Chess is back on the table

I never thought that a five year would be interested in a game of Chess. But guess what?! My daughter is! A few days ago, we brought out my wooden chess set that John gave me for my birthday some years ago. I have not played the game in ages and had lost interest in it. I first started out with the names of the pieces and then where they should be placed on the board. That was easy. Teaching her the movements of each piece was tricky. I didn't feel confident in teaching her and wondered if this was way too early. Even John said I should start with Checkers. We're talking about a 5 year old here. Even I've forgotten to play Checkers.

Anyway, I am just impressed with this five year old's mind. We've played it twice and she remembers where all the pieces start on the board and how they move. The knight's "L" shaped movement is the hardest for her to understand and of course there's no understanding of strategy quite yet. What's amazing is this: In playing the game only the second time around with me, she spotted (several times) of a good move she could make, that I had totally missed! How is this possible?

Now she talks about playing Chess every evening and I'm starting to wonder if it won't be long before she masters this game and starts beating me at it. I never learned to play chess till I was 13 and it's hard to believe that my 5 year old is interested in this game.