We had just learned how to play chess in school. I was about 10 years old I think. Another guy challenged me to a game... he was friendly, but not exactly someo

We had just learned how to play chess in school. I was about 10 years old I think. Another guy challenged me to a game... he was friendly, but not exactly someone I would have called a friend at the time. We set up in a corner of the library, and he nailed me with the 4 move checkmate. He was extremely satisfied with himself, mainly I think because he had managed to hustle me. He wasn't any better at chess than I was, he had just heard of the 4 move checkmate before I did. I was, if not crushed, somewhat perturbed that this could happen. In my 10 year old life, it was a completely new experience. I realized that playing a game had a lot more to do with just knowing the rules. In school, you tend to play games with people who are your friends for the most part. Chess is a bit different though... you seem to end up playing against people you don't know well or at all, yet especially when you are starting out in chess, trying to work out what sort of player (and by extension, what sort of person) your opponent is becomes quite important. I think there are a useful set of skills to do with that, which you would otherwise miss out on as a kid.