Chess strategy for life strategy?

As I started to learn more about chess I realize that a lot of the basic/general principles of chess could be applied to your life.

I like to think strategically about my life both personally and professionally. I’m wondering if any of you have been able to take chess principles and directly apply them successfully to what it is that you do day today.

Here is an example for me –

Control the center: you have to figure out in life what your “center“ is. What is the most important thing to you? What are your core values etc. No matter what decisions you make you need to make sure that the choices allow you to keep the main thing the main thing.

For example as a business lawyer I ask my clients what their key values and concerns are and when I negotiate their contracts and make sure I prioritize those issues and I’m willing to make strategic sacrifices on lesser issues.

Right pieces in the right places: in chess you wouldn’t send a queen out to do what a pawn should do. You wouldn’t send your bishop out to do what a knight could do. In our life we need to understand the roles that people play for us and put them in the right position.

For example, I trust my mother but bringing her in on business strategy discussions wouldn’t make much sense because although she is smart, she is a professor of nutrition and she is very risk-averse. She doesn’t have business savvy. So even though I love and respect her, her suggestions in that realm are less helpful.

However when I’m talking about my family and my education she is one of the best resources for me. She is a major “piece“ in my life but she’s only powerful and effective if I put her in the right position.

*** What are some other chess principles that you think you could apply in every day life? ****

It would be really cool to come up with a list of members could refer to for some inspiration and direction off the chessboard.

Read the similar themed book by Kasparov . . . 

No no no. Trying to think about life like it were chess is a very bad idea. Chess has absolutely nothing to do with life.
-Chess is a zero sum game-life is not
-In chess there has to be a winner and a loser. Not in life.
-conditions for winning at Chess are precisely defined. In life they may actually be no such thing as winning or losing even.
-in chess you see all your paths and and both players pieces on the board without tricks like bluffing. Not so.
-in chess your range of movement is confined by a square board for both players. In life it’s different for every person.
-in chess players obey the rules of the game. Not in life.
-in chess all immediate options are known and you try to fulfill winning conditions. In life you are surrounded by known unknowns, and unknown unknowns; then you try to reduce unknowns in life.

Basically, whoever may insist that chess is metaphor for life is absolutely wrong.

I absolutely agree that the game of chess can provide ample opportunities for introspection and improvement in life. I think sometimes we can get carried away with the metaphors though. Being centered in chess would suggest the concept of balance to me rather than priorities. I get what you're trying to say, but I think the connection would need to be stronger to really drive the point home.

Considering that I'm equal to other humans, I don't plan to put people in certain positions as I'm merely a piece myself. I do intend to work with others with diverse skills sets in order to promote collective liberation. I also think you gotta give your mom some more credit- I'm sure she has some business savvy. LOL!

Life imitates chess. I pronounce you King and Queen 😎