Can I step into the chess river twice? – part 1

It’s common for teenagers to rebel and give up something they’ve been doing for a while. Later they might live to regret it, but often it isn’t possible to turn the clock back.

There was at least one action in my teens that I wish I hadn’t taken and this is giving up chess.

I’d played chess for more than eight years and I’d been in my school team for about seven years. I’d got a pile of diplomas which showed my achievements in different tournaments.

I can’t remember exactly who taught me to play chess and when, but I remember that since I went to school, three times a week I would spend two hours playing chess in a children’s chess club.

I always looked forward to going there. However, I’m not sure what I enjoyed most: chess or running around (later chatting) with the boys during the break. I guess, boys were always more attractive than chess.

When I was 15 or 16 years old, the title of “chess-girl” became a burden, so I quit playing chess . However, when I was at Uni, I was invited to join our university team and twice I took part in town annual tournaments. I was nice to meet old friends and chat with them. However, I had no inclination to start playing chess regulary again. That came much later.

(The rest of the story is here)