This is the One Game That Will Help You in Life

There are plenty of games out there, many just leisure activities that will not translate to real-world success. But, there are a few games out there that are legitimate aids to the path of life. My personal favorite and the topic of this article is chess. I will discuss the many benefits of chess and how it can help you in your endeavors.

Chess is a strategic game consisting of various pieces on an 8x8 checkered board. Each piece moves independently and must abide by its rules of movement. In a classical chess game, there are eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen, and one king on each side of the board. The goal of the game is to capture the other team’s king whilst simultaneously protecting your own. It seems like a fairly easy concept, but the complexities of chess are boundless due to the various movement rules of each piece.

The pawn is the most abundant piece on the board but has the most restricted movement of any piece. I don’t want to say it’s the weakest piece because any piece can be very useful in the right situation. Nonetheless, the pawn can move only one square forward at a time aside from the starting move where you have the option to move it two squares forward. It can capture opposing pieces one square to its diagonal in the forward direction and can never move backward. But, the pawn does have one unique ability that no other piece can match. If you can manage to get one of your pawns to the other side of the board, you can bring a stronger piece back in its place.

The rooks are positioned in the back corners of the board and can move directly forward, backward, left, or right as far as they would like as long as it is not obstructed by any other pieces. The rook is a very simple but powerful piece that is often overlooked given its buried starting position. Rooks are mostly used to set up unique traps and take powerful pieces without your opponent realizing.

The knight is the most versatile piece on the board possessing the ability to jump over pieces. This ability is unique to only the knight and allows the piece to execute exceptionally powerful traps and takes. The knight moves in an “L” shape meaning it moves two squares in one cardinal direction and then one square to the left or right in the same direction. Once you have mastered the intricacies of the knight’s movement, it will be one of the most useful pieces on the board.

The bishop is very similar to the rook in that it can move an unlimited amount of spaces as long as it is not obstructed by another object. It is different from the rook in that rather than moving in the four cardinal directions, it moves diagonally. Therefore, the bishop can cover the most ground out of all pieces from corner to corner (other than the queen). The bishop is used for controlling the center of the board since that is where it is most useful.

The queen has the least restricted movement of any piece combining the power of both the rook and the bishop. The queen has the rawest power of any piece on the board and can be the deciding factor in any game. The queen should be protected at all costs even if it means losing multiple other pieces in the process. The queen is your greatest attack as well as your greatest defense. When utilized correctly, the queen can dismantle opponents and can be the turning point in any game.

Even though the king is the prized possession of your army, it has a relatively restricted movement system. The king can move one square in any direction and is rarely used for offense since its being captured means a loss. Nonetheless, the king is very underutilized in offense by most players because of this fear and the restricted movement pattern. The king must be protected at all costs but that fear should not obstruct you from making risky but calculated moves.

This is the real meat and potatoes of the article and the main reason I decided to write it. Chess relates to life in so many ways it will be challenging to cover it all here but stick with me. Firstly, chess is a game that requires calculated and strategic planning to win, very similar to the concept in the game of life. Chess requires you to consider the implications of each move you make and the resulting outcome of said move. Whether it is capturing a piece, defending a piece, setting up a trap, or controlling squares on the board, each move should be in pursuit of capturing the opponent’s king whilst defending your own.

This is very similar to life in that each move we make should be calculated and directed towards a goal. Each move you make in life should be strategic and no moves should be made that do not get you closer to the end goal. In addition, you should consider the implications of your moves throughout life and take a “bird’s eye view” approach when confronted with a problem. This will allow you to make the most educated and well-rounded decision when presented with each situation.

Furthermore, very similar to life, chess does not allow you to change the rules of the game no matter how bad the situation is. You must analyze the board and make the best possible decision given the circumstances. For instance, you may have to sacrifice a piece to save a more powerful one. Similarly, you cannot go through life wishing circumstances were different like your height, looks, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background. You must continue to make the best move no matter your situation and it would be foolish to sit around wishing it was any different.

Lastly, chess has been proven to increase self-awareness amongst its players. Chess requires you to focus on each action and how that affects the pattern of the game. With increased self-awareness, you will be able to better understand and predict future outcomes and how that will impact your long-term goal. There are plenty of other ways chess will help you including increased memory, greater attention span, heightened creativity, and protection against dementia.

Thank you for reading, and I would appreciate it if you would share this article and give me some feedback!

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