Аннотация: How to learn the rules of a game? A children's story.
How to learn the rules of a game? A children's story.
In preschool age, I had a period when I and my buddies in the yard (the yard of a multi-storey apartment building) were actively playing chess.
Apparently, someone explained to us how chess pieces move.
Perhaps the newspapers wrote about the next World Chess Championship.
Moreover, chess was inexpensive.
In general, in our yard there was a short period of fashion to play chess.
I can to recall only one episode from this period .
I don't know how, but I agreed to play chess with a little girl from a very far away house. She was about the same age as me.
Our families were barely familiar. At least I knew her name.
Maybe I shouldn't have played chess with this girl? Chess competitions between men and women are held separately. In children's relationships, this principle was not taken into account.
Maybe I shouldn't have played chess with her at all - with a person whom I practically did not know? Which I was barely familiar with? In various kinds of games a little familiar or unfamiliar people often take part.
One way or another, there was also a spacious yard near her multi-storey apartment building, and in this yard we occupied a free table, next to which permanent benches were installed. A chessboard appeared on the table from somewhere.
And we started to play chess.
At first there was no one around.
We played without a chess clock. Everyone had the possibility to think about his moves using a reasonable time interval.
Gradually, in the game, I began to gain an advantage.
At some point, her father appeared behind my partneress.
At first he silently approached her from behind and watched the game (facing me) without saying a word.
This was not prohibited by the rules of amateur chess parties. Usually the players were surrounded by familiar people, fans. They often suggested chess moves.
Were hints, advices, prompts allowed? On this score, there were no specific customs in amateur chess parties.
Probably, in the question of prompts, much was determined by the objections of the side that could to suffer from prompts. With strong objections, the prompts stopped, or the game could stop unilaterally. However, there seem there were no such cases. All the players were of a very low, entry level, so the prompts not only helped, but also harmed. Therefore, there was no point in protesting against them.
There were no special disputes about the rules of a game among us, children. On an intuitive level, everyone understood the rules more or less the same.
In general, practical life the unambiguous clear rules about prompts weren't developed.
At some point, the father of my partneress gave her advice on how to move a chess piece, on how to play.
It was difficult to object for me.
The little boy did not have enough moral potential against the adult.
The father's help to the own daughter was kind of illuminated with respect.
Helping a girl playing with a boy was, as it were, subconsciously justified by the idea that she was, perhaps, a weaker participant in the game.
And besides, does it make sense to object to a single prompt? And who announced that there will be several prompts, or that there will be many of them? It is clear that all are people of the same circle, all are decent people, they will not act too ugly.
In general, I did not express any objections, I concentrated my efforts on thinking over the moves to win the game.
Advice from a grown man to my partneress became more and more frequent, and her position improved and improved.
Was this man a more skillful player than we, children? Or was his advantage related to age and experience and general intellectual ability?
I could not draw any conclusions on this issue in this relatively short period of time, and I did not receive any additional information either before, during or after the game.
In general, somehow gradually, a move by a move, I began to feel the falsity of my position.
It seemed that I started playing with a girl who, like all children, was not a strong player. (I shouldn't have started!).
In fact, I am playing with a grown man who demonstrates good chess skills in this game.
In any case, I did not agree to play one against two - that's for sure.
However, to understand local chess diplomacy and to form an operational diplomatic (chess) position, I did not have enough time and resources of attention. The game was started, the game was going on, and it was necessary to think about how to move pieces in order to win.
Meanwhile, with the each move my position worsened, I felt more and more negative emotions. These emotions were not a secret for my partners, who periodically looked at me.
After an emotionally unpleasant stage of play (one against two), the chess game ended (in an unfavorable way for me).
My disappointment in my chess partners was great!
I came home completely upset.
Apparently I told my father something. Probably, the relations (and so not close) between our families, became completely cold.
(This man, it seems, later tried to get a job with my father, but my father, if I remember correctly, avoided talking to this applicant).
In general, that chess game was a strange event and a peculiar, a specific kind of life experience.
Why I played at all? I have never felt much attraction to board games. To get this life experience? ... Maybe it was better not to get it? Or - to receive it in some other, possibly more pleasant, way?
Among other things, this game of chess showed me that understanding the rules and mastering rules is an independent task.
If this game was called not 'chess', but, for example, 'chess diplomacy', would I got more benefit and positive emotions from this game with such a name? Would I have written this story much earlier? And mine mastering the rules would be more effective?
May 25, 2021 00:09
Translation from Russian into English: May 25, 2021 09:09.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Как научиться правилам игры? Детский рассказ'.