REFLECTIONS Michelle Meyer It started on a day in 2020 while I was bumming on the couch watching Netflix. I suddenly saw a reflection of my past whilst watching The Queen’s Gambit, a marvellous miniseries starring Anya Taylor-Joy and based on the novel by American Walter Tevis. “The Queen's Gambit traces chess prodigy Beth Harmon's life from her childhood ... to her triumphant rise through the Grandmaster ranks.” -wikipedia Now by no means do I consider myself a prodigy, a grandmaster or an orphan in the sixties, and I by no means do I have a disturbing past. But what really struck me was Beth from the series; her personality, her experiences and how chess was a core part of her being and how it defined her way of life. I started fly fishing at the age of ten. It was my Uncle Norman who first put a rod in my hand. He was my role model. He was
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always so calm on the banks of the water. We spent forever in silence staring and searching so deeply into the depths. I believe that every young child that goes fishing with a mentor learns to behave more calmly, is a lot more in tune with their surroundings and is able to achieve intense focus and perseverance. Beth as a child was taught chess in an orphanage by the janitor. Later in life she heard of his passing and went back to the orphanage and into the Service Room where they had played. The tears rolled endlessly down my cheeks, as I was only fourteen when my Uncle passed. The passion for the sport you shared, when you realise how special the gift was that they had given you, changes things. It adds that additional drive and, in a way, an indebtedness such that you will never give it up.
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