I sat at table No. 4, waiting for my beating.
In a lot of ways it was the board game version of "Go pick your switch" for those of us who grew up in a certain age in the South.
Yes, I accepted the challenge.
Yes, it was against a nationally ranked chess player, who needed the challenge of playing four players at the same time to fight off boredom.
Jay GreesonYes, it felt a lot like being a minnow swimming around Jaws.
And yes, I would have felt way better if this had been outdoors in a life-sized checkers or Connect Four format.
Alas, this was four-against-one chess - to be fair it would be better described as one-against four - to celebrate the new upstairs exhibit at the Creative Discovery Museum.
To paint the picture, there were four adults - CDM Executive Director Henry Schulson in full chain-mail and old-school regalia, CDM employee Roman Penney, WTCI exec Shaun Townley and yours truly - shaking in our seats at the chess challenge.
It was an opening gesture for the CDM's Chess exhibit that goes from now until May 14 that was christened by Suhas Gummadi. And for those of you unaware, Gummadi is the chess version of a five-star football prospect.
He is a 14-year-old nationally ranked chess player who attends East Hamilton High School. He is better at chess than most anyone you know is at anything they think they are really good at.
After much prodding - apparently chess prodigys are way more gracious and humble than most high- school superstars - he said he has beat a six-person table by himself and can play folks - like Channel 3's David Carnes - blindfolded.
Before we get to the details of Monday, we need to celebrate the greatness of the CDM. Yes, there are a lot of things that have contributed to the growth of our city's strides forward. But, while we all love the Mellow Mushroom and the Aquarium, the Creative Discovery Museum should be listed right there with all of the landmarks in our renaissance.
The CDM is making a grand and glorious move with the Chess exhibit - one that Schulman says is a great step toward connecting with the local chess community and an older age group - to all of us.
Reports through the first weekend of the exhibit have been overwhelming. And that's a great thing.
With that, we get to a chess board and one teenager with a mouth filled with braces who spanked all comers from all corners in chess.
"It's a lot of fun," Gummadi said Monday morning as he was walking across four boards with the grace and easiness of a teenaged-version of Michael Jordan.
I sat down, knowing the names of the pieces and hoping for the best. Alas, Gummadi was playing four boards simultaneously. This was lambs led to the slaughter. It was the Mocs to Tuscaloosa. Forget searching for Bobby Fischer, I was hoping to find a bobby sock or a fisherman.
So I tried to calm myself and check my nerves.
Heck, I'm a college graduate who knows the game, I can compete, right? Right!? This kid is 14 for Pete's (or pawn's) sake, right? Right?!
"Hey guys, we need you to reset the board," CDM public relations coordinator Kyrstin Hill told the collection of folks gathered at the boards. "This will only take about 10 minutes."
And if that wasn't intimidating enough, the elongated pause was followed by this from Ms. Hill.
"Or less."
Yep. That's what we walked into Monday morning. We accepted the invitation to be Custer at Little Big Horn.
And you know what? That's cool.
It's cool to see the excellence of Gummadi, a 14-year-old who works every day - and at least four hours each day on weekends - on his craft to be great.
"I hope to become an international player," Gummadi said with his braces and his neon Air Jordans belying way more of his actual age than his skill behind a chess board.
Yep, the Creative Discovery Museum is a springboard for dreams.
(Unless you are moving Queen to Rook 6 against Gummadi.)
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.