Postcard 044 - Morning Rituals
Over the past few weeks, I've started my mornings with games of chess.
After I make coffee, I head over to the couch and open the Chess.com app and will play through a few games. I'm still at the stage where I'm trying to get reps in, so these are often short games (1-5 minute with 1-2 second grace periods for moves).
I've known how to play chess for most of my life, but didn't really dive into the game until this year after a friend came to town and we ended up at a bar playing chess with other friends.
Growing up, my favorite games were card games. Whether that was hearts, canasta, or even Magic: the Gathering, I felt like the randomness that's inherent in a card game was more reflective of life and also added a dimension to the game compared to more "rigid" games like chess or checkers.
Since I've dove into chess, especially as a learner, I've found a lot of solace in the rigidity of the game. With a lack of randomness, I can practice the same openings and with slight iterations to compare the outcomes. This constraint has been a blessing, at least as much as I've embraced it.
For all the games I've played lately, I've yet to use the actual board in this photo. So if you're in Seattle sometime soon and want to play, let me know.