One of the unexpected joys of having Nikita home this summer is that we get to squeeze in a game of chess most evenings.

Earlier this week, I told Sharmila that Niki’s game is steadily improving. Mine, on the other hand, seems to have reached a plateau. I told her it was probably only a matter of days before Nikita beat me for the first time.

Well… Today was the day.

For over an hour, we battled it out. In spite of numerary strength I had on the board, she outfoxed me with some quick left flank moves with a queen-rook combination.

I’m pretty sure this is only the beginning. Soon she’ll be beating me regularly, and before long she’ll probably start offering me “helpful suggestions” after every game. (Children can be wonderfully generous that way.)

Ah well! If we leave this world in smarter and more capable hands than we found it, we must have done something right!