Chess is Good for the Soul
A game to improve your life
“The beauty of chess is it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender, and socioeconomic background. Whatever your circumstances, anyone can enjoy a good fight to the death over the chess board.” — Simon Williams
One of my oldest memories is my grandfather taking his old wooden chess set from the closet and setting it down in front of me. The pieces were carved in intricate detail, each individually wrapped in paper towels to prevent scraping against the storage compartments. I still remember the bishops being depicted as elephants with large curved tusks.
With those amazing figures, I made my first ever movements across the chessboard. Even though I only knew the basics, this amazing game has popped in and out of my life for the last several decades. Whether it was a quick game with my grandfather or an accompaniment to a cup of tea with a friend, this game has always been a welcome interlude from life’s stresses and worries.
Chess should be a prerequisite for life
Learning the movement of the pieces is incredibly simple. However, those that have the patience to delve into strategy and theory will find a much more rewarding experience. When an experienced chess player looks down at a chessboard, they do not see 32 pieces standing over 64 squares — they see infinity in the countless permutations following each move.
One of the features that sets chess apart from other games is the complete lack of randomness. There is no lucky bounce of the ball. Every move of a chess piece is a decision born of analysis and calculation or a lack thereof. By immersing yourself in such mental exercises, numerous benefits carry over to other aspects of one’s life.
“Skilled chess players learn to anticipate an opponent’s next moves. To predict what another person will do next, a player must develop the ability to adopt another person’s perspective and infer what action they are likely to take.” — Healthline
When focusing on the game, a lot of players experience a phenomenon known as “flow state.” Flow state is when a person becomes so absorbed and deeply focused on a task, they tune out all distractions and time seems to slow around them.
“There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback,” — Csikszentmihalyi
Ultimately, chess is not just a tool for self-improvement. It is a way to connect with a community that spans hundreds of millions of people. Players that compete in tournaments will have the opportunity to play against people from around the world with chess tournaments taking place in such countries as the United States, Russia, England, Spain, and many others. It is an opportunity to shake hands with someone from a completely different walk of life.
“Queen’s Gambit” has created a chess Renaissance
As I binge-watched the Netflix Series “Queen’s Gambit,” the nostalgia for my own childhood was overwhelming. Beneath the surface of the masterfully written coming-of-age script of a young girl chess prodigy lurked a true love of the game. The culmination of the efforts of the cast and crew, along with their collaboration with chess Grandmasters, has created an easily accessible story that hits every demographic. The force with which this series took the nation can be measured in the sold-out chess sets nationwide.
“Millions of new fans have flocked to chess.com for games, lessons, and puzzles, giving the site its biggest annual growth since it launched in 2007. Since March, it has added 12.2 million new members, including 3.2 million who joined after the show’s debut in late October.” — CNN, Faith Karimi
Professional chessplayers generally made their money through their tournament winnings, endorsements, or coaching. With the surge in the popularity of chess, “chess streamer” is now a viable option as evidenced by the astronomic growth of multiple Twitch and Youtube channels.
Over 70,000 viewers — more than can fit in your average Major League Baseball stadium — tuned in to watch chess on Twitch, across channels, on Dec. 11, as grandmasters Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played the semi-final of the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship. — Bloomberg, Rachel Dottle
For a game that is over 1,500 years old, the fact that it has endured for millennia, across countless cultures, is a testament to the integrity and the purity of its construction. However, even the best product needs a great marketing department to reach the masses. “Queen’s Gambit” is the ambassador that bridges the gap between a niche interest and a staple of our society.
Take a chance, learn the game on a deeper level
“The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made.” — Savielly Tartakower
As I watched the triumphs of Beth Harmon, I was reminded of my own incomplete understanding of chess. One of my greatest flaws is that I get competitive in activities, but lack the skill and patience to actually compete. Chess is not a roll of the dice, better players will always catch a fool. After years of trying to break through a fairly laughable skill ceiling, I wanted to get help.
While I had no ambition of reaching any measurable level of mastery, I wanted to learn how to improve. After looking up guides and watching grandmaster streamers string together moves with causal brilliance, I found myself perusing the coaching section of Lichess.org. I decided to take advantage of my knowledge of the language, as well as the favorable exchange rate, by connecting with a chess coach in Russia.
After bidding my coach good morning, with a good evening in return, my Monday and Wednesday 11:00 P.M. time slots are filled with discussions of strategy, tactics, and examinations of my games that week. I went from casually clicking around a chessboard a couple of times a week to dedicating at least a couple of hours a day to reading about chess openings and strategies, solving tactical puzzles, and pitting myself against the rating ladders on Lichess.org and Chess.com.
My ratings climbed several hundred points higher over a one-month period, however, the most encouraging progress notes came from my coach. As we examined my games, his comments shifted from, “you lost this piece” or “you did not see this attack” to “You could have done this differently.” In terms of Russians showing praise, this is a hearty “atta boy.”
While the average player may never understand the genius at the highest levels of play, it is an incredible experience to develop a deeper appreciation of Chess. If you can think one more step ahead, it can be considered a victory in and of itself.
“Queen’s Gambit” helped inspire a whole new generation of chess players. At the same time, it rekindled old passions, giving older players a reason to dust off their chess sets. My aspiration is not to master the game, but to be better today than I was yesterday. What a wonderful model for life.
