• Member Since: Jun 14, 2010
• Last Login: May 17, 2012
• Profile Views: 4510
• Points: 2196
• Birthday: Nov 23, 1957
• Occupation: Writer / Illustrator

While growing up, the closest I ever came to playing Chess was in playing Checkers---Chess's distant, less-sophisticated cousin. All I knew of the game were the names of the pieces. I'd been curious about it, but not having had anyone around who played, there was never an opportunity for it to work its way into my life; it was rarely a thought. To the best of my knowledge, we didn't even have a Chess game in the house.

Nearly two decades ago, when the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer came onto HBO, I fell in love with the movie itself, and I became more fascinated by Chess---at least for the duration of the movie. Then several years ago, when I became a regular at my local Barnes & Noble Cafe, two men I befriended were avid Chess players. I would occasionally stop by their table to hover a few minutes, watching them pushing the pieces around the squares which made me more intrigued, yet not enough to put my own work aside to learn the game.

It wasn't until 3 1/2 years ago when I met my boyfriend Mark (ChessMarkstheSpot), and gifted him with a handheld, electronic Chess game, that I finally learned the basic object of the game and the way the pieces moved. Then, back in Spring of 2010, I introduced him to my beloved Searching for Bobby Fischer which, in turn, became a favorite of his and sparked more of his interest in the game. That led to an online search which then led him to a link to watch the World Championship LIVE online. From that moment Chess not only became a central focus and renewed passion for him---it sparked a genuine interest and passion on my part.

Since then I have quickly become smitten by the game. I am fascinated by the complexity of its strategies and have fallen in love with the boards and pieces themselves: their look, their feel and even the sound they make when placed on the board, including the simulated looks and sounds on Chessmaster (which I purchased, Mark's version not being compatible with my system)!

I am eager to learn as much as I can, though I know I will never truly master the game; my faulty memory makes it impossible to retain the various moves as I work them through, or to keep an eye on ALL the pieces rather than a few. Regardless---that won't keep me from having a blast trying! And I'm LOVING this incredible site of Chess.com!

...then, several months down the "Chess.com" road...

Unexpectedly, as time went by and Mark and I became loyal members of Chess.com, Mark was asked to become the Super Administrator of the Chess.com/TV Group. In turn, I also became an Administrator, and together we continue to work hard to make the group the best it can be--the hosts and members deserve no less. It's been a lot of work, but for me it has also been very gratifying having designed the logos, set up the theme and worked hand-in-hand with Mark, William_Smitham and of course, Danny Rensch and David Pruess, on the content. I'm proud and VERY excited to be a part of it!