Since Daichi has been here, we've been playing chess several times per week. He says that he learned how to play chess after he arrived, so if that's the case, he plays very well for someone who's only played chess for about a month.
I played chess some when I was in high school. I was on the high school chess club, but I hesitate to say that I played chess a lot since I was never very interested in studying the game much beyond just playing it. I always said that rather than plan ahead, I just always made what looked like a good move at the time. Some of my friends played chess in college, but I rarely played then. My casual attitude towards the game meant that they had improved more than I had, and whereas we would play evenly in high school, I would always lose in college. Since then I've occasionally played chess with my wife and others, but not a whole lot. I've also played some on Yahoo! Games, but in recent years, I've been more interested in improving my go, so I am not consistently crushed in that game when I play online. (But I'm still always crushed in go, unless I find someone who has never played before.)
Back to high school chess club: I was probably at least partially in it for its geeky social nature, although I don't think I was heavily involved in the chess piece battles (that is, actually throwing the chess pieces at each other) or anything like that. I do think I was involved in a game of Aerial Bughouse that resulted in Mr Luikart ending his advisorship (and thus the club for a while). I think he called it "Screw Off Club, not Chess Club" or something.
Anyway, back to the present: I think Daichi's chess is improving. But I also think that my chess is improving. Or at least my chess is a little different. I think I'm better at knight play now than when I was in high school, and "seeing" where my (or my opponent's) knights can be in a few moves just seems easier and more natural to me. Also, I seem to be able to better see, put pressure on, and attack critical spaces on the board, and not just my opponent's pieces.
I'm probably a worse chess player in other ways, so at least my chess is a little different.
I recently heard an amusing anecdote from a sports radio announcer. I don't know who it was. He was describing a recent interview with former boxing champ Mike Tyson. The announcer mentioned to Tyson that he had just returned from Iceland:
Tyson: Iceland? What were you doing there?
Radio Dude: I was interviewing Bobby Fischer.
Tyson: Bobby Fischer?? That guy's crazy!
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster...
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