Let’s Chat about Chess (A Chronicle)
A Game that Stood the Test of Time
Chess was created in India sometime in the 6th century and eventually spread throughout the Middle East, Europe and then finally…the world! Russia was the first European country to embrace the game by 1000 AD (not a big surprise if you look at the history of the world’s best chess players) but what we know as chess today really emerged in Europe in the 15th century. Chess only became fun with the introduction of tournaments and competitive play in the late 1800s. Yep, you heard me right! Chess clocks started only being used in 1883! Chess has been twisted and contorted into many different shapes and forms over the past centuries, across large swathes of land, different people kept changing the rules, the pieces and the strategy to win the game! Eventually, chess, as we know it today, in all of its complexity, was born from this immense cauldron of collaboration.
The Universal Game
In many ways, this game had the ability to break through language barriers, primal prejudice, and petty rivalries to the point of taking on a whole life of its own. By being touched upon by people from all walks of life, enjoyed and loved by citizens of countless nations and tribes, this game has achieved immortality.
You might be saying right now, “Phhh! Who even cares anymore? I don’t even know how to play chess!” Well, you are probably American because people around the world still love this game. As an American, I feel this is tragic…so many people are missing out on what I feel is a valuable learning experience. This game has survived the test of time and for good reason.
The Life Lessons Hidden in Chess
Being raised by Russian parents, my whole family has played chess since we were little. I remember playing with the pieces as toys before I even understood the game! I can tell you from experience that chess teaches you hard lessons about life, without all of the nasty consequences.
First of all, let’s look at the pieces themselves. I could write an entire essay dissecting the subtle lessons chess teaches people but here are the highlights:
- It has a message about established power systems…the king is the most vulnerable piece on the board. Your mission is to take down the opposing king and without anyone to defend the poor bastard, the smallest of pawns can beat him. Moral of the story? A leader of any organization is powerless without their group.
2. Variety. The game has a wide array of pieces that have different roles to play. Bishops? They attack diagonally and are great for long-distance attacks and harassing pieces that are near the corners of the board. Knights? Although they cannot attack pieces directly, they are incredibly tricky to keep track of and (in the right situations) can play pivotal roles in an offensive maneuver; basically brain over brawn.
3. Pawns. Pawns demonstrate the very real and raw power of potential. If you do not keep an eye on the opponent's pawns -by end game- that scrawny, weak pawn has transformed into a queen…and you? Yeah, you just lost the game.
Here is the picture I currently have as my desktop wallpaper: (Nerd alert)
I, personally, find it more inspirational than any self-help, fancy flowery soccer mom phrases you can find on the internet written in a colorful font.
The Greatest Takeaway
Perhaps the greatest lesson one can learn from chess is the importance of being a strategic thinker. Just like being a critical thinker is important (having the ability to consume media and information while having the ability to discern what you think is right) the ability to think steps in advance is what put us on the top of the food chain!
Being able to think of attacks and counter-attacks and to coordinate our resources effectively is what made Man more powerful than any tiger or bear.
Chess, in essence, is a tribute to one of the most elegant and devastatingly powerful parts of ourselves and identity; offering us a way to peer through the hourglass of time and traverse the distances of continents only to see…ourselves, a prevailing testament to human nature.
My dear ‘Merican readers, let me introduce you to my new slogan: ®“Let’s Make America Play Chess Again!”
