Chess being a distinct game is a wonderful combination of reasoning and creativity which always keeps us guessing about the forthcoming moments, the same as our life. How a game of chess similar to life? In life we make decisions, in chess we move forward by making moves.
To realize our aim in life we have to take certain steps, almost the same process is followed in Chess. Similarly to life in chess, we have to arrive at a decision regarding what to keep with us and what to reject and be aware of the accurate timing of our choices.
To gain our supreme aim in both life and chess, a few tough calls have to be taken. Life as well as chess requires planned thinking, calculated pushes, and paramount discipline while playing.
Here are a few similarities between life and chess:
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1. Your inaction makes you a default loser
In our life and chess game time is a limited and the most important resource. There are certain occasions where we are in a dilemma regarding our next move and we spend a sizable portion of our valuable time often leading to procrastination.
This confusion doesn’t let us move forward and by not participating we attain failure. So in the pursuit of acquiring perfection, the time we waste acts as a blessing for our opponents by providing an opportunity to them for making a strike.
Therefore, the prudent approach is to keep going and we should never remain in limbo both in the game and life.
2. For any move, in-depth analysis should be made or someone may take the lead
In life and chess, our moves should be deeply pondered over by us. A move made in a jiffy without proper planning could give your opponents a chance to move forward and initiate a strike, leaving us behind. All of our moves should be made keeping the ins and outs or the current situation in our minds.
The experience and wisdom gained by us from our previous successes and failures could come handy while making informed decisions for our next move.
3. Your carefully planned moves can shield the things you keep along with you
In-game and life we are fond of certain things and people, without whom either our survival remains in danger or we do not enjoy the journey.
Because these things provide us much needed moral support at certain times. Moreover, they are a part of our strategy to conquer our adversaries.
We spend a sizable part of our life and our game time protecting them. Our moves, if we get right, have the potential to keep our flock together.
Thus, apart from deep thinking, diligent planning too is highly imperative which fosters us.
4. Distance from your loved one, might come as an obstacle to take care of them in case of need
In the chess and in our lives, sometimes due to certain circumstances we have to live far away from our beloved. This distance poses numerous problems for us and we try very hard to bridge the gap but the conditions do not allow us. Hence, we become forced to live far away from our dear one.
This distancing might act as a hindrance when our dearly loved look towards us for protection.
Because adverse circumstances and our opponents will leave no stone unturned to take advantage of this weakness of ours.
5. The pathway of continuing to exist and finding relief requires immaculate planning
In-game, as well as life survival and comfort, plays a pivotal role. Once you are able to survive the next focus is to make life comfortable. This whole much-needed process requires a blueprint. Merely moving adrift at the mercy of wind doesn’t do any good to us.
Planning with precision empowers us to remain alive and fills our life with comforts. Planning puts our thinking process on the right trajectory which ultimately helps us to form a process to strengthen us to achieve our aims.
6. Mastery and triumph advance towards those that are overly alert
In the games called chess and life the players strive towards attaining mastery and success which requires a combination of various qualities. The major being dogged determination, even if the circumstances are in your favor or against you. Alertness keeps you at a distance from complacency which restricts our learning and acts as a roadblock for our success.
Furthermore, it keeps our rivals at bay, thereby giving us excess time to focus on attaining excellence.
7. Acclimatizing to the condition is the route to success
Both life and chess sometimes put us under adverse conditions which in some cases might be alien for us. These conditions bring tough times making our stay difficult prompting us to either lose or quit.
Adaptability is the key in such situations. If the circumstances are not in your favor then changing our plans, strategies, tactics, mindset, and trajectory is a judicious approach.
A plan which is not suitable for a certain situation must be shelved off. So a flexible approach of changing yourself according to the conditions in place sounds good for both life and chess.
8. Awareness and understanding are plus points
Be it life or chess nothing could beat our knowledge and experience. On the one hand, knowledge entitles us to encounter tough times with tremendous ease. On the other hand, experience magnifies our vision which in turn provides us much-needed sixth-sense to bode the forthcoming blessings and challenges in advance.
Without these virtues we are forced to live our life or play our game of chess at the mercy of our fortune.
9. There is a limit to the moves at your disposal; make better use of them
In both chess and life, we get limited opportunities. In a few cases, because of our luck, but in most of the cases, because of our efforts in the right direction.
These limited chances we get are crucial for our journey towards success. So better utilization of limited opportunities is true for both life and the game of chess.
Conclusion
Thus, the game of chess and life form a lethal combination. The right understanding of this game makes us wiser and leads to a paradigm shift in our approach towards our life.
About author
John Fritsch
Hi, I’m half American and half German. Chess is my hobby and my passion. Started this hobby when my cousin introduced me to this game when I was about 12 years old. I bought a plastic chess set from a neighborhood shop and used to play with my sister. Other priorities faded the chess thing out of my life but the passion was still there. I bought a good wooden chess set in 2002 from an online shop and till date have read around a dozen of books. Not a collector, but I own around 6 wooden chess sets and 2 beautiful chessboards. I’m glad to be associated with the Chess Equipments on writing on several topics of my interest.
