Welcome to the Rabid Chess Mom blog! This initial post is part introduction and introspection.
My first interest in chess arose when I read "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin. I never really advanced beyond a beginner's grasp of the game, and the words that I most frequently used to describe my childhood play are casual and sporadic. (I didn't learn the word "patzer" until much later in life.) I had no concept that competitive chess even existed.
My real involvement with chess started when my oldest daughter was in kindergarten. She was having what I would describe as "adversity issues" and my parental instincts told me to find a crucible to expose my daughter to situations in which she could experience loss and learn to deal with it. Board games seemed to be an ideal medium for learning these lessons, and chess seemed particularly well suited for my purposes.
In a classic case of one thing leading to another, I started playing casual games with my daughter, started taking her to the chess club at her school, became involved as a parent volunteer in her chess club, started coaching at the school chess club, and finally now play competitive chess myself. (OK, those who have seen me play will smirk at the adjective "competitive" used to describe my play. Perhaps it would be better to say that I play USCF rated events.)
Somewhere along the way I discovered that I simply love the game of chess. I also have the unique perspective of a person who has learned (and is still learning) the beginner lessons throgh adult eyes and with a more mature perspective. (Again, some would laugh at the adjective "mature.")
I haven't yet decided how public I am going to be with my identity, but I will reveal that I live in the DFW area. I can frequently be found online at the Internet Chess Club (chessclub.com) where I play under the user id of... what else... RabidChessMom.
