During my second year at the city college, I was told that the education department was offering a "free" course, called Thinking Chess, for three credits. I 1 the idea of taking the class because, after all, who doesn't want to 2 a few dollars? More than that, I'd always wanted to learn chess. And, even if I weren't 3 enough about free credits, news about our 4 was appealing enough to me. He was an international grandmaster, which 5 I would be learning from one of the game's 6,I could hardly wait to 7 him.
Maurice Ashley was kind and smart, a former graduate returning to teach, and this 8was no game for him; he meant business. In his introduction, he make it 9 that our credits would be hard-earned. In order to 10 the class, among other criteria, we had to write a paper on how we plan to 11 what we would learn in class to our future professions and 12, to our lives. I managed to get an A in that 13 and learned life lessons that have served me well beyond the 14.
Ten years after my chess class with Ashley, I'm still putting to use what he 15 me: "The absolute most important 16 that you learn when you play chess is how to make good 17.On every single move you have to 18 a situation, process what your opponent(对手) is doing and 19 the best move from among all your options."These words still ring true today in my 20 as a journalist.
