Rook and the Male Ego

So have you ever played Rook? It's a game that requires skill and strategic thinking. And devoted followers. We knew a lot of Rook players when we lived in Alabama. We had evenings of Rook, Rook tournaments and all sorts of Rook-related things. There are also Rook related traditions. For instance, did you know that you cannot play the game unless you are munching on some sort of junk food? Appetizers are okay, and the occasional piece of fruit, but only if it is washed down with a big bowl of chips or popcorn.

Another unwritten rule is that you can never, absolutely never play just one game. It always has to be two out of three. And if the women are winning, then it has to be four out of five.

One of the most important rules is that, if at all possible, you must not play with your spouse as your partner. If there are two couples, it must be men against the women. And again, the women must not be winning. Men somehow seem to consider this "their" game. Like they have the corner on strategic thinking and outsmarting others. Come on.

We've got some long time friends staying with us this week. They got here yesterday, and it took us until after supper (all of three hours after they got here) before we began playing Rook. The women won three out of four games last night.

The men were not happy.

They made up reasons why they were losing.

They demanded a rematch after lunch today.

Now we're at the point where, technically, we've each won an equal number of games. So we're tied for now. (That's the only reason the men agreed to stop the game and let us all get some sleep.) But if you add up the total points scored in all games so far, the women are beating the men by over 500 points. That's like winning a whole extra game. So really we are probably actually winning.

(It's only the male ego and need for superiority that has a problem. I'm perfectly fine with this. As long as I can prove that we are winning.)

Our friends will be here all week. I foresee a little friendly competition ahead.

What about you? Are you competitive at all? How far will you go to win? Will you fudge the rules a little? Are you a poor loser? As for me, I'll answer these questions at the end of the week ... or not ... guess it all depends on who wins.