My dad taught me how to play chess when I was a nipper. He was a very good player and a good teach. I never managed to beat him (unfortunately he has now passed away). I would love to play him now, as I am older and wiser and i think i would be able to give him a run for his money.

I was just wondering if anyone out there has any interesting stories about how they learnt this great game?

archerfish123 wrote:

My dad taught me how to play chess when I was a nipper. He was a very good player and a good teach. I never managed to beat him (unfortunately he has now passed away). I would love to play him now, as I am older and wiser and i think i would be able to give him a run for his money.

I was just wondering if anyone out there has any interesting stories about how they learnt this great game?

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 What's a "nipper" and how did that term come into play? Sorry being an english major at one time, i am interested in words ,their usage and their origins. Anyway, and unfortunately, i learned chess at a later age- going to college nights while working full time days- i came across a chess course being offered by a teacher who was the best at the then woonsocket chess club and he also was able to win 25 simultaneous games at the then chess club. after passing the course(with flying colors of course)i joined that chess club and became the top player of the (they had two rankings- pro and amateur) amateur set. I will never be a master of chess but i do still enjoy the game and the camraderie that it engenders. 

"Nipper" is not only a great word for a young tot, but it is also the name of one of the most famous dogs that you and I are quite familiar with...and we actually have Bristol, England to thank for it.  More info here.

 

Thanks for the nipper input :-)

Anyone else out there got any interesting stories?

I always thought a nipper was when you gave the kid a nip of wishkey before bed time to help knock him out so you and the misses could roll around in the hey and make more little nippers.

You give your kids whisky in America??

Just a nip

i'm almost entirely sure that i learned chess from my Dad, there's not many other people in my family that would teach me chess anyway. i need to pracice a lot though XD.

I learned chess from my father and a German nanny.  There was a chess club for children in Central Park in New York and I got some skills there.  I went to school though with a few prodigies and quickly learned the limits of my game.  That said, my modest talents did not stop me from becoming obsessed with the game in college.  I played the two in the morning games that make you feel smarter than you are.  My roommate and I haunted the Boston coffee shops and I introduced him to the Thompson Street scene.  I haven't played in a long time, but I'm rereading Love in the Time of Cholera and it has reminded me how much fun I used to have playing this game.

I learned chess from my uncle. I learned the rules of the game in my third grade class, but learned nothing useful from my teacher. My uncle was, and is, an tremendously intelligent and serious man. Despite his intimidating demeanor, he was a very patient and helpful teacher. With all these attributes, he was able to transform my chess into what it is today. Unfortunately, he only visited every so often. I would be a much better player if I could have spent more time playing him. I am sure he could still beat the pants off me, and pretty much everyone on this site.

My father taught me chess, but the rules he provided me tend to vary depending on the game situation. Curiously I also never managed to beat him.

I learned chess by chance. That happened during the Fischer-Spassky match in 1972. I was in the University. One of my friends who was a chess enthusiast used to come back with the stories of American Warrior trying to kill the Russian bear or something of that sort.

But once I learned the moves and rules it became more interesting! I used to watch some of the better playes of those days and wonder how they could conjure up such fantastic moves.