By Douglas J. Lanzo
Copyright 2022
First published in Last Leaves Issue 5 (October, 2022)
Dedicated to my 13-year old twin son, Gregory
Perhaps it is because I so treasure
the magic of its early moments
that I sometimes imagine
for brief interludes of time
that his journey has just begun:
Picturing, the day of his first chess lesson
with his twin brother,
their bobbing blond heads
barely reaching the height of the
table upon which a mounted chessboard
sits centered on a sturdy wooden table
perused by the intent eyes of
their instructor, a chess genius
who worked his way from extreme
poverty in Ukraine to become
an International Master,
his eyes burning with passion
to share with them his dreams
and inspire them to become
the best that they can be;
Recounting, their Ukrainian instructor
defeating their combined chess firepower
blindfolded, before he eagerly teaches
them chess puzzles of increasing
complexity;
Recalling 8-year-old Gregory’s
beaming smile when,
cheered on by a newfound friend,
he won his first tournament victory,
having patiently awaited
his day in the sun after
supportively basking in Alex’s earlier
tournament successes;
Gazing upon identical first place trophies
that my twin sons earned when
they matched up in the finals
of a local tournament where,
though Gregory had the higher rating,
he intentionally drew
with his more competitive brother
so that they each would claim a first-place trophy;
Reliving 10-year-old Gregory’s vanquishing
of an undefeated 60-year old player
in a 3rd round match
at a prestigious Russian-American tournament
as he spots and parries
his opponent’s last desperate trick;
Savoring 12-year-old Gregory’s
gentleness of spirit
when he observed
the despondent look
in a younger boy’s eyes and
instantly offered him a draw;
Nodding slowly
in joyful disbelief as Gregory
informs me that he defeated
two FIDE Masters in a row; Glowing in watching a replay
of Gregory’s perfect game,
a draw against a simulated
Magnus Carlsen playing
at World Champion level;
Realizing, that Gregory has arrived
at his first major chess destination
and, more importantly, has
acquitted himself with honor
and grace along the way…