>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
Part II
>Again, a couple of months later, I made another blunder and he beat me again, whereupon he said, "I've beaten you twice now."
>"Yes you have," I said.
>"But you said you only let your friends beat you once."
"Well, Anthony, what you don't understand is that the rules have now changed: Anyone who beats me twice is no longer my friend," I said in mock anger.
>So after that, he started bragging to anyone who would listen that he was no longer my friend!
>He is now 13, and it's been at least 3 years since I last beat him. I'm not in his league at all anymore and I often seek his advice on some opening or other aspect of chess. He does quite well in professional tournaments in the area, but otherwise he is still just a normal boy.
>Well, maybe not so normal, because his boyish cuteness has now grown into the kind of cutness that attracts young teenage girls, and they're all throwing themselves at him.
>So I expect chess to take a backseat to all that. At least it would for me if I were in his shoes!
Originally posted by AttilaTheHornHow long did it take for the swelling in his head to go down when you punched him in the face?
Part II
>Again, a couple of months later, I made another blunder and he beat me again, whereupon he said, "I've beaten you twice now."
>"Yes you have," I said.
>"But you said you only let your friends beat you once."
"Well, Anthony, what you don't understand is that the rules have now changed: Anyone who beats me twice is no longer my friend," I ...[text shortened]... ss to take a backseat to all that. At least it would for me if I were in his shoes!