Chess Meditation

Chess is a means of connecting with your Mind.

If you ever feel stressed out playing chess, then perhaps it is time to step back for a moment & Chill.  

Close your eyes and picture something that you think is beautiful.  See it in your mind and just relax.  

When players take chess seriously, it is often the case that stress becomes a factor.  As a chess community, we need to support each other's development.  

Sure there are GM, IM, NM, FM types within the top 1% of all players in the world playing online, but this message is less for them and more for players who want to develop into to stronger players.  We are in this together as a community of learners.  

I want to make my fellow players better and help to show them the way to becoming stronger chess players and just better people.  It's the right thing to do and I want to do my part to make this world better for everyone!  

These posts are a load of bollocks, and I'm calling you out for it.

I'm sensing some negative energy within you.  If you release it like a magic ray of sunshine from a rainbow, then you will feel much more fulfilled. 

Huh, and here was me thinking Forest Gump was fictional and not a real person. Thought he was meant to be a little smarter than this though

I have heard that the creator of that story based the character on a real life individual but used historical situations to create a masterful screenplay.  

[Removed - DB]

That's not a nice word...  I hope that you don't get banned from this site for using such an insensitive and hurtful word.

Getting back to Chess Meditation... the topic at hand. 

The great Mahal Ruhal Rushie preached of the benefits of rainbow colored facial paints as an expression of happiness for the soul.  Often times, we lack the benefit of being able to see the goodness within people, but when one sees the multi-colored face paint, it almost instantaneously brings a smile to your face as you remember a time from your most formative years.  It is innate and within us to appreciate the simple nature of rainbow colors, and finger paints.  

I once played a Chess Tournament Championship match against a female WFM level opponent who wore rainbow colored facial paint during our match... She was a very fierce competitor and a force to be reckoned with.

During our match, she channeled her innermost Chess Meditative abilities and performed admirably

Sometimes the simplest forms of relaxation can assist with the improvement of one's chess game.  

Anxiety is often created over the course of competition.  Sometimes it is because of the particular opponent and sometimes it may be because of time controls or the lack of enough time to contemplate each move.  In all cases, one may become stressed

If you find yourself becoming stressed, then might I suggest that you try Chess Meditation. 

I truly believe that chess should be fun & it should be used to promote peace and tranquility in the world.  Gone are the days of viewing chess as a form of mental warfare.  Now chess is the renewing of the soul... a transcendental experience of the mind.

Is it possible to achieve peace while playing chess?

Are the two experiences polar opposites?

For those who have played in Chess tournaments or who compete online, it is evident that chess can at times cause anxiety and stressful situations.  But does it really have to be that way?  

By meditating during chess, you will see that chess becomes easier and you will become more aware of your abilities.  It is the height of chess skill to be able to disconnect from the game itself and to make the stressful pleasurable.  

Thank you for the inspiring post. I do sometimes wonder if I'd be able to maintain a peaceful mind during a chess game using meditation. I think I usually fall out of the meditative state by the 5th move!