A game of chess, anyone?

I was returning from the mail room at the University (by the way - the mail room is extremely hard to find - you practically have to know the secret password a la the "speakeasy" days) when I noticed a very skinny fellow holding up a small white posterboard which advertised the following: "Up for a game of chess?"  He was at one of the wooden tables in front of the library, looking rather pathetic - a cheap wood and plastic chess set was set up on the table, the pieces already in order.

I was more intrigued than I was sorry for the young man.  So, I put my stuff down, sat across from him, and said, "Let's play."  He politely offered for me to go first, but I inisisted that he went first, but only after assuring him that, yes, I do know how the pieces move, but I'm still really crappy at the game.  Even if I do get the upper hand somehow, I am never able to finish the game.  He assured me that that's one of the hardest parts about chess is how to finish the game. 

The game was a silent affair, and I lost my queen rather rapidly, though he offered to allow me to take back my move.  I declined, saying that fair's fair.  When he accidentally knocked over his king, I joked that the game was over.  He somberly replied that, in a real tournament, that would be the case. 

Even though I somehow managed a meager amount of brilliant moves, he did, of course, beat me within ten minutes.  Then, we shook hands and exchanged names and University members, and I was gone - off to another task as a research assistant.

Isn't that strange?  He had enough courage to simply acknowledge that he was bored enough, desperate enough, to just hold up a sign, wanting to play chess.  Was he trying to meet the girl of his dreams?  Was he trying to make a new friend?  Or, does he love Chess so much so that he would risk looking embarrassed in front of onlookers?  It still puzzles me to this day.  My game of choice is Scrabble.  However, playing chess with a random stranger left its impact on me - a positive notion that I continue to seek the human in humanity.