I first came to this country at middle school age, and was fascinated by this board game many kids were playing all over the school grounds during the mid 70's. I considered myself a pretty bright kid, but no matter how much I watched I could not figure the game out. So I went to the library, read about it, and in no time became an "expert". When asked to play, I said yes, and even though I was checkmated in 4 moves, I was hooked. By my junior year I was on the School Chess Club, and the Chess Team. Life got busy, no time for games, and after many years I recently found Chess.com, where I've rediscovered the game. Its different than the long games I remember playing over a chess board, but probably more enjoyable, because having fun and taking your mind off life's problems has become more important than just winning. Lets play!