Palm Harbor man carves out family legacy into chess set
Palm Harbor, Florida – One move at a time, 13-year-old Dana Harris tries to put her grandfather in check.
“I try to imagine why they did that move… he usually beats me,” said Harris.
Her grandfather, 89-year-old Ben Bush says he doesn’t play to win.
“It is not a question of winning, it is a question of learning the game. There is a lot to learn,” Bush said.
Bush is just the guy to teach her. He has been playing chess since high school.
“It is a decision-making kind of game, so if If I can pass that on to my family, I would have accomplished a great deal.”
More recently, his tactical moves won him a bronze metal in the Senior Olympics. When he’s not playing chess, he’s whittling wood. After three years of carving, cutting and crafting, Bush created a family chess set.
“They are more characters like a cartoon would be,” he said.
Bush and his wife Iris are King and Queen, his five children make up the rest of the royalty and his grand and great grandchildren form the pawns.
“My goal was to finish before was 90,” said Bush, and with 10 month to spare, he created something his family can cherish for years to come.
Source: Tampa Bay CBS 10
Good luck Ben!