Life Lessons of Chess We Can All Take (Holiday Special)
Hi everyone, Happy Holidays! Sorry for not uploading a blog last week, as I was busy with my school exams. If you are a deep thinker like myself, you may have thought about existential purpose. I was asked, “why do you play chess? What are the benefits of playing chess? Can you retain any lessons from your time playing chess?” What better time to answer this profound question than the Holidays! Aside for many obvious reasons that you may have, I have come up with 3 life lessons that I have taken from chess: Decision-making, Sportsmanship, and Patience.
Decision-making
Maybe the more obvious one on this list, I have taken many lessons in decision-making in my chess career, and I’m sure many of you reading have as well. In life, decisions must be made: buying a home, choosing a career, getting married…you know the drill. On the chess board, the 64 squares, decisions also must be made, mainly long-term decisions about plans in the middlegame and endgame. A great quote is said in the film, Life of a King, where Eugene Brown (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), the main character says, “The king is your life. One mistake, and it can be taken away.” This extremely factual quote also ties into the idea that in chess, you must think before you move. This is why, in my opinion, playing bullet and blitz chess is not as effective as longer time control chess, as in bullet games you see a rushed though process lead to blunders and sloppy chess. In life, you must think before you make decisions, just as on the chess board.
Sportsmanship
I’m sure many of you reading this who have played an over-the-board chess match. For the beginners reading this, let me explain. Chess is considered by many to be a “gentleman’s game”, which means that sportsmanship is pretty much required. Traditionally, it is insisted (I’m not too sure what the repercussions are for not following these; let me know in a comment if you do) to shake hands and wish your opponent luck before the match begins. Talking loudly and doing anything distracting during the match is discouraged and seen as disrespectful to your opponents. Now, I’m sure many of you, like myself, have been very frustrated during or after a game of chess; perhaps a bad blunder, or just a poor game has caused this rage. Before playing chess, I was somewhat of a “loose cannon”, as I am very competitive and used to get extraordinarily upset whenever I lost. In chess, however, losing cannot be met with rage, as in order to improve at chess, one must accept losing and learn from mistakes.
Patience
The last principle, or virtue, on our list is one of patience. Patience on the chess board is key, as although attacking in chess is fun, sometimes the immediate threats are not there, and patience is needed for the attack to open up. This is also seen in endgames, as some cannot be won without waiting moves. Patience is an important life skill that chess has taught me, as it helps in my being less restless and ready to wait for opportunities, then seize them.
Conclusion
I encourage you all that are reading this that are new or experienced chess players to think about these life lessons, as they have been truly beneficial to my life. If you would like to share any thoughts on this, please leave a comment down below and I will respond to you. I hope you enjoyed, and if you tend to enjoy the standard chess articles, don’t worry! They will be back next article. I just wanted to release something different and more profound, as I believe it is important to reflect on things that are deeper than ourselves during the holidays.
Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays!
JC
