Like love, like friends, like music, chess has the power to make me happy. Perhaps one of man's great creations, chess is an art which expresses the science of logic. As a child, I never understood the arbitrary rules as I watched my parents play every weekend. My mum told me about how the game stretches the mind to its utmost limits. But I thought to myself, "hopefully not beyond!"
As time passed by, I have learnt to play this game- a product of tinkering and refining. I have found the game to be a declivous combat to the finish between opposing armies, yet one that is non-violent. The game is my testing ground to experiment and act out my personal dramas with no repercussions other than wiping the board clean and starting over. From setting traps, methodically building a position, analyzing variations, memorizing common patterns, to finally making the 'kill', I'm able to engage the minds of my fierce opponents with a special blend of primitive instinct and accurate calculation. The board is just the right size and every chess piece is embedded with a metaphor that mirrors life's values - the pawn for hope, the queen for personal responsibility, the bishop for education, the knight for self-advocacy and the castle for support. Like famous paintings, chess is a canvas whereupon great players like myself can create masterpieces that serve as legacies.
Certain life applications have become apparent to me since I got 'married' to playing this family game. The values of strategizing; having foresight; willingness to endure; flexibility and changeability; establishing a secure position before attempting an aggressive and potentially perilous move; being alert to making out and seizing unexpected opportunities; considering all possibilities before settling on a single choice, even when the "right choice" might appear pronounced , deceptively obvious; reining in hasty decision-making; recognizing when it's beneficial to keep fighting and when it's sensible to admit defeat and move on; developing a studied plan of action based on previous experience and theoretical knowledge; studying the opposition and looking for cyclic weaknesses; and continuing to learn and improve, even when I have achieved prolonged success.
In the game of chess, I may be a master player like my parents, trying to build a strong career like Bill Gates and thinking of having a solid physique like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but if a moment's heedlessness causes me to swerve into the oncoming lane on the long journey in life, it may all be for naught. The game requires tactical themes and goals, to be certain, and a special skill set overall. Chess demands a lot of exposure with common strategic and tactical themes including memorization. The opening can determine how a round of play may end. Openings have proven to be my hardest time - both in chess and in approaching girls. At this point, the game can go in diverse directions because the game is literally wide open. As time passes by I learnt to from all my previous flaws by making a strong, general moves that covers a vast variety of situations in order to win. Though a cliché in sport, the best defense is a good offense.
As of today, I know that that the world is full of so much possibilities and that my perceived limitations are self-imposed. Things that I consider as weaknesses on my part have proved to be completely irrelevant in a given context. I'm fixing my inner game - eliminating psychological insecurities - probably more significant than addressing the weakness itself. May I know who is up for a game?
