When did I feel my daughter could play chess?

My daughter's story has been told multiple times and is detailed in the book "One move checkmate" (listed in the right column). She started late, and had an aborted first try and a depressing second start. But we were lucky to have a patient parent volunteer and an encouraging coach to let her continue. I really didn't have any hope in those days, although i was a Chinese chess champion myself at her age. Chess was considered as an interesting activity in the after school programs. She also played other games, such as UNO, Mancala, and whatever was available at Latchkey.

One good thing was that she didn't fear to lose. In fact, she lost too many, and had been firmly stuck at the bottom of her club. 

I felt hopeful only when I saw how she solved some one move checkmate problems. Some positions were complex and required to move her Queen into dangerous squares. Based on my former training, i knew it was not straightforward. She had to understand a couple things before she could make the dare-devil move, or she just dared. Her long game at the first inter-school tournament confirmed my discovery. I knew she could play that afternoon, and we began to devote our time and resources.

Nowadays, I agree more with Laszlo Polgar's theory: genius is made, not born. Anyone can play chess, with proper encouragement and guidance, and of course, her/his hard work.