Chess Family Calamity

Evan Chess was born on Christmas of 2004, and his big sister Elyse was NOT happy about it. This distaste for her brother continued until she was around thirteen. She felt as if he did things just to get under her skin.

“Everything about him just annoyed me so much,” she said. 

However, Evan recalls looking up to his big sister and wanting to do everything she did. 

Elyse’s harsh feelings towards young Evan didn’t make their mother too happy. Mrs. Chess says  that as a result of the rivalry between her two children, she felt annoyed and frustrated, like she was failing as a parent. 

Luckily, as the two grew and matured, they developed a strong sibling bond. Elyse claims that they get along fairly well, except when provoked.

“Evan isn’t a morning person,” Elyse said.

They most commonly fight over who gets to use the bathroom first, as they share one. 

While their relationship is ten times better than it used to be, they still push each other’s buttons quite a bit. Elyse particularly dislikes when Evan forgets to pack his lunch the night before, so when they’re getting ready for school in the morning he’s always rushing around to get his things together. 

She also adds that he’s sometimes babied and allowed to be irresponsible. She feels that she has more responsibilities and is expected to lead her little brother down the right path.

Evan, on the other hand, thinks that Elyse is too focused on her schoolwork, to which she replies that he’s somewhat right, but he could better from a little more focus more on his education. 

As some parents might have differing expectations for their children, that’s not the case for the Chesses. Mr. Chess says he just expects them to try their best at everything they do. Elyse feels that he practices what he preaches, as does Evan who adds that he’s scolded more often than his sister. His mother says that’s because he “usually requires an outside force to get him going, while Elyse is self motivated and does things without being told.” Mr. Chess agrees, saying that while their beginnings may not be the same, “they always end up in the same place.”

Mr. and Mrs. Chess both come from families with multiple children. Mrs. Chess had an older brother, a baby sister that required constant attention from her parents, and she was the forgotten middle child. She says that Evan and Elyse are much closer than she and her siblings were, due to them doing many more activities and sports with each other, including track and cross country. Mr. Chess says that he and his siblings fought 100x more than Evan and Elyse do. He grew up with two brothers and two sisters. He and his brother even made their basement into a bedroom to get some space and to sneak out, of course. 

While their relationship has its ups and downs, Evan and Elyse get along like peas and carrots. When asked what she likes about her brother, Elyse responds, “He always wants to hang out with me.” The two love to play Minecraft together, and especially love playing a game where Elyse is a Russian officer who makes Evan’s life miserable. She says he has “a World War Two obsession.”  

Evan really appreciates it when his sister helps him with his homework, saying that she’s a “Spanish wizard.” He says that, overall, that he’s lucky to have her and wouldn’t trade her for anyone else.