Smart Kid II

My conversation with Jon the other night reminded me of a prior incident in which I was bested by the boy.

Early last year I was finishing work in my office in Downtown Honolulu. Jon and Arlene were waiting for me in the Starbucks on the ground floor of my building. They were playing chess.

I arrived, surveyed the board, and watched my son move his bishop two squares to the right of his knight on the same horizontal row. I noticed that my wife's rook was located on the column running between my son's knight and bishop, giving her the opportunity to "fork" the pieces and capture one of them without loss.

When my wife noticed this, she quickly moved her rook into the forking square. I then said to Jon, in my best fatherly advice giving voice, "ya see Jon, you've got to think these things through."

Jon immediately moved his queen to the row vacated by my wife's rook, checkmating her king in the process. He then looked up at me, rolled his eyes, and said "ya see Dad, you've got to think these things through."

Oh brother.

Joe H.