chess

I just played chess for the first time in a while with a friend of mine. Chess has a certain purity as a competitive game that has been revered for centuries - all strategy, they say.

The opening ritual was familiar. We chatted about rules, strategy, experience. This was the pre-game.

Then we took our places. We had one of those chess clocks to keep the game moving. He started it, and became my opponent. We were focused, strategic, invested, tense, relieved, unsure, sure. There were threats, escapes, mistakes, successes, gains, losses. It was exhilarating, like soccer.

And again, something was at stake. I definitely wanted to win, and so did he - our faces and bodies were clear about this. It seemed we were either focused on attack, preparing for attack, or evading attack. There was something primeval about it.