The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat

“The game of chess is not simply an idle amusement, several valuable qualities useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it.”—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

December 10, 2025: My Chess4Kidz classes remind me of the television show I used to like to watch when I was a kid, ABC’s Wide World of Sports. During the intro, the announcer would say, “The thrill of victory; and the agony of defeat.”

I saw this today in great detail, as my students battled their final round in the Fall 2025 Semester Chess4Kidz class hosted by the Gather & Grow Homeschool Cooperative and held at Calvary Chapel in Vista, California. There are twelve students enrolled, and only the top third get trophies, everyone else gets Certificates of Achievement. That means for this class there are only four trophies.

It’s really a mark of honor and ability to achieve a trophy in my classes, as only the top third get trophies. I remember when I was in first grade at Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic School in Milltown, New Jersey. I was seven years old. The entire school, during a field trip, went to Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick for a bowling competition. I had never bowled before in my life. My score was terrible. Less than 100. But lots of kids got low scores. Some students, mostly older students, did pretty well, but their parents had taken them bowling before.

After all the games were done, all of us students got lined up, and we went to the principal who gave each of us a trophy. It was about six inches tall. Small white marble base. A golden-plated statue of a man bowling and an inscription in the base, I don’t remember what.

I do remember, when I went back to my seat with my trophy, thinking, “This trophy is meaningless! It has ABSOLUTELY NO VALUE! Everyone got one, whether we got a high score or a low score.”

Therefore, in my chess classes/tournaments, I make a rule that ONLY THE TOP THIRD players get trophies! It is something to treasure; not throw away because it’s worthless. These trophies mean something. They are truly a mark of excellence.

When we began our final round, two players, a boy and a girl, were tied for 2^nd-3^rd place. She lost. She was in tears, because she missed the 2^nd place trophy. Her opponent, however, was incredibly empathic. I try to teach my students to destroy each other on the chess board, but to be polite and friendly at the same time. This fellow, Elijah, understood how his opponent’s heart was broken, and he tried to encourage her. She was still getting a trophy, he told her, just not the 2^nd place trophy. I was quite surprised, as I didn’t see this quality in him, until now. Bravo.

Anyway, the girl was now tied with another player who rose up through the ranks, and they had to play a 2-minute blitz game to see who gets the third place trophy and who gets the fourth place trophy. It was an intense battle, as all blitz players know. But after nearly four minutes of chess pieces flying across the board, her clock reached zero and she lost. Her opponent, also named Elijah coincidentally, had only three seconds remaining on his clock. The game was THAT CLOSE.

Again the tears came. But that is to be expected. When we strive for something great, and we fail, we can become depressed. But I am happy to say, this young lady got over her depression quickly and accepted the fourth place trophy with pride. Her mother and younger sister were also extremely proud of her.

Chess is a lot like life. Benjamin Franklin, a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher who convinced the French aristocracy to support the thirteen colonies during the American Revolutionary War against England, and whose image appears on the one hundred dollar bill, wrote an essay about chess, in which he said, “The game of chess is not simply an idle amusement, several valuable qualities useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it.”

The image of Benjamin Franklin appears on the $100 bill.

Mr. Doktorski’s Fall 2025 Chess4Kidz class at Gather & Grow Homeschool Cooperative.

Final Standings for Mr. Doktorski’s Fall 2025 Chess4Kidz class at Gather & Grow Homeschool Cooperative.

Reader’s letters:

I love that story. It is so wonderful to see the growth in these kids. Thank you for being part of their journey.

Warmest regards,
Kristin McCrary
Co-Director, Gather & Grow Homeschool Cooperative