How Chess Has Impacted The Way I See The World

I am beginning to think that if you were to give a complete stranger a list of my hobbies, they would come to the rational conclusion that, even though I am really only 20 years old in reality, that I am an elderly person. These hobbies include reading, writing, keeping up with current political happenings, listening to classical or lyrically complex music, and playing chess. I play a lot of chess and always have. In elementary school there was a chess club that I happily joined and quickly realized how truly complicated yet enjoyable chess is, with supplementary lessons being given by my parents. Being as competitive as I am, I dedicated a lot of my free time to it and became one of the better players in the club. Continued playing led me to eventually participating in some over-the-board tournaments, even placing (but never winning) in them and holding my own against others who had made chess a focal point in their lives. As the years went on basketball became more of a priority for me, but chess has always been an enjoyable hobby. Since I’ve been in college, I’ve played less basketball and a lot more chess. I’d consider myself an intermediate player who can hold his own against anyone in person, but there’s still so much to learn as just a ~1700 rated player. Chess is not only just a very enjoyable and thought-encouraging game, but it parallels life in many ways, and teaches players lessons such as discipline and focus, planning, and time-management which I will talk about in this post.

To get good at anything, especially anything competitive, you need discipline. It is easy to mindlessly play chess while doing other things like watching TV or talking to people as they come and go in and out of the room, but that will not lead to improvement. Approaching other tasks such as work, assignments, or even workouts without giving complete attention will lead to also diminishing returns and stunted progress (I need to get back into the home gym soon!). Instead, I play chess the same way that I approach the other to-do list items in my life — by tracking progress, giving them my complete undivided attention, and never biting off more than I can chew while accepting that some days will simply be more productive than others.

To simplify effective chess strategy to its most minimal form is to advise players to simultaneously attack and defend, while keeping in mind a plan of their own while anticipating their opponents potential responses. As a student of English rhetoric, I’ve learned that this approach is often a good one to take in conversation and writing as well. Anticipating rebuttals to your own assertions and arguments makes you a better debater and communicator in general. Understanding that your actions have concrete and irreversible consequences encourages you to think more carefully before acting whether it’s on the checkered board or in real life. Making a plan and sticking to it while adapting to the challenges being thrown your way is the recipe for good chess play, and for intelligent behavior in the outside world.

Chess also teaches careful time management. During my days as a basketball player I was almost paranoid in my awareness of the clock and of the protocols around it. This trait of mine has translated well to chess in that I am able to use my time as a form of currency and spend it wisely, and understanding that it is non-renewable (unless you’re playing with an increment, of course). Playing chess has taught me to give the proper amount of time to things that are more complicated in real world tasks, and to trust myself to not have to overthink when I find something easy, but to simply act on that initial gut feeling. All of these strategies when combined have absolutely changed the way that I view the world for the better.

Chess boards are typically thought to symbolize intelligence which is a stereotype that I can’t complain about as a player myself. Chess is a worldly game that doesn’t judge its players on anything but strategy and willingness to win, which is made much easier when employing all of the tactics listed in this post. Chess has led me to new friendships, fun interactions with who would otherwise be strangers (who sometimes who have destroyed me like the man pictured below at Whole Foods), and has taught me valuable lessons that have impacted and changed the way that I see the world. I strongly recommend giving chess your full attention and looking for ties to the outside world yourself - you too will see why it is one of the world’s most popular games.