There is More to Chess than Wits and Strategies

Chess is certainly a game of wits and strategies. All of its three phases – opening, middle game, and end game – involve different skills and strategies. In chess, every move is designed to outwit the opponent with the ultimate aim of checkmating his king. Careful planning and the ability to "see" far ahead are two most desired qualities that separate good chess players from the average “I also play chess” lot. To a keen player the game of chess offers an intense learning opportunity beyond wits, guile and strategies.

Flexibility and Adaptation

Regardless of what plan you have, you need to play according to your opponent’s moves. Therefore, you always need to be ready to adapt to the changing situation caused by what your opponent is thinking and trying to do on the chessboard. You need to adjust your strategies based on what he is planning. Sometimes you are face to face with an opponent who is very unorthodox, then you need a paradigm shift in your thinking. This requires an open and flexible mind and the willingness to quickly adapt to changing situations.

Managing Intense Emotions

Chess is mental torture.  – Garry Kasparov

Any average tournament chess player can testify to the fact that chess is an emotionally intense game – it can even turn into an emotional roller coaster. Preparing for an important tournament is no less intense than the preparation for a career turning university exam. You go through a range of real-life emotions – fear of failure, apprehensive excitement about some opening innovation, unsure whether you really have good defensive strategies from the black side, impatient about trying out newly acquired end game skills, and so on. Like for exams you are never sure whether you are sufficiently prepared.

Ask any aggressive player about the highly intense adrenalin rush when he spots a risky winning combination and decide to jump into it. Watch the tremendous sense of relief when the opponent resigns as a result. Or, watch the intensity of emotional relief when an immediate checkmate is staring you at the face and you suddenly spot a move to escape with a "stalemate"!

It is also no less dramatic when a much stronger opponent is continuously outsmarting you at every move leaving you utterly helpless against the threat of checkmate looming from several directions and suddenly he "blunders" and loses a dominant attacking piece. This precipitates an unspeakable sense of emotional relief deep inside you. You now suddenly discover that you are not only rescued from the sinking ship but are ready to fly high towards heavenly skies!! Instant transportation from abject gloom to roaring optimism is a unique feature of chess that keeps the excitement going in the game.

Emotional Balance and Consistency

Chess, first of all, teaches you to be objective.  – Alexander Alekhine

Chess is a game of mental staying-power – tenacity. Being brilliant is all right but what is more important is being consistently good throughout the game. If you are affected by the “heat” of the game, you will have difficulty coming up with right moves. Emotions can cloud your thinking if you are not careful.

There will hardly be a chess player who has not lost winning games due to blunders under excitement or who has not failed to notice the correct defensive moves when checkmate is staring at the face and your heart is sinking. Good players develop skills to keep their emotions under control no matter how exciting or depressive the situation is on the chessboard. A seasoned national level player once remarked: keeping emotions under constant guard is crucial to play consistently good game. Therefore, a good player must learn to be cool and logical regardless of the emotions he is going through.

Long Term Planning 

The key to success in chess as well as in life is thinking with a long term (or overall) perspective. Your moves should follow some plan – playing without a plan will not take you anywhere. Every move should proceed thinking a few more moves ahead and try to anticipate possible outcomes. Asking yourself “what if …” is generally a routine process for any good chess player. Your success depends on how much detail you are able to work out clearly. In real life too, this is the foundation of organizing and managing abilities.

The Value of Sacrifices

Sacrificing a smaller asset in order to achieve something bigger at a later time is a cherished wisdom since ancient times. It applies equally well both on the chessboard and in real life. A great many chess games have been won with brilliant sacrifices at the right time. In real life we often hear: you must give up something in order to gain something else. It needs deep thinking and careful planning to figure out what to give up and when. If you keep yourself busy glued to every little thing, you will not realize what bigger things are out there and how you are missing them.
 

Final Words

The game of chess and the atmosphere of chess tournaments offer brilliant real-life opportunities to learn how to perform in stressful conditions. Pressures generally degrade the performance of people and their thinking goes haywire. Keeping the thought process rational and under control in all circumstances is the top virtue of all successful people. Chess offers a simple yet effective way to learn this quality.