Monday, 27 January 2025

Becoming a Reluctant Bad Guy.

Every night I play one game of chess against the computer, and every night I lose. I’ve said before that I simply don’t have the mind of a chess player. I’m too straight thinking and straight dealing for the Machiavellian process of preparing to outwit someone in a process of perpetual threat and counter threat. And since I see it as Machiavellian, I’ve even been led to consider that maybe all good chess players must have a dark and dubious side to their natures.

Tonight I won. Congratulations, proclaimed the little dialogue box, you have won by checkmate. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that. So here’s the question:

Should my self-image rise a little on the occasion of such a red letter day, or should it slip further than it already is? Whatever the answer to that, I feel I should treat myself to a Bushmills Irish whiskey tonight. It’s rather splendid.

(Incidentally, I was also treated to both a dog fix and a cow fix this morning. Does that settle the question?)

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