Wei and his Chess

Wei is a chess enthusiast. It all started during our visit to Bangkok in 2008 where Wei was asked to play chess for the very first time by Max, the son of our friends there. Wei lost terribly as he really didn't know how to play.
In January 2009, his school offered chess class as part of Saturday activities and Wei asked if he could join. The teacher was very dedicated. Even as other Saturday activities were cancelled or postponed due to holidays, the chess class continued. At first Wei was very concerned with winning. Whatever he did, he wanted to win. If he lost he would cry. But the chess teacher said that if anyone cried after losing, then he or she could not continue to be in his class anymore. So Wei learnt to control his emotions a little bit better. But he still doesn't like losing.
Just this past week, he represented his school to an inter-school chess competition. He won some games and lost some games, but he told us that he is ranked #7 for the boys under 10 category and was selected to play in the second round.
Now, as I am typing, Wei sits quietly on the floor, playing chess with himself. "Yuan, look at this. Checkmate," he tells his sister who is busy playing with modelling clay. They can't play chess together yet. Yuan has not learnt the game, and she doesn't like losing either. So if they play together it will always end up in a fight - the casualties are the knights, rooks, bishops and kings - all strewn on the floor.