cool find, Russel.
The little guy is winning… he’s ahead with one pawn. Hehe
Those chess plants ain’t gonna last. The pawn plants might go faster than the queen and king. 😀
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Great pictures! i love what you said about seeing kids play with something else besides ipod lol! My little nephews are all about those and they know how to work them better than I do… he’s 3 lol
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great post
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