23 Jul '09 20:18>
>A few years ago a young 5-year-old named Anthony (cute as a button and well liked by everyone) came to our chess club. Anthony sat down to play me and I immediately recognized that he had a talent for the game. He would make a very good move and when I'd ask him why he made that move, he'd say, "I don't know; it just seemed good to me." He had a natural instinct. So I would explain to him why it was a good move, and he absorbed all this like a sponge soaking up water.
>Eventually, he acquired knowledge to go along with his talent, but I still beat him every time, and he was just aching to beat me. Finally when he was 6, I made a horrible blunder and he beat me, but what was impressive was that he pressed home his advantage and did not fritter it away, as you might expect of someone so young. So now he started bragging to anyone who would listen that he beat me. This bragging went on for several months during which I continued to beat him. One day, in the presence of his father, I said to him, "Anthony, yes I admit it, you beat me once, but you have to understand that I have a policy of letting all my friends beat me once, and only once, just to encourage them. You will never beat me again." Well, now he was almost salivating to beat me again.
. . . continued in Part II
>Eventually, he acquired knowledge to go along with his talent, but I still beat him every time, and he was just aching to beat me. Finally when he was 6, I made a horrible blunder and he beat me, but what was impressive was that he pressed home his advantage and did not fritter it away, as you might expect of someone so young. So now he started bragging to anyone who would listen that he beat me. This bragging went on for several months during which I continued to beat him. One day, in the presence of his father, I said to him, "Anthony, yes I admit it, you beat me once, but you have to understand that I have a policy of letting all my friends beat me once, and only once, just to encourage them. You will never beat me again." Well, now he was almost salivating to beat me again.
. . . continued in Part II