August 19, 2013. Chess.

A Theme in The Life. A few weeks ago, I bought a chess set, in a standard modern style. The pieces are magnetic, and adhere nicely to the board, which folds into a handsome box to carry them. I played chess, badly, when I was young, and gave it up in my university days. I resolved that one day I would turn my attention to it again. That day has arrived. At Aardvark, I bought a splendid book, dating from 1935, on the game. I love the old notation. Modern chess notation is unreadable, and reminds me of the metalogic matrices I studied in school. This afternoon, at the Mechanics' Institute Library, I watched awhile a young man play chess online. And of course, there's the chess club, on the 5th floor, which I will visit one day. Outside, as I passed through the Crocker Galleria, I came upon a very large chess set, in which the kings and queens were between 3 and 4 feet tall. A group of young people were playing. One sporting young fellow was standing on the white queen's square, evidently replacing her. They were a few moves into the opening.