Chess
Chess enabled me to visit many places and even inspired me to learn Russian so that I could study Russian chess books and magazines. Several of the friends I made through chess in my youth remain among my closest and most trusted friends today, several decades later.
Chess is an intense battle
I learned to play chess when I was about four or five years old. My father enjoyed playing chess with his friends, and the chessboard and pieces were always set up and ready to be used. I played in my first chess tournament at the age of eleven and joined the local chess club soon afterward. Chess, then, became far more than a hobby. There was so much to learn about the great champions of the past and the subtleties of chess strategy, and so many
tournaments in which to compete—against my peers as well as players much older than I was. Chess enabled me to visit many places and even inspired me to learn Russian so that I could study Russian chess books and magazines. Several of the friends I made through chess in my youth remain among my closest and most trusted friends today, several decades later.
During my teenage years, I entertained ambitions of becoming a professional chess player. Fortunately, those ambitions were brought to an end when I was nineteen. I participated in a relatively modest international tournament for which I had prepared for months, hoping to achieve a norm toward an international chess title. Despite all my dreams and hard work,
it turned out to be the worst tournament of my life.
I did not win a single game and finished with the fewest points in the field. It was a clear sign that I would be wiser to devote myself to my studies. That is exactly what I did.
After moving to the United States, chess became a wonderful way of meeting people and making new friends. Since my university fellowship was modest, giving chess lessons and winning rapid-play tournaments helped me earn a little extra money. And, despite pursuing an academic career, I continued to play seriously enough to become a national chess master.
In 2022, the chess club where I had learned and played as a child—and of which I had remained a member throughout the years—celebrated its centennial. Over the course of a hundred years, the club accomplished much, not only in terms of competitive success but, even more importantly, in fostering the broader cultural education of generations of citizens of Sombor, the city where it is located. I am especially proud to have helped prepare a commemorative monograph on the club’s history and, eventually, to have been elected its president.
