Dunedin Flor and Chess' Core

Miles: 6460.2
Gallons Burned: 221.4
Caffeinated Drinks: 36

I am sitting in George and Catie's (Alicia's parents, thanks so much to the three of you) living room at about 11:30pm while I listen to The Mountain goats (Thanks Joe!). Dunedin Florida (pronounced "done-eden", huh reminds me of Seqium, WA which of course is pronounced "squim") is a neat city outside of the Tampa Bay Metro-plex. George took me on a great evening tour of the city and allowed me a glimpse into his illustrious chess career.
Here we go again...another Aside! Are you serious?!
George has beaten Masters and even a handful of Grandmasters! He has played in the Canadian Open and many regional and national US tournaments. George's highest rating was 2250 USCF. He has a second edition Nimzowitsch's "My System" and a book published in 1848 that has games recorded with white starting first as well as games with black starting first! He has a beautiful ivory whale bone chess set that is all hand-made and might cost as much as $200-$400 per piece to replace!
So...why do I care so much about finding someone who is passionate about those 64 squares and 32 pieces? Glad you asked! My dad loves the game, and he imparted his love to me. I played in my first rated chess tournament when I was four-and-a-half years old and won 3 games out of 5 (I think, is that right Dad?). Over the next 14 years I played more than 480 rated tournament games, more than any other player in Washington State scholastic history (there is one seventh grader who is on pace to play 510 if he sticks with it as long as I did). With my dad's help, I traveled to Canada and 13 states (and DC if that one counts for anything) to play in all kinds of events ranging from an international match to the US Open.
I guess I am sort of bragging...oh wait...no. I'm a chess player. We are a peculiar folk, not mainstream, so there is not much to brag about.
When you would have been playing PeeWee football or staying after school to work on a play, I would sit alone memorizing famous games and endgame tactics or hidden in a little room with a couple of other not-so-cool kids practicing opening strategy.
My dad shelled out a lot of cash on lessons from an International Master and on plane tickets. I won a couple of state championships and some national honors. But why Chess? All those hours, days, months, dollars...
The game is ancient and has been played from India to Iceland in people's basements and in Cold War international matches between superpowers. It is kinda "the" game. For those who are new to the topic of Chess, it is an exercise in spatial pattern recognition blended into a psychological interrogation of your opponent wrapped neatly in 64 squares with the brutal soundtrack of a ticking binary clock.
I have made people cry in frustration and defeat. I have been offered bribes to throw games. I have seen and executed checkmates 12 moves into the future. I have broken down others and been broken.
To answer the why question, I need to have another Aside. (Seriously can you actually have an Aside within an Aside? A digression to a digression?)
I was home schooled (No not like that...well sort of). My mom and dad didn't want me (the tiny Josh, lowest 2 percent of elementary boys in height) in school. Problem was they weren't teachers. They did their best, but what it came down to was me and a bunch of books. I taught myself math, history, science, and cursive writing. I didn't always do a good job (just look at my cursive writing, I sort of made up my own letter style which is not correct by anyone's standard, I still use them today).
So my mind was formed into a almost totally analytical computer. I looked at everything in terms of protocols and decision trees stretching into the future...even people. That makes me a horrible person in many ways, but ideally suited to Chess. I am still trying to add the whole empathic, artistic, and "fuzzy" sides to my character (hence the road trip and forcing myself to write this journal, but I still get to use Excel so I am in in my emotional happy place).
To summarize why I love chess:
I enjoy chess because I wired my brain to love systems and incremental analysis, both of the board and my opponent's mind, and because it allowed me to have an identity as a kid and adolescent.
When I went into a chess slump, I felt terrible and my identity as a chess players (and as a person) was rocked.
Don't tie your identity to something transient like I did. It sucks.
Basically, it was a treat to meet someone like George who shares an obscure passion and interest.
Tomorrow, February 9th, I'll be heading south to see Fort DeSoto, the Sunshine Skyway, Myakka State Park, and the Everglades.