Alright, Kasparov...

Have you ever played chess with a five-year-old? That was one of my chief Yuletide activities, dueling with my cousin who'd picked the game up in day care. He was actually pretty good, for a five-year-old: he understands that there are set rules (if not always remembering all of them) and that the game is only fun if you play by them. That's more than I could have done at five. His biggest problem right now is that he lacks the concentration to play a full game. I found in the endgame my biggest challenge was trying to be more entertaining than the Blue Power Ranger. No easy task.

I estimate that at this rate he'll be able to beat me consistently by the time he's eleven or so.

Well, it'll be a fun six years.