Rion Amilcar Scott teaches English at Bowie State University. Scott wrote a book of short stories about young children. In the short story “202 Checkmate” Scott demonstrates his ironic approach consistent with the theme that the game of chess is like real life. A father teaches his daughter how to play chess. Chess turns into life lessons, self-realization, and pride. Life can be compared to many things, like when Tom Hanks quoted, “My mom always said life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get”. In this short story, the 11-year-old daughter was learning to play chess. Her father showed her how to set up the pieces and explained to her that the white pieces go first so they got an advantage over the pieces. Her father said that suggesting that white people get the upper hand in life while black …show more content…
She stopped by the park and played a game with one of the older guys that that chess also. Manny quickly began to show her that the moves she was making were not a smart one. She was learning a new way to maneuver on the board. She only played with her father so she was blind to other opportunities presented on the board. When she stepped out of her comfort zone, she started to realize why her dad was always so focused and won every round. Manny told her, “Go home and show your daddy what I taught you” She thought her father was the best chess player ever and wanted him to play Manny. That day, they played three rounds. Her father lost all three games. He told his daughter “Sometimes you lose. A lot of times you lose. Sometimes you lose more than you win. That’s all.’ She finally saw him play from a different perspective. She noticed how he protected his queen (which he referred to as his daughter and wife) while the king (him) stood exposed. His movements on the chess board symbolized how he was protecting his family in real life, showing his daughter how she should be treated as a