Michael Vick learned chess, and learned to love chess, while he was in a federal prison for his role in a dog-fighting operation - "When I was away," as he called it. He taught himself, first as a way just to kill the boredom. But then he discovered it helped him think, taught him to make better decisions, and brought out his competitive juices. "I liked going head to head, mano a mano," he said. He still plays three or four games a week at home in Virginia.