I know how to play chess, meaning I know the rules but I am not very good. My Dad and I used to play chess when I was younger. I found it frustrating because he was so much better than me, always beating the pants off me. He played a strategic, offensive game, where I am always in reaction mode it seems.
Anyway, we broke out the nice big chess board my parents gave me years ago yesterday to play a game. Wow, it really showed how the Alzheimer's has taken it's toll on my Dad. At first he was doing well, but it quickly became apparent that we are now evenly matched, which is sad. It was a long, drawn out game that got tedious in the end when we both only had a few pieces left (and only a couple of powerful pieces at that). That is when things fell apart for my Dad: he kept trying to do things with my pieces or make moves he could not. We kept putting each other in check - in the past it was a personal victory for me if I managed this only once in a game. In the end it was a draw. :(
