Another school year has begun, and the kids are already needing a break from their lessons. Today’s event gave them a day away from school. The games were filled with the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It was one of those many coming of age experiences that all children go through, and that we adults sometimes take for granted as a lesson we have always known.
For most of the players at today’s tournament, the day was very much a “win some, lose some” sort of event. This is how chess is most of the time. No one -- world champions included -- wins all their games.
Take Ayush Saxena in Quad 6. Out of a possible 3 points, he scores 1.5 -- a win, a loss, and a draw. Exactly what one would expect from a tournament with three games. As best I could tell from watching him, his emotions were a bit mixed -- he was slightly disappointed he hadn’t done better, but he was somewhat mollified that he hadn’t done poorly. His performance was exactly par.
There were a lot of players like this in the tournament. Few scored exactly 1.5, but the majority of the tournament scored 1 or 2 points. The former being slightly more disappointed, the latter being slightly happier. Getting used to these emotions is key for all kids in chess. Slightly above or below average is where the overwhelming number of chess players finish in a tournament. It’s part of the experience of being a chess player, and doesn’t go away even if and when one becomes a grandmaster.
Of course there are those that did better than average. Take Dylan Tsui in Quad 8. He scored a perfect three points. I don’t have to even look at him to know that he’s leaving pleased. He won $60 (which usually lands in winners’ pockets without repaying their parents for all their tournament entries -- funny how that works), and he gained some rating points in the process. . There’s nothing to feel sad about. Such is the thrill of victory.
Here’s a list of today’s players going home in victory.
Quad 1 - Akhil Velampalli
Quad 2 - Rayan Zarineh and Zander Venutolo (tie)
Quad 3 - Andres Moldonado
Quad 4 - Vihaan Chowdhury
Quad 5 - Aaron Kustanovich
Quad 6 - Marcelo Navas
Quad 7 - Liam Kelly
Quad 8 - Dylan Tsui
Quad 9 - Bryce Cheng
For every winner like these, there’s another player experiencing the agony of defeat. I won’t list their names. Not because there’s shame in losing multiple games -- there isn’t, but because when leaving in last place players can’t help but to feel as if they failed. No one appreciates their name and the word “loser” in the same sentence.
It’s the reason why I use careful language when teaching kids how to report their score after a game. I always say, “place a one next to the winner’s name, and a zero next to the person who lost.” I never refer to a player who loses a game as a “loser”. Chess is a zero-sum game. For one player to win, another must lose. It’s difficult not to take losing personally, and I try hard to make my language reinforce that message.
It’s why no matter how busy I am, when I see a child struggling with their emotions after losing a game (or two or three), I try to give them a little pep talk. Today I gave two of them. The takeaway from my talk: “if Magnus Carlsen doesn’t win all his games, it’s okay for you to lose too. It’s part of being a chess player.”
Most parents I meet in chess give their children similar lessons, for which I’m grateful. Chess is a tough game for kids. There’s no team -- it’s the child, alone, at a board with no one to advocate for them. In the end, it’s one player vs. their opponent without even the hope of a lucky roll of dice to save the day.
As I see it, every child who takes up chess is a winner. Players learn patience, focus, self-confidence, sportsmanship, fine motor skills, problem solving, stress management, and a host of other skills. Any child who develops those skills is a winner. Learning chess along the way is just a bonus.
We’ll be running another tournament in Livingston on Sunday, October 22. We look forward to seeing you all again then.
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