This Christmas, my mother gave Daughter #1 a game of checkers, and they played many matches over our holiday visit. When my mother visited us over the summer, she wanted to play checkers. We went to the store, and believe it or not, they didn't sell checkers. They had dozens of Ants in the Pants and Cootie, but no checkers. Both my mother and daughter were disappointed. So, now we have checkers. Over the weekend my daughter and I sat down for a match. She's a smart kid, so I was prepared for a good beating. We played three games straight, and I kicked ass. I yelled King Me! every time I got my man to the back and insisted the top checker be crown side up. It was a fluke, as are most of my successes. Beginner's luck. I am not technically a beginner, having been raised by a checkers champion. My mother is sly at the game, as she is with most games. She sits in her chair, hunched over the board, rattling her opponent's losses in her hands--click, click, clickety--throwing ...