79 Strangers, Two Lincolns, and a Little Badger Spirit
It’s been a while since I’ve updated Lincoln’s blog! With fall here, his days of playing chess at the Farmers’ Market are winding down, and tournament season is just around the corner. He’ll typically play in one or two tournaments a month, including local scholastic events, the state tournament in the spring, and the big event: chess nationals in May.
We also have a milestone to share: Lincoln played his 79th stranger today since starting his 100 Strangers Chess Challenge on August 15! We’re hoping he can reach 100 by the end of October, before we wrap up our Farmers’ Market mornings for the season.
Of course, he was playing at the market long before we started officially counting. If we’d kept track from his first Saturday in June, I’m pretty sure he’d be at around 200 strangers by now! That’s a lot of chess, a lot of conversations, and a lot of people he might never have met otherwise.
But back to today.
It was UW–Madison’s homecoming, and as a proud Badger alum and mom, I made sure our family was decked out in Badger gear. It was wonderful to see the Badger community rally around Lincoln. Even people who didn’t stop to play offered encouraging words and showed their support for his interest and passion.
That’s one of the things I enjoy about these mornings at the market. So many people appreciate the concentration, strategy, and mental skill chess requires. It’s fun to see that appreciation from people whose own work requires so much thinking and problem-solving.
Speaking of which, today Lincoln even played another Lincoln! His opponent was a young man pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering, and our Lincoln came away with the win.
He also played Sam, a pediatric resident at UW Hospital. Their game was close, with neither player having much of an advantage. As Lincoln assessed the board and the time remaining on his clock, he wanted to stop playing. Sam encouraged him to keep going, reminding him of something I often say, too: “Never give up.”
Sam ultimately pulled off the win, and Lincoln took the loss a little harder than usual. I appreciated the kindness and encouragement Sam showed him throughout the game.
Later, Lincoln told me he was tired. It had been an off day from the start, beginning with my husband forgetting to bring the chessboards!
Some days are like that. Even when you love something, you can feel tired, frustrated, or disappointed. Today had a little of all three, along with good games, kind people, and plenty of Badger spirit.
