My dad enjoyed playing chess and taught me the game when I was just a kid. It was in regular rotation with Scrabble and Gin Rummy for Dad and me. I would play white and go first, Dad would be black, and although at the disadvantage of going second, invariably win. Later, I signed up for the high school chess club (I signed up for everything in high school) and enjoyed reading and watching The Queen’s Gambit, but my talent and interest in chess never really blossomed.

But in the last few weeks, post-op swelling around my eyes has left my near vision out of focus. Reading and browsing social media for more than ten minutes at a time has been a struggle. So it is fortunate that I have discovered a new passion to fill in the gaps between pickleball, volunteering, family time, MSNBC, and Netflix. And to my surprise, that passion has been solving chess problems.

The puzzles unexpectedly started showing up on my Facebook feed two weeks ago. In each unique chess problem, the chessboard is set with a certain number of black and white pieces in various positions, and instructions are given such as “White to move and checkmate (win the game) in 2 moves.” I decided to try one and within the first few moments, I was as hooked on chess problems as I was on Wordle and Connections.

I started trying to solve the problems by staring at the screen and mentally moving each piece. My success rate was low. The Comments Section contained brilliant moves others could see and I was blind to. I decided I needed a more tactile approach and searched unsuccessfully for my old chess set. Amazon Prime came to the rescue. I made a quick purchase and by the next day, I could fumble through the puzzles on a portable folding magnetic chess set.

My fumbling has paid off. With the new set, and some tips from a college student I mentor, my success rate has risen to about 50%. It can take me an hour to solve a problem, but I enjoy the feeling of the small plastic figures in my hand as I attempt various moves to trap the opposing king. Solving one of the puzzles gives me a buzz as great as solving Wordle on my second move.

Last week I introduced my 10-year-old granddaughter to the puzzles, and we enjoyed solving one together. I hope my other grandkids will enjoy them too. My chess-loving dad has been gone for many years, but I’m sure he is looking down on us with a pawn or a queen in his hand and wearing a big smile on his face. I know he would be proud!

Life Lessons Learned

Yesterday marked my return to pickleball after recovery and convalescence from my corrective eyelid surgery. As usual, the courts for open play were crowded and time dragged on a bit between chances to play. I was chatting with a player named Ben when he reached into a pocket, pulled out a wrinkled sheet of note paper, and handed it to me.

Reading is still a little tough for me post-op, but I noticed the emblem of my alma mater at the top. Below this was a handwritten list titled “The Ten Commandments of Pickleball.” The commandments were so obvious that Moses could have brought them down from Sinai on two paddles. “Dink to your opponent’s backhand,” “Try to hit a winner on your serve,” “Don’t forget to come to the net.” You get the idea.

A few minutes later I played two mixed doubles games against Ben. I couldn’t tell if he was following the pickleball commandments, but I could tell that he was pissing off his partners mightily. He was telling them where to stand and what to do. His intent was clear; he planned to poach every ball and hit every shot. By the end of the two games, both ladies who had partnered with him were grumbling, out loud and under their breath.

Watching Ben’s approach inspired me to consider how we can all have a better time on the court. Based on Ben’s play, I present my observations of how to enjoy open pickleball.

MY TEN COMMANDMENTS OF PICKLEBALL

• Everyone is playing on the same court. Stop blaming every missed shot on the quality of the lights, the color of the lines, or the texture of the flooring.

• There are no instant replays. If you can’t make a line call, give the point to your opponents.

• If a line call goes against you, suck it up. No calling the next one in your favor “just to even things up.”

• Never push a partner out of your way, unless it is to avoid injury to either of you.

• Don’t lecture your partner. Your partner likely isn’t paying you for in-game lessons.

• Avoid aiming shots that might injure an opponent. If your shot hits someone with unusual ferocity, apologize, and mean it!

• When you are racking up in an “open” situation, don’t insist that you will only play with your besties. It’s fun and challenging to play with different people. If you want to play only with your friends, you can reserve a court just for you.

• When a ball from another court interferes with anyone on your court, call a let. And don’t complain that you would have won the point.

• You won’t lose any points if you smile every once in a while.

• Be courteous, congratulate your opponents on a nice shot, and HAVE FUN.

On reflection, maybe my commandments aren’t just helpful in pickleball. With compassion and camaraderie, we can all go a long way.

When I see a headline or news photo of a favorite celebrity from my youth, whether an actor, a musician, or an athlete, it is invariably as part of a death notice or obituary; for instance, when a photo of Bill Melton, a White Sox slugger and home run champ in the early 1970s appeared on my Facebook page last week I was not surprised to see it was an In Memoriu notice.

So when I saw Dick Van Dyke’s name in a New York Times headline, I immediately feared the worst. I was sure that Van Dyke, forever Rob Petrie of The Dick Van Dyke Show, had perished. His TV wife, Mary Tyler Moore, has been gone since 2017, and I imagined them cavorting together in their heavenly living room, Rob dodging the pesky ottoman—though would it matter if he tumbled over it? I doubt he would be subject to any injuries in the afterlife!

But happily, and much to my surprise, Van Dyke is still alive! The article was not a notorious New York Times obituary. Rather it was a celebration. Ninety-nine-year-old Van Dyke is the star of a new Coldplay music video.

I rarely watch music videos (crotchety old man alert: I have never seen a Taylor Swift video) but I watched this one, the official video for All My Love. Through a wonderful 7 minutes, Van Dyke shimmies, clowns, and duets (admittedly off-key) with Coldplay’s Chris Martin. As photos of his family fill the screen, he discusses love and mortality, and at Martin’s suggestion, closes his eyes to think about “all the people who have meant something in his life.” Van Dyke’s eyes are closed for a long, long, time.

I am so glad he is still alive, and still a little bit of a performer. Whether as Rob Petrie or as Bert and Mr. Dawes Senior in Mary Poppins, he brought happiness to me in my youth—just as he does while watching him in this video today.

I may have lost Bill Melton, but I still have Dick Van Dyke!